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

JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES SINCE 1932 `7.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

BUSINESS AS USUAL
STRONG MOMENTUM IN ECONOMY: FM
BY UNNY
Over `2 lakh cr: Highest
monthly GST collection
Audits, anti-evasion measures help High domestic
boost gross GST collections in April transactions
higher compliance in the back- THE STRONG pickup in
AANCHAL MAGAZINE drop of anti-evasion measures gross GST collections was
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 and audits taken by authorities. reflective of the year-end
Thisisthehighestlevelof GST momentum that was vis-
Strong leaders, GROSS GOODS and Services tax
(GST) collections rose 12.4 per
collectionsrecordedsincethein-
direct tax reform kicked in al-
ible last year too, while
audits and investigations
laws, agencies cent to touch a record-high of Rs
2.10 lakh crore in April (for year-
mostsevenyearsagoinJuly2017,
andthefirsttimethattheoverall
by both Central and state
GST authorities aided the
bite citizens endsalesinMarch),datareleased
bytheUnionFinanceMinistryon
mop-up crossed the Rs 2 lakh
croremark.Theprevioushighest
mop-up. Sustainability of
this figure will depend on
they vow to Wednesday showed. The in-
creasewasdrivenmainlyby13.4
levelwasregisteredinApril2023
at Rs 1.87 lakh crore, reflecting
the consumption de-
mand amid the rising

protect: Court percentyear-on-yearhigherdo-

mestictransactions,alongwitha
year-end sales of March 2023.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
heatwave.

pulls up ED
NIRBHAY THAKUR
NEW DELHI, MAY 1
CM tells PM to
OBSERVINGTHAT“‘strong’lead-
cancel Prajwal
ers, laws and agencies generally
come back to bite the very citi-
diplomatic
zens they vow to protect”, a
Delhi court has come down passport; MP
heavily on the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) for invoking a seeks a week
stringent provision of the
Prevention of Money
Laundering Act to record the AKRAM M
statement of a doctor, an “ordi- & KIRAN PARASHAR
narycitizen”,consultedbyanac- BENGALURU, MAY 1
cused in a PMLA case.
SpecialJudgeVishalGogneof KARNATAKA CHIEF Minister
the Rouse Avenue Courts made Siddaramaiah wrote to Prime
the observation while deciding Minister Narendra Modi Wed-
an application for extension of nesday,urgingtheCentretocan-
interim bail of Amit Katyal, ar- cel the diplomatic passport of
rested by the ED last November JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna, who
in the land-for-jobs case. is at the centre of a sexual abuse
The ED case stems from a CBI case, and ensure his return by
probe into allegations that peo- making use of diplomatic and
ple were given employment in police channels.
the Railways when RJD leader
Lalu Prasad was Railways minis-
ter in return for land parcels
PRESIDENT IN AYODHYA The letter came even as
Prajwal, the grandson of JD(S)
founder and former prime min-
gifted or sold cheap to his family President Droupadi Murmu offers prayers at the Ram ister H D Deve Gowda, sought
and associates. temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday. ANI REPORT,PAGE5 seven days to appear before the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Special Investigation Team (SIT)
formed to probe the allegations
ofsexualabuseagainsthim.Italso

Riding on his work as 4-time CM, came on a day the SIT issued no-
ticestothe33-year-oldleaderand
his father H D Revanna, who are

‘Mama’ looks at Delhi 2nd innings named as accused based on the

complaint of one of the women.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
rity arrangement is thrown into
ANAND MOHAN J disarray.Butthisdoesn'tdeterthe
DEWAS, MAY 1 former Madhya Pradesh chief INSIDE
minister,whorollsdownthewin-
SHIVRAJ SINGH dow and greets the children,
Chouhan’s ap- while his wife Sadhna looks on.
parent exhaus- Chouhan, 65, is campaigning
tionfromunder- in a part of the Dewas belt which
taking a 16-hour fallsunderVidishaLokSabhacon-
DECISION daily poll cam- stituency,hishometurf,wherehe
2024 paign dissipates has returned to contest the Lok PANIC IN DELHI NCR
as a group of Sabha polls after about 20 years. AS SCHOOLS GET
children runs towards his con- Chouhan on campaign trail A five-time MP from Vidisha, BOMB THREAT EMAIL
voy of bulletproof vehicles. in Vidisha. Anand Mohan J Chouhan wentontobecomethe PAGE 3
Asthecrowdswells,thesecu- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Mumbai school principal Disquiet in Delhi over

told to quit over her posts US, Aussie reports on
on Hamas-Israel conflict ‘Indian spy operations’
ago, has refused to resign “be- Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
PALLAVI SMART cause I have given hundred per SHUBHAJIT ROY reported that “Indian spies were
MUMBAI, MAY 1 cent to the organisation”. NEW DELHI, MAY 1 kicked out of Australia after be-
Web portal OpIndia pub- ing caught trying to steal secrets
THE PRINCIPAL of the Somaiya lished a report on April 24, high- REPORTS in the US and about sensitive defence projects
School in Mumbai has been lighting Shaikh’s likes and com- Australian media about opera- and airport security, as well as
asked by the school manage- ments,viaherXhandle,onposts tionsallegedly by Indian“intelli- classified information on
ment to resign, allegedly over that were pro-Palestine and gence officials” overseas has Australia's trade relationships”.
her posts on social media plat- sympathetic to Hamas. caught the establishment off- The Australian and the Sydney
form X on the issue of Palestine Confirming that she was guard and there is a sense of dis- Morning Herald said that two
and the Hamas-Israel conflict. called by the management fol- quietinNewDelhiatwhatitsees Indian“spies”wereaskedtoleave.
ParveenShaikh,whohashad lowing the publication of the re- as a “concerted pushback” from “The so-called foreign ‘nest
a 12-year association with the port, Shaikh said, “In a meeting its key Western strategic part- of spies’ disrupted by the
Somaiya School in Vidyavihar heldonApril26,themanagement ners, sources said. Australian Security Intelligence
and became its principal 7 years CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 On Tuesday, the Australian CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

In this corner of UP, Akhilesh & Dimple

pick up the baton, and Mulayam’s legacy
PAGE 1 stituencies — Kannauj and
ANCHOR Mainpuri,respectively—hadbeen
won in the past by
SP patriarch Mulayam Singh
Yadav.
LALMANI VERMA As Akhilesh tries to fill his late
MAINPURI, KANNAUJ, MAY 1 father’s shoes, the result in these
two adjoining constituencies,
SAMAJWADI PARTY chief whichhehaschosentokeepclose
AkhileshYadavhasalotatstakein home, will be closely tracked to
the coming Lok Sabha elections. see how far he has come.
Politics is just one part of it. From In2019,Dimplehadlostfrom
two seats in the coming two Kannauj, later winning the
phases,AkhileshandwifeDimple Dimple Yadav campaigns in Mainpuri. Lalmani Verma Mainpuri seat held by Mulayam
are contesting. Both these con- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
 2 THE SECOND PAGE WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

FROM PAGE ONE FULL REPORTS ON

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
● Mumbai school principal told to quit
told me that it is a tough decision tocol or official policy on political
forthemtomake,butthisassoci- remarks in public by employees

Over `2 lakh cr: Highest monthly GST collection ation was no longer tenable and
theyaskedmetoresign...Icontin-
ued to work over the following
of the Somaiya institution. But at
a meeting in March, she said, it
wasclarifiedthat“employeesare
Union Finance Minister Thisrepresentsasignificant12.4% Uttar Pradesh with Rs 12,290 auditsandcorrespondingnotices lections in the state’s coffers,” thisgrowthtrajectoryinthecom- days, but there was covert and permitted to express their per-
NirmalaSitharamansaidtheGST year-on-year growth, driven by a crore collection (19 per cent issuedduringthisyear,”Abhishek Saurabh Agarwal, Tax Partner, EY ing months would definitely be a overtpressurefrommanagement sonalviewsontheirprivatesocial
collection crossed the Rs 2 lakh strongincreaseindomestictrans- growth), Tamil Nadu with Rs Jain, Partner & National Head, said. key area for the government to representativestocoercemeinto media accounts, provided they
crore benchmark “thanks to the actions (up 13.4%) and imports 12,210 crore (6 per cent growth) Indirect Tax, KPMG said. Going ahead, GST collections watch out for. Factors such as resigning.” clearly state that these are per-
strong momentum in the econ- (up 8.3%),” the Finance Ministry andHaryanawithRs12,168crore While some part of the in- are expected to be around the Rs evolving consumption patterns, “I live in democratic India; I sonal opinions”.
omyandefficienttaxcollections”. said in a statement. collection (21 per cent growth). creased collections is attributable 1.7-2 lakh crore mark, Shravan regulatory changes, and global hold the principle of freedom of A spokesperson for the
She also said that there are no In the previous month, on a The north-eastern states reg- to the financial year-end transac- Shetty,ManagingDirector,Primus economic dynamics will un- speechinhighregardasitisacor- Somaiya Trust declined to com-
pendingduestostatesonaccount net basis, taking into account the istered a contraction in GST col- tions, tax experts said it is also re- Partnerssaid,addingthatitshould doubtedlyinfluencethetrajectory nerstone of democracy. It is ment on Shaikh’s statement that
ofsettlementofIntegratedGST— impact of refunds, GST revenue lections including Sikkim (-5 per flectiveoftheimprovementinGST pick up in the festive season after of GST collections,” he said. unimaginablethatmyexpression she has been asked to resign.
the tax levied on all inter-state had risen by 18.4 per cent to Rs cent),ArunachalPradesh(-16per compliancebybusinesses.“There- the rainy season. “Key factors to Overall, the total GST collec- would provoke such a malicious Thespokespersonmaintained
supplies of goods and services. 1.65lakhcroreandonagrosslevel cent), Meghalaya (-2 per cent), lentless focus on GST audits by consider for the coming months tions stood at Rs 2,10,267 crore in response, furthering their biased that the Trust would not like to
“An#IGSTamountof`50,307 rose 11.5 per cent to Rs 1.78 lakh andNagaland(-3percent),along bothcentralandstateGSTauthor- would be the current heat wave April, out of which Central GST agenda,” she said. comment beyond what has al-
crore to Centre and `41,600 crore crore in March. For the full finan- with Jammu & Kashmir (-2 per ities together with the periodic and the impact of it on manufac- (CGST) — the tax levied on intra- “I will not resign because I ready been stated: “We were un-
to States has been cleared. This cial year 2023-24, net GST rev- cent),Lakshadweep(-57percent) drivestostampoutevasionhasled turing and services output. Also, state supplies of goods and serv- have given hundred per cent to aware of the sentiments ex-
#IGSTsettlementof`91,907crore enue had stood at Rs 18.01 lakh and the Andaman and Nicobar toalargeincreaseintheGSTcom- thecomingmonsoonwillimpact icesbytheCentre—wasRs43,846 the organisation,” she said. presseduntilitwasbroughttoour
is `4,413 crore more than the ac- crore, a growth of 13.4 per cent. Islands (-30 per cent). pliancefocusofbusinessacrossthe the agricultural and rural econ- crore, State GST (SGST) — the tax “Themanagementhasalways noticetoday(April24).Wedonot
tualnetIGSTcollectionsof`87,494 State-wise data for April Taxexpertssaideconomicac- country,” MS Mani, Partner, omy which will determine GDP levied on intra-state supplies of been supportive and positive. agree with such sentiments. It is
crore and stands settled by the showed that out of 38 tivity and audits by both central DeloitteIndiasaid,addingthatsig- growthandGSTcollectionsinthe goodsandservicesbythestates— Theyacknowledgemyroleinthe certainlyconcerning.Wearelook-
Central Government. There are states/Unionterritories(including andstateGSTauthoritieshavere- nificantincreaseinGSTcollections second half of the year,” he said. was Rs 53,538 crore, IGST was Rs school’s growth and success and ing into the matter.”
NO DUES pending on account of Centre’s jurisdiction), 19 states/ flected in the record-high collec- hasbeenseenacrossallmajorpro- There has been a noticeable 99,623 crore(includingRs37,826 arehappywithmywork.Theysay Meanwhile, a section of the
IGST settlement to the States,” UTs recorded higher growth in tion. “The consistent growth in ducing and consuming states in- surgeinnoticesonaccountofmis- crore collected on import of this is a difficult decision for parentsof studentshave reached
Sitharaman posted on social me- GST collections than the national GST collections with this one be- dicating that it is widespread and match, reconciliation, erroneous goods) and cess was Rs 13,260 them,” Shaikh said. out to the Trust, expressing their
dia platform X. average of 12.4 per cent growth ingthehighestcollectioneverisa not restricted to a few industrial inputtaxcredit,andotherinvesti- crore(includingRs1,008crorecol- She said she was unaware of strong support to Shaikh for her
After accounting for refunds, rate. In absolute terms, big cheer and reflects upon the pockets.“Everycomponentofthe gations that have likely con- lected on import of goods). the web portal or the report until “integrity, professionalism and
thenetGSTrevenueinAprilcame Maharashtra was at the top with strong domestic economy espe- GSTcollectionhascontributedsig- tributed to the uptick in collec- In April, the government set- she was informed about it by the roleinsteeringtheschooltowards
inatRs1.92lakhcrore,anincrease collection of Rs 37,671 crore (13 ciallygiventhefactthatgrowthon nificantly…the concerted efforts tions, Krishan Arora, Partner, tled Rs 50,307 crore to CGST and management. “It was puzzling to growth”.
of 15.5 per cent from the corre- per cent growth), followed by accountof domestictransactions of the GST officials including zero Indirect Taxes, Grant Thornton Rs41,600croretoSGSTfromIGST. understand their interest in a “Herviewsoncertainsubjects
sponding period last year. “The Karnataka with collection of Rs is 13.4% as compared to imports tolerance for non-filers, coupled Bharat said. “As we celebrate this As a result, the total revenue for school principal. I was not con- do not make a difference,” a par-
Gross Goods and Services Tax 15,978 crore (9 per cent growth), which is at 8.3%. Another signifi- withrigorousmeasurestocombat significant milestone, it is imper- themonthpostsettlementwasRs tacted before publication,” she ent said. “We see bright and con-
(GST)collectionshitarecordhigh Gujarat with collection of Rs cant reason for this growth could fakeinvoicingandtheregistrations ative to look ahead with cautious 94,153 crore for CGST and Rs said. fident children graduating from
inApril2024atRs2.10lakhcrore. 13,301crore(13percentgrowth), be linked to the deadline for GST hassignificantlybolsteredGSTcol- optimism. The sustainability of 95,138 crore for SGST. Shesaidthereisnoformalpro- the school.”

●Disquiet in Delhi over US, Aussie ● Cancel Prajwal’s passport: CM ● Akhilesh & Dimple pick up the baton, and Mulayam’s legacy
reports on ‘Indian spy operations’ Intheletter,Siddaramaiahsaid wrote. inabypoll,necessitatedduetohis So,italldependsonhowtheOBC thought they could defeat him.

Organisation(ASIO)in2020was lentitsweightbehindtheclaims
that Prajwal had fled the country
afterseveralwomen victimscame
A letteraddressedtoSITchief
B K Singh by Prajwal’s lawyer
death.
Days to go for polling —
vote gets split.
SP district president and for-
VOTE SHARE (%) Now Akhileshji has made
Pathak’s defeat certain,” says
also accused of closely monitor- published in the media. forwardtofilecomplaintsagainst sought seven days for him to ap- Mainpuri votes on May 7 and mer minister Alok Shakya has MAINPURI Khan.
ing Indians living here and de- Australian Foreign Minister him on April 28. “Sensing the im- pear before the investigating of- Kannauj on May 13 — the Yadavs taken on the charge of ensuring Kannauj sent a Yadav family
Party 2014 2019
veloping close relationships PennyWong,whenaskedabout pendingpolicecaseandarrest,the ficers. seem steadfast with the SP. But a thatwomenfromShakya,Paland member to Parliament in every
with current and former politi- the report that the Indian gov- accused Member of Parliament Earlierintheday,theSITteam section of the non-Yadav OBCs Lodh communities are present SP 59.64 53.75 election from 1999 to 2014, be-
cians,” the ABC reported. ernment was behind the “nest andNDAcandidateforLokSabha, visited H D Revanna’s residence whostayedwiththepartydueto prominently at Dimple's meet- BJP 23.14 44.09 fore Dimple's loss in 2019.
Justadayearlier,onMonday, of spies,” said Wednesday: Prajwal Revanna, has fled the atHolenarasipuraandissuedno- Mulayam'sswayseemtobeslip- ings. Lodh Rajput leader Kamal BSP 14.29 While Muslims constitute 3
The Washington Post identified “Well, you would be unsur- country and travelled abroad on tices.“Revannahasinformedthe ping away. Vermatalksof theBJP“insulting” lakh voters in Kannauj, the Dalits
the intelligence official involved prised to hear me respond that April 27. It is learnt from reports team that Prajwal, who is cur- Mulayam had won Mainpuri his wife by denying her the KANNAUJ number around 2.8 lakh, and
in the assassination plot of pro- we don't comment on intelli- that he is travelling abroad on his rently in Germany, will return to five times — 2019, 2014, 2009, Mainpuri Nagar Palika chairper- Party 2014 2019 Yadavs 2.5 lakh. The BJP won last
Khalistan Sikh separatist gence matters. But at a level of DiplomaticPassport,”hesaid. IndiaonMay3andislikelytoap- 2004 and 1996. Dimple’s win by son's post. He blames Jaiveer time with a chunk of Yadav and
BJP 42.11 49.37
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and principle about democracy, I Gettinghimbacktothecoun- pearbeforethe policeonMay 4,” 2.88 lakh votes in the December Singh, the sitting Mainpuri MLA Dalit voters seen as backing it.
sought to establish links with think you would have heard me try is of utmost importance “so he said. 2022 bypoll was huge, but was and a Thakur leader, who is the SP 43.89 48.29 Shivam Tiwari, who runs a
top officials in the Indian intelli- andotherMinistersonmanyoc- that he faces investigation and Prajwal was suspended from seenaslargelyafactorof sympa- BJP's Mainpuri Lok Sabha candi- BSP 11.47 unitmanufacturingessentialoils,
gence and security establish- casions assertthe importance of trial as per the law of the land”, the party on Tuesday in light of thy vote, with the couple plus date. Note: SP and BSP were allies says Pathak won essentially be-
ment. ourdemocraticprinciples,assert Siddaramaiahsaid.Herequested the allegations. The party an- Akhilesh’s uncle Shivpal appeal- The Dimple campaign has in 2019; Source: EC cause of the support of upper
Ministry of External Affairs the importance of ensuring that the Prime Minister to “kindly nouncedthathewillremainsus- ingforvotesinMulayam'sname. also roped in Gulshan Dev castes and Dalits. “He spoke up
official spokesperson Randhir we maintain the resilience of move the Ministries of External pended from the party until the Shakya,whowasannouncedand against the appeasement of
Jaiswal said that the report our democracy, including in the Affairs and Home Affairs to take SIT submits its report. Dimple Yadav then dropped by the BSP as its who runs a school and a dairy Yadavs and Muslims by the SP
makes “unwarranted and un- face of any suggestion of foreign swift action to cancel his Holenarasipura town police Dimple,whoisstillseenasan candidate from Mainpuri, and business,andhasbeentryinghis government,” he says.
substantiated imputations” on interference, and we have laws Diplomatic Passport and to take had registered a case after pen accidentalpolitician,islargelyon Congress leader Vineeta Shakya. luck against the Mulayam family Mohd Nayab, an itra and per-
a “serious matter”. He also to deal with that. And to con- suchotherstepsusingDiplomatic drives with 2,967 files went viral her own this time, with Akhilesh Gulshan says this will be enough in elections for a while, says it fumemanufacturer,saystheyre-
pointed to the “ongoing probe” tinuetosaythatwedeeplyvalue and Police Channels of the in Hassan constituency. A 47- tackling his own campaign in to chip away at the BJP's Shakya would be wrong to rule him out. main firm SP supporters.
by the high-level panel to look the multicultural fabric of the Government of India as well as year-oldwomanfiledacomplaint Kannauj, plus shouldering the votes. “I belong to the Ghosi sub-cate- “Because Akhilesh is also the SP
intosecurityconcernssharedby Australian community. It is a International Police agencies to with the police alleging that she party's, and Shivpal busy at his As regards the Lodh Rajputs, gory among the Yadavs. The national president, the contest
theUSgovernmentonnetworks strength and we welcome peo- ensuretheswiftreturnof theab- was sexually abused by Prajwal son's seat in Badaun. who hold the late BJP leader and (Mulayam Singh) Yadav family hasbecomerochak(interesting).
of organisedcriminals,terrorists ple's continued engagement in sconding Member of and his father Revanna. The fa- Thesloganshailing“Netaji”,as former chief minister Kalyan has destroyed the Ghosis here,” Now SP workers are active in the
and others. our democracy.” Parliament…” ther-sonduowerebookedunder Mulayamwasreferredto,arenot Singh of the community in high he says. field. Earlier, they were not.”
According to ABC, ASIO Sources said that there is a Speaking to reporters, IPC sections 354 (a) (sexual ha- as omnipresent, but Dimple regard, the SP is talking about On May 2, BSP president Nayab adds that the perfume
Director-General Mike Burgess feeling shared in South Block Siddaramaiah accused the rassment),354(d)(stalking),506 clearlyknowsitremainshercall- how Mulayam helped Kalyan Mayawati will be addressing a industry is suffering under the
had “alluded” to the spy net- and North Block (which house Central government of helping (criminal intimidation) and 509 ing card. A written appeal by her wintheLokSabhaseatfromEtah rally in Mainpuri. Akhilesh held BJP's 10 years at the Centre. “The
workinhisannualthreatassess- the Ministries of External and Prajwal flee the country. “To fly (intending to insult the modesty to voters made repeated refer- in 2009 as an Independent, after programmes in Mainpuri on government is taking 18% tax
ment in 2012 but didn’t disclose Home affairs) — that Western abroad, who issues passports? of any woman). ences to Netaji, listed the works Kalyan had quit the BJP. Wednesday, and will be return- (GST) but doing nothing for the
whichcountrywasallegedlybe- agencies are trying to “draw a Whoissuesthevisa?Didheleave Asvideosoftheallegedabuse done by him, and vowed to take However, that does not cut ing for a rally Thursday. industry.”
hind it. Burgess had reportedly red line” with India, a key part- without their (Centre’s) knowl- continued to be shared on vari- forward his ideology. much ice with Jawahar Lal, a BacktoDimple,SPleaderssay Abhijeet C Kelkar, who has
detailed how the spies culti- ner in the Quad grouping. edge... If they (BJP) are pro- ous online platforms, Dr Among those who feel it is Lodh,of Jatwaravillage.Aheadof theyarefacingauniqueproblem, perfumeshowroomsinPuneand
vated and recruited an That it is coming in the mid- women, why was he given a Nagalakshmi Chowdhary, chair- time to move on is Prabhu Ram aDimplepublicmeeting,hesays: of SP workers crowding her cav- amanufacturingunitinKannauj,
Australian government security dle of a heated election season ticket despite knowing about all person of the Karnataka State Lodhi, belonging to Jatpura vil- “When Babuji (Kaylan Singh) alcade, forcing them to issue ap- alsocomplainsaboutthetaxeson
clearance holder who had ac- in India gives meat to New this,” he asked. Commission for Women, said lage,dominatedbyhisOBCLodh died, Akhilesh did not go to his peals that only those concerned a “kuteer udyog (cottage indus-
cess to “sensitive details of de- Delhi’s belief that its Western On Wednesday, Prajwal said thatthosesharingthevideoswill Rajput community. “Netaji used house to pay tribute. But when a with the area she is passing try)” directly associated with
fence technology,” ABC re- partners are keen that the next in a post on X that he was unable face strict consequences. “The to treat everyone here like his mafia, Mukhtar Ansari, died, he, through should be present. farmers.
ported. government—postJune4—will to appear before the SIT. “As I am WomenCommissionhaswritten family. But the party's current SP leaders visited Ghazipur.” Apart from Dimple, the cu- The SP's Khan says that apart
The Indian government has bemore“sensitive”aboutitsop- notinBangaloretoattendtheen- to the police department urging leadersarearrogant.Myrelatives At a rally in Mainpuri last riosity is for the latest Yadav on from Muslims, the party is confi-
not yet responded to ABC’s rev- erations overseas, especially in quiry, I have communicated to them to take immediate and se- in other constituencies vote for week, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi the block: daughter Aditi, 21, a dentofgettingvotesofnon-Yadav
elations, especially since the those countries. CIDBangalorethroughmyadvo- vere action against such individ- the BJP, and I may do the same.” Adityanth also raised this, while London-returned graduate, who OBCs and upper castes too.
Australian government has not (WITHPTI) cate. Truth will prevail soon,” he uals,” she said in a post on X. Amar Singh Shakya, from ad- underlininghowheandotherBJP is doing the rounds of the family Prafull Kelkar, also a perfume
joining OBC Shakya-dominated leaders had visited Saifai to pay turf. manufacturer,inBadaBajararea,
Imaliyavillage,isalsoreconsider- tributes to Mulayam after his however,saysthatwhileitmight
● Strong leaders, laws, agencies bite citizens they vow to protect: Court ing his options now that
Mulayam is no longer around.
death. He called it an example of
theSP's“bhed-bhao(discrimina-
Akhilesh Yadav
FAMOUS for its itra and per-
be tougher for Pathak to repeat
2019, “I feel he will win because
Katyal, an alleged close asso- narycitizenwhoisnotevenasus- thecase.“Therewasabsolutelyno CommentingonKatyal’sright Dimple has been spending tion)”, suggesting it was “biased” fume industry, Kannauj is these NarendraModijiisagreatbrand.”
ciate of former Bihar Deputy pect”. justification for the ED to subject toprivacyovernotsharinghispri- most of her time in non-Yadav- towards Muslims. days resonant with a new whiff. The BJP is more confident of
Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, “If there are any lessons to be anordinarycitizentothestringent vate medical records with other dominated villages, including One worry for Dimple will be Akhilesh's last-minute decision Pathak's win due to the SP and
had consulted doctors at the learnt from history, it would be process of Section 50 without an doctors,thecourtsaidthattheac- Jatwara and Imaliya. The two vil- BSPcandidateShivPrasadYadav, to contest from here, replacing BSP contesting separately this
Apollo Hospital in Delhi and the observed that ‘strong’ leaders, iota of allegation of nexus of the tions of the ED would have been lages fall in the Bhongaon who is expected to cut into the nephewandformerMainpuriMP time. In 2019, when the two par-
Medanta in Gurgaon after being lawsandagenciesgenerallycome doctors with the allegations of more appropriately protected if Assemblyseat,wheretheBJPwas SP's Yadav vote. Dimple told The Tej Pratap Yadav, apparently at ties were allied and the Congress
grantedinterimbailonFebruary backtobitetheverycitizensthey money laundering against ac- Katyal’smedicalrecordswerever- considerably ahead even when Indian Express she was not wor- thebehestoflocalSPworkers,has too had not put up a candidate
5. He underwent bariatric sur- vow to protect. After the mas- cused Amit Katyal,” Judge Gogne ified under the court’s directions. Mulayam won the seat in 2019. ried about this, and would get made Kannauj one of the hottest against Dimple, he had still won
gery at the Medanta on April 9. culinity of the law has been ex- said. JudgeGognehadearlierasked In the 2022 Assembly elec- votes across communities. contests of the Lok Sabha elec- theseat.“Thiselectionwillbeeas-
SeniorAdvocateVikasPahwa, pressedagainstthestatedtargets, HenotedthattheEDtookcare the ED why it could not wait for tions, of the five segments in the The BJP has never won the tions in UP. ier as the Dalit and Muslim votes
whoappearedforKatyal,saidthat suchlawsareinvariablyallegedto toavoidexamininganyofthedoc- thecourt’sorderslikeotheragen- Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat, the SP Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat. Laying As per SP Kannauj district will get divided between the BSP
following the recording of state- have been employed against the tors from government hospitals cies. Additional Solicitor General won three and the BJP two. out their challenge, its district presidentKaleemKhan,itwasall and SP,” says BJP leader Sharad
ments, the doctor at Apollo average citizens,” he said. under Section 50 of the PMLA. SVRaju,representingtheED,had Akhilesh was elected MLA from general secretary Bhupendra planned, with the late decision Mishra.
Hospital was hesitant to treat his Relyingonthedischargesum- “Probablybeingawareofthenon- then said that whatever the KarhalwhileMulayam’syounger Yadav says: “The SP takes a deci- meaningtheBJPgotnochanceto TheBSPhasfieldedImranBin
client and due to this he had to maryofKatyalfromtheMedanta, tenabilityoftheuseofSection50, agencywasdoingwastoassistthe brotherShivpalSinghYadavwon sive lead in Karhel and change its candidate and sitting Zafar,aleatherbusinessman,who
seek treatment at the Medanta. the court noted that he had un- theEDchosetoplayitsafequathe court. “Suppose the doctor is a from Jaswantnagar. Jaswantnagar segments, where MP Subrat Pathak, in case it had contested in 2014 from
Pahwaalsosaidthis wasanintru- dergone an “uneventful” proce- government doctors but readily friend of the accused… We have While the Yadavs number 90% of the voters are Yadavs.” wanted to, after Akhilesh’s nom- Kannauj as an Aam Aadmi Party
sion into Katyal’s privacy regard- dureandwaspermittedalifestyle broughttheprivatedoctorsunder to do such things then,” he said. around 4.5 lakh in the seat, the As per another BJP leader, the ination. Akhilesh has a point to candidate and got only 4,826
ing medical treatment. which could be followed within the big shadow of Section 50,” he The court had also asked the Shakyas are second at 3.25 lakh, formula for the party to win prove, with Pathak having de- votes. Zafar is targeting the SP,
InhisorderTuesday,whilede- the jail premises. said. He said citizens possess ED if a person’s private medical followed by the Lodh Rajputs at would be: “90% of the Shakyas feated Dimple from the seat in calling it “a B-team of the BJP”, as
clining extension of interim bail, The court questioned the rights while the State has certain records could be shared across 2.15 lakh. The Dalits number supporting the BJP, up from 60% 2019. much as the BJP. "The SP has no
Judge Gogne said, “...the ED, as an manner in which the ED dealt dutiesandthisfundamentalrela- doctors. “Is it not an invasion of around 1.2 lakh and the Muslims now, and the BSP taking away “There were reports that the Muslim leadership. They take
investigative agency, is bound by with “anordinarycitizen”(inthis tionship cannot be inverted in an privacy? It seems as though the about 60,000, with the rest more than 30,000 Yadav votes BJP would drop Pathak fearing a Muslim votes but give them no
theruleoflawandcannotbeseen case,thedoctor)whowasuncon- authoritarianwayinacountrylike recordsoftheaccusedreached6- around3.35lakhvotersbeingup- from the SP”. defeatagainstAkhilesh.Butwhen representation... Only BSP chief
asactingmightyagainsttheordi- nectedtotheproceedsofcrimein India. 7 doctors,” Judge Gogne said. per caste Thakurs and Brahmins. The BSP's Shiv Prasad Yadav, the SP named Tej Pratap, they Mayawati is fighting the BJP.”

● Riding on his work as 4-time CM, ‘Mama’ looks at Delhi second innings larlyknownas“Mama(maternalun- “Isiliye toh Dilli ja raha hun (That's
cle)” in the state, is also greeted by why I am going to Delhi).”

EXPRESS EDUCATION
longest-serving Madhya Pradesh ship replaced him with Ujjain MLA Since the Congress’s debacle in several women, who shower petals Withhispartyraisingtheinher-
CM,forfourterms.Theconstituency MohanYadavastheCM.Afterwards, the Assembly polls, the party has on him and perform aarti. itance tax row to corner the
near Bhopal has always been a BJP when asked whether he would VOTE SHARE (%) seen an exodus of its leaders and Knownforhavinglaunchedvar- Congress, Chouhan accuses the
stronghold. switchtonationalpolitics,Chouhan IN VIDISHA workerstotheBJP.Morethan2,000 ious welfare schemes, such as the Opposition party of playing a “dan-

P.S.I.R
Vidisha is going to polls in the said he would “rather die than ask ■ BJP ■ INC
CongressworkersfromVidishahave Ladli Behna Yojana, a Rs 1,250 gerousgame”.“ThisisnotIndia'scul-
thirdphaseonMay7.Chouhanispit- for something” for himself. also switched to the BJP fold. monthly stipend for women from ture...WearenotAmerica…Thein-
ted against Congress candidate and Months after the change of 66.55 68.23 Asked about such a large-scale poor households, Chouhan now heritance accumulated by hard
formerMPPratapBhanuSharma.In guard, Chouhan's political future induction, despite the BJP express- promises to make them “lakhpati work,peoplegiveittotheirchildren,”
by 2019, BJP's Ramakant Bhargava hunginthebalanceuntiltheBJPde- 28.29 27.99 ingconfidenceaboutavictoryinthe behnas (rich sisters)”. “I will make hesays.Askedwhetherhewascon-

KUMAR UJJWAL SIR trounced the Congress’s Shailendra

Patel by over 5 lakh votes.
cided to field him in the Lok Sabha
electionsfromVidisha.Duringapoll
polls, Chouhan says: “This is an an-
dolan (movement) of nation build-
you lakhpati behnas. We won't stay
poor. My sisters are my devis. I have
cernedaboutthelowvoterturnout,
hesays,“TheCongressismovingto-
Since 2005 On what this election means for
him, Chouhan tells The Indian
rally in Harda on April 24, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi praised
2014 2019
ing.It’snotthatonlythesemanypeo-
pleshouldstayintheBJP.Ifsomeone
come here to serve you,” he tells a
crowd at Machwas village.
wards extinction. Do you see any
sign of the Congress in this whole
Innovative Pedagogy For Simpli ied Learning Express: “This is my family. I am not Chouhan,saying,“Iwanttotakehim Source: EC wants to serve the country and “There were many hard deci- route? While one party is fighting
a politician. We fight and live to- (to Delhi) once again.” wants to join the BJP, then he/she sions as CM. The women schemes withitswholemight,theotherparty
Interactive Classes With Personal Attention getherlikeafamily.Thereisnoneta, Asked if he would shift to Delhi, should do so.” were tough decisions to take,” he is not seen.”
@PSIRbyUjjwalSir security, nothing. There are only Chouhan says: “I never said I won't who had come to him with their He heads to Niwardi village in tells The Indian Express. On the takeaways from his four
nephews and nieces, brothers and go. I am ready to do whatever work grievances, and some former Dewaswherehepaysfloraltributes Withthetemperaturerisingand termsasCM,Chouhansays:“Thebig
Batches After Prelims Exam O.R.N Delhi,
sisters. There is only love.” the party assigns.” On whether he Congressleaderswishingtojointhe to the statue of tribal queen Rani a water crisis looming, most of the takeaway is that serving the people
Ph.: 9868088370, 9718388189
AsthethenCM,Chouhanhadled missedbeingtheCM,hesays,“Idon't BJP. One of the Congress turncoats Durgavati. From there, after every women flag their grievances about is like worshipping God. If you truly
the BJP to another resounding vic- miss anything about being a CM. I apologised for not joining the BJP fewkilometresonhiscampaigntrail, waterscarcity.Ashetellsagathering serve the people, then you become
Contact for Advt. Booking: M/s Friends Publicity Service tory in the November 2023 am enjoying my new role.” earlier. Chouhan hugged him, say- he is greeted by groups of children about his Delhi plans, some people part of the family. This has been my
(M): 9212665841, 9212008155 Assembly elections. However,
springing a surprise, the BJP leader-
Earlier in the day, at his home in
Bhopal,Chouhanmetsomevillagers
ing, “So what if you are late, at least
you came.”
donning the masks of Modi or him.
Ateverygathering,Chouhan,popu-
shout, “paani ki kami hai (there is a
water shortage)”. Chouhan replies,
experience.Givelove,sharelove.This
worldisfilledwithlove.LoveisGod.”
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

3 THE CITY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024 ANANDVIHAR ITO SIRI FORT ROHINI S K Y WA T C H
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May 2
Mainly clear sky. Strong
243 122 177 256 surface winds (speed 35-45
AQI AQI AQI AQI kmph) during the day.
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EMAILS CAME AT 4 AM, COPS RUSHED IN; LATER DECLARED IT A HOAX; RUSSIAN IP ADDRESS WAS USED

Panic in Delhi as over 150 schools get bomb threat

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, MAY 1
CALLS FLOOD EDUCATION DEPT
POLICE LINES ISSUES ADVISORY
THE NATIONAL capital was on
high alert Wednesday after over South Delhi 18
150 schools in Delhi-NCR got an Southeast Delhi 10 New Delhi: After around
identical message on their offi- Southwest Delhi 20 100 schools across
cial IDs around 4 am — an email Delhi-NCR received
“threatening to blow up” the Dwarka 20 hoax bomb threats by
premises. The incident triggered Outer Delhi 8 email on Wednesday,
mass evacuations of schools and Outer North Delhi 2 the Delhi government’s
panic among parents, even as Directorate of
Delhi Police officers and Bomb Shahdara 20 Education issued an
Disposal Squad (BDS) teams East Delhi 24 advisory asking schools
rushed to the spots. After a thor- Northeast Delhi 3 to ensure timely
ough check, it was declared a checking of emails
hoax. Central Delhi 10 received on their
Police officers said the email Rohini 5 official email ID and
was sent to all schools in one go. New Delhi 1 inform officials in the
Following a preliminary probe DoE and the Delhi
by the Delhi Police Special Cell’s North Delhi 2 Police if “anything
Counter-Intelligence Unit (CIU), unwanted is noticed”.
theemailwastracedtoaRussian
IP address — mail.ru — and the but they received another mail ■ “The school
role of an organised entity is be- at 1.42 pm from a Gmail user, in authorities should
ing probed, said a senior officer. whichtheuserwrote,‘Thebomb inform parents and
The officer added, “A VPN will explode in 10 minutes’,” a law-enforcement
wasusedtosendtheemailtothe senior police officer, adding that authorities concerned
schools; the perpetrator possi- they will approach Google for to initiate appropriate
bly hacked into the database of details. measures regarding
all schools that got the hoax Delhi Police spokesperson safety and security of
email.Thisisbeinginvestigated.” SumanNalwa saidthat sincethe the students in the
An official said central agen- email was sent out at the same event of any impeding
cies are “coordinating and shar- time,theintentionwastospread threats or challenges,
ing” information from Delhi as panic among the people. Students being evacuated from well in time,” the
well as Noida police. “The Reacting to the incident, Andhra Education Society, DDU advisory also stated.
National Investigation Agency is Delhi Education Minister Atishi Marg, in Delhi. Anil Sharma ENS
also looking at all the emails.” said: “Some schools received
The official also said similar bomb threats today morning.

For parents, tense moments till they saw kids at gate

emails were received in other Students have been evacuated
states in the last two days: and those premises are being
“Emailsweresenttoairportsand searched by Delhi Police. So far
terminals across the country. On nothinghas been foundinany of
Monday, they were sent to hos- the schools.” ing and taken to a nearby park.”
pitals in Delhi.” Delhi L-G VK Saxena, who ARNABJIT SUR Anjali, a Class IX student of
Said another officer, “The visited DAV Public School in NEW DELHI, MAY 1 Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya,
sender possibly used a ‘dark Model Town following the hoax Geeta Colony, said, “It was a
web’ browser to obtain the email, said, “Delhi Police ANXIOUSPARENTSwaiting out- normal morning but all of a
Russian VPN... internet service reached very quickly and the side school gates even as police sudden, we saw several parents
providers in India have been entire area has been cordoned personnel and fire tenders arriving at the gate... Our teach-
asked to share information off and search operations are rushed in, loudspeakers broad- ers, however, told us to not
about the email so that we can going on. Dog squads, and castingmessagesaskingthemto panic about the bomb threat...
further backtrack it and send a bomb disposal units are also stay calm, dog squads combing they allowed students to go
notice to the foreign country.” working. I want to assure the everyclassroomandhallforpos- home with their parents.”
people... that Delhi Police is fully sible threats — similar scenes of Schools, meanwhile, had
‘Intention was to prepared and we will try to pre- panic played out at over 150 their hands full evacuating stu-
spread panic’ vent any untoward incident schoolsacrossDelhiandNCRfol- PTI dents and answering parents’
Senior police officers said from happening. Delhi Police lowing bomb threat emails on (Left) Security personnel and a sniffer dog at DPS Noida queries.
all schools, including Sanskriti has found out from where these Wednesday morning. following the hoax threat. (above) Students and parents The Amity Group spokesper-
School in Chanakyapuri, DPS in emails are coming, investiga- By noon, hundreds of calls outside Amity International School, Pushp Vihar. son said, “Amity Pushp Vihar
R K Puram, and Vasant Kunj, re- tion is underway. All I would and messages had gone out to and Saket also received bomb
Gajendra Yadav
ceived the email around 4 am like to say is that the culprits parents asking them to take threatsandhavebeenevacuated
with purported content will not be spared...” their children home. To quell son studies at the school, said: nothing has been found by po- rushed frantically to the school Summer Fields School, was also on instructions from the police.
that bombs had been placed This is not the first time that anxiety, schools resorted to us- “I got to know about the bomb lice.” on my bike from Badarpur... I sent back home after the school The school has been closed for
inside these educational insti- Delhischoolshavereceivedhoax ing loudspeakers to tell parents scare much before I received a A parent waiting outside St spoke to parents of my son’s received a hoax bomb threat...,” today till further instructions.”
tutions and threatening to bomb threats. In most cases, the to wait for their child’s name to call from the school administra- Giri Public School in Sarita Vihar, classmates and found out that added Sharma. “Five schools in the
blow them up. suspectswere minor studentsof be called out. tion as a lot of my friends’ chil- Rajender Sharma, 34, told The several schools had received a A parent, whose daughter Southwest district are evacuat-
“Among other schools, thesameschool,whowereplay- Waiting alongside other dren study here. All of us rushed Indian Express, “My son and hoax bomb email.” studies at DTEA Senior Secon- ingschools,”saidSudhaAcharya,
Sanskriti School received two ing a prank or just “having fun”. panic-stricken parents outside to school as we live nearby... the daughter study at the school... Headdedthatheandhiswife dary School, RK Puram, said: “As Principal, ITL Public School and
separate emails from two differ- However, the scale of bomb GD Goenka School in Sarita authorities did not tell us much Theauthoritiescalledmearound were very anxious on hearing soon as I heard about the threat, former chairperson of the
ent users. The first mail, from scare messages this time is un- Vihar around noon, Sunita and only declared a holiday for 11 am to take back my children... about the incident. “The son of I rushed here... By then, students National Progressive Schools
mail.ru, came in the morning, precedented. Verma (35), whose 14-year-old today... we are grateful that then I saw the news... and I one my friends, who studies at were evacuated from the build- Conference.

I Hereby
Declare
Metro line to flyover: Cleaning Yamuna, homes ‘Personal, not political’: Cong
MP Manoj Tiwari lists for slum dwellers: East pick Kanhaiya calls on Sunita
work done in NE Delhi Delhi candidate’s promises
the Opposition as he expressed rights to one particularreligion... GAYATHRI MANI
UPASIKA SINGHAL confidenceintheBJPwinningall GAYATHRI MANI They are talking about accepting NEW DELHI, MAY 1
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 seven seats in Delhi once again. NEW DELHI, MAY 1 Muslim personal law instead of
“During independence, Uniform Civil Code... UCC has IN A meeting that he called “per-
TWO-TIME MP Manoj Tiwari Mahatma Gandhi — our Bapu — SLOGANS AND songs echoed in been implemented successfully sonalandnotpolitical,”Congress’s
filed his nomination from said that the Congress must be the lanes of Laxmi Nagar’s in Uttarakhand. If you elect BJP Northeast Delhi candidate
MANOJTIWARI, Northeast Delhi for the Lok dismantledbuttheCongresshad Priyadarshini Vihar as BJP’s East again, it will be implemented KanhaiyaKumarWednesdaypaid
BJP’s Northeast
Sabha elections Wednesday fol- not heeded his advice then. I Delhi candidate Harsh Malhotra across the country...” a visit to Sunita Kejriwal, wife of
Delhi candidate
lowing a boisterous roadshow think the people of India shall started his roadshow to file his Meanwhile,Malhotrasaid,his Delhi Chief Minister and AAP
from Gokulpuri to the Deputy fulfill this vision of Gandhi ji,” Lok Sabha poll nomination first priority if he wins will be to chiefArvindKejriwal,attheirCivil
TOTAL ASSETS Commissioner’s office in Nand Singh said. Wednesday. He was accompa- construct houses for slum Lines residence.
`28.02 CR (2024) Nagri. The event was attended
by Union Defence Minister
The roadshow covered the
roughly 6-km stretch between
nied by Uttarakhand CM
Pushkar Singh.
dwellers under the ‘jahan jhuggi
wahin makaan’ scheme and
“Ye mulakaat chunavi nahi
vaicharik hai (the meeting was
Movableassets `10.5cr Rajnath Singh and senior BJP Gokulpuri and Nand Nagri, go- Addressing the gathering, cleaningtheYamuna.“Iwillwork not electoral but ideological),”
Immovableassets `17.52cr leader Om Prakash Dhankar. ing via Maujpur-Babarpur and Dhami said, “There is close con- tofulfillthePM’svision...andcon- said the student-turned-politi-
While addressing the crowd, Durgapuri. Every few hundred nection between Delhi and struct 4,000 flats in my con- cian, adding, “Waise toh rajee-
Liabilities `1.02cr
the Bhojpuri filmstar-turned- metres, party workers stood on Devbhoomi Uttarakhand... East stituency... The AAP government neeti mai aise mulaakat ko sis-
Pendingcriminal 1
politician highlighted some of wooden stages to throw rose Delhi has been a stronghold of is in the MCD now and they have tachar bolte hain par vyaktigat Kanhaiya Kumar with Delhi CM’s wife Sunita Kejriwal at the
cases the work he has done for the and marigold petals at the pass- BJP since the Jan Sangh era and beeninpowerinDelhiforthelast taur par ye meeting mere liye aat- latter’s Civil Lines residence on Wednesday. Express
Education Mastersin constituency in the last 10 years. ing rally. we all have to bring Modi ji for 10years,buttheheightofgarbage miya tha... Today, there is a dicta-
PhysicalEducation “Sir, the last time you’d come Attendees of the roadshow third time with 400 paar.” mountainisonlyincreasing...they torship in the country. Anyone is
(M.P.Ed) here to inaugurate this office... agreed that he would win the TakingadigattheINDIAbloc, said it will be removed last year, being picked up and put in jail or four seats: “The INDIA bloc is Whenaskedif Congresslead-
sincethenaMetrolinehascome seatforthethirdtime.“He’sbeen AAPandcongress,Dhamiadded, now are saying it will take two without any reason. We are all contestingall545seatsacrossthe ersleavingthepartywillaffectthe
up...theflyoverunderwhichyou present in our moments of hap- “...While PM Narendra Modi is more years...,” he added. fighting together against this.” nationandsevenseatsinDelhito outcome of the election, Kumar
drove has cut down traffic here piness and sadness... people do working towards to make India Malhotra, who replaced in- Kumar goes up against BJP’s fight against the dictatorship.” said,“(this)isnotanewthing...the
by at least two hours,” Tiwari take notice of such things. He’s vishwaguru, Congress wants to cumbent MP Gautam Gambhir, sitting MP Manoj Tiwari. The Asked about former DPCC new thing is threatening a candi-
told Singh. not been an absent MP,” said abolish the reservation system will be contesting against AAP's Congress and AAP, INDIA allies, president Arvinder Singh Lovely, date to get them on your side or
Meanwhile, Singh attacked Sonu Kumar (31). in the country and give their Kuldeep Kumar. are fighting the polls together in who recently resigned from his trying to stop the elections...” He
Delhi in a 3:4 seat-sharing ratio. post citing the AAP-Congress al- also said he will file his nomina-
Speaking about the meeting, lianceanddissatisfactionoverthe tion once the dates are finalised.
AAP senior leader Durgesh choice of candidates for the Pathak added that the AAP
Pathak, who has been given Northeast and Northwest seats, and Congress will together work
charge of AAP-Congress joint Kumarsaid,“NeitherdidIreceive forthepolls.“TheINDIAblocheld
meetings and campaigns in that letter nor have I read it... you amegarallyinDelhionMarch31...
Delhi, said, “Today, Kanhaiya ji should see what is happening in Now,allpartyworkers,fromAAP
HARSHDEEPMALHOTRA, metSunitabhabhiandheshared thecountryundertheBJPgovern- andCongress,willholdmeetings
BJP’s East Delhi candidate his experience as he had also ment rather than looking at a together at the booth- and ward-
been (jailed) in Tihar...” Congress leader resigning from levelsandcampaigns...Wewillgo
Movableassets `1.33cr TakingadigattheBJP,Kumar hispost...yousawwhathappened to the public and answer any
(includingwife’s) said,“TheBJP-ledcentralgovern- in Surat, Indore, Khajuraho... the questions they have,” he added.
Immovableassets `2.75cr ment is insulting the people of peopleofDelhiareluckythatthey “Today, there is a dictatorship
Liabilities Nil Delhi...Kejriwal,whowaselected have the right to vote... because in the country... Opposition lead-
Pendingcriminalcases 0 bythepeople,hasbeenputinjail nobodyknowsif theywillgetan- ers are being jailed... their nomi-
Education LLBfrom Praveen Khanna Tashi Tobgyal as part of a conspiracy. The peo- other chance to vote or not... peo- nations being cancelled... These
DelhiUniversity (Left) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari and (right) Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh ple of Delhi will answer this.” ple should vote... pure desh Surat are scenes we only used to see in
Dhami with East Delhi candidate Harsh Malhotra, during their nomination rallies, Wednesday. Kumar also added that this jaise ban kar reh jayegi... hume is- Amitabh Bachchan and Mithun
election is not a fight over three par charcha karna chahiye...” Chakraborty’smovies,”headded.
 4 THE CITY WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

AIIMS students BLAME ALLIANCE WITH AAP, LOK SABHA PICKS

‘Set for LS polls’: AAP-Cong
Delhi Congress gets another
protest 21-yr-old’s
suicide, claim she
was humiliated campaign panel holds meet
for failing exams
New Delhi: A day after a 21-year-
old B.Sc Nursing student at AI-
IMS Delhi allegedly committed
suicide, her batchmates staged a
jolt as 2 former MLAs resign Whilethose who’velefthave on the day of his resignation.
GAYATHRI MANI
NEW DELHI, MAY 1

THE AAP and the Congress’s co-

ordination committee con-
protest outside the Director's of- JATIN ANAND not joined the BJP or any other While speculation regarding ducted a meeting on Tuesday to
fice, claiming that she had been & SAMAN HUSAIN opposition party so far, sources a “new front” gained credence discuss the strategy for joint
humiliatedfornotclearingthree NEW DELHI, MAY 1 claimed rebel Delhi Congress among a section of the Delhi campaigns and meetings ahead
papers in the exams. leaders were likely to do so after Congress, insiders “in support of of the Lok Sabha elections, amid
Aftertheprotestbynearly400 AFTERDELHICongresspresident the filing of nominations for the thehighcommand” calledthose the ongoing internal friction be-
Nursing and Paramedical stu- Arvinder Singh Lovely stepped LokSabhapollsendonMay 6.As exiting “at this crucial juncture” ing faced by the Congress.
dentswhoallegedthattwoteach- downfromthepost,blamingthe per sources among the rebel Ex-CongressMLAsNeeraj “opportunists” trying to secure Senior AAP leader and Rajya
ers had harassed the woman, AI- alliance with the Aam Aadmi MLAs, forming “an anti-corrup- Basoya,NaseebSingh. Facebook “BJP tickets” for the 2025 SabhaMPSandeepPathak,mean- AAP’s Durgesh Pathak along with party workers during a
IMS PRO Dr Rima Dada said that Party (AAP) and the decision to tion outfit” specifically against Assembly elections. while, said that the party and meeting, Wednesday. X/@ipathak25
the administration has asked field “outsiders” such as the AAP government was also “a A senior Delhi Congress Congress will coordinate in the
them to share their grievances, Kanhaiya Kumar and Udit Raj in possibility”. Congress high command’s leader said: “There were around Assembly segments as well.
and that a panel that has been the Lok Sabha elections, two Speaking to The Indian decisiontoallywiththeAAPand 40 Congress MLAs who won in Highlighting that both the the launch of ‘India Against meeting on Tuesday to discuss
formedwouldlookintotheissues. more resignations jolted the Express, Singh said: “Is this what of being unsuccessful in com- 2003 of whom six are no longer parties have made a commit- Corruption’ movement in 2007. theelectioncampaigncoordina-
The woman, who was a first- state unit Wednesday. politics has come to that you municating and convincing its alive;fourareinBJP;twoinAAP; ment to each other, Sandeep Pathak on Wednesday ac- tion at grassroot levels... The top
year student of the institute and Citing the same objections, (Congress high command) are cadre in the city of the objective four,includingLovely,havemore Pathak — also the AAP national companied Congress’s leadership from the Congress
belonged toSheikhpurainBihar, ex-MLAs Naseeb Singh and standing beside a party which behindit.“WhenSoniajiwasthe or less left the party -- which general secretary (Organisation) Northeast Delhi candidate Delhi and Haryana units were
was reportedly preparing for Neeraj Basoya, who represented ran you into the ground on the president, decisions used to be leaves around 24. They seem to — said: “We have created a sys- Kanhaiya Kumar as he paid a present at this meeting.”
BiharPublicServiceCommission Vishwas Nagar and Kasturba basisof justpropagandaandfalse made on the basis of consensus, have their numbers wrong... tem in which we will cooperate visit to Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Taking a dig at the BJP, the
(BPSC) exam. Police said earlier Nagar, respectively, in the past allegations?Youchosethemover unlike now... let alone convinc- These are just opportunists try- in campaigning for each other Delhi Chief Minister and AAP AAPleadersaid:“We have tolib-
that she left a note which said tendered their resignations to the family of Ahmed Patel in ing, they (the high command) ing to secure a BJP ticket for the and contest elections together. chief Arvind Kejriwal, at the lat- erate India from the Modi gov-
that she was in depression due Congress national president Gujarat? My self-respect did not have not even been able to com- Assembly polls.” This will be implemented first at ter's Civil Lines residence. ernment’s dictatorship. The
tohernursingstudiesandprepa- MallikarjunKharge.WhileSingh allow me to continue like this.” municate how to move ahead In his resignation, Basoya theLokSabhalevel,andthen,we The Tuesday conclave, Central government is disman-
ration for the BPSC exam. was the AICC-appointed ob- “This person (Arvind with the alliance,” Basoya told said the AAP-Congress alliance shall coordinate atthe Assembly marked by strategic discussions tling government institutions
“...She was studying hard to server for the Northwest Delhi Kejriwal) wanted to snatch Rajiv The Indian Express. wasbringing“disreputeandem- level.” on future election campaigns, onebyone.Alltheconstitutional
clear the exams... she was suffer- seat, Basoya was AICC observer Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna, “This was the best time to re- barrassment” to Delhi Congress BringingDurgeshPathak—an was also attended by Sandeep agencies are working at the
ingfromdepression,”saidafellow forWestDelhi.Theirresignations announced that he would take vive the Congress in Delhi but workers. Singh termed the AAP oldandtrustedhand—tothefore- Pathak and Deepak Babaria, whimsandfanciesof theCentral
student, adding that it was diffi- comeadayafterDevenderYadav, just two hours interrogating they decided to do this instead... “a haven of corruption” and ac- front, the AAP has designed its Congress coordination commit- government.”
cultforthewomantostudyasthe in-charge of Punjab, was ap- Sonia Gandhi and Sheila Dikshit AAP is responsible for the polit- cused the high command of ex- strategic plans on the ground for tee in-charge, with other mem- Durgesh Pathak, meanwhile,
coursematerialforNursingstud- pointedDPCCinterimpresident. and they would accept they ical death of the Congress on the hibiting “a total disregard for the joint campaigning and meetings bers of both the parties. asserted:“Severalroundsofmeet-
ies was in English, and she had a Last week, former Delhi were corrupt... We can’t even basis of lies... Overnight, we are viewsof Delhi Congressleaders” with the Congress ahead of the Speaking about the ‘coordi- ings have taken place... both the
Hindi-medium background. Congress minister Rajkumar convince our own family to vote supposed to forget how they by allying with it and by fielding Lok Sabha elections. Pathak, also nation panel’ meeting, Sandeep partyleadersandworkerswillco-
DrDadasaid:“Ithasbeende- Chauhan had taken the same for the (AAP-Congress) alliance, abused our leaders, including “two complete outsiders” who theMCDin-chargeofAAP,played Pathak said: “Many meetings ordinate properly and start cam-
cided that there will be two clin- route. Congress sources contin- how can we convince our work- Sonia ji, and stand together with had“noconnection”withitside- acrucialroleinthecivicelections have already taken place be- paigning at the ground level...”
ical psychologists for students ued to maintainthatmore resig- ers?” he asked. them?” he asked. ology from the Northwest and in December 2023. He has been tween the AAP and the FULLREPORTON
pursuing this course.” nations would follow. Basoya questioned the Both leaders had met Lovely Northeast Delhi seats. associated with the party since Congress... we conducted a www.indianexpress.com

HC stays circular stopping Vote for fellow Haryanvi: Gurgaon MP daughter’s message to voters
pvt schools from hiking fee AISWARYA RAJ
Congress has declared a new
candidate because they couldn’t
ther campaigned in Rewari on
Wednesday. Gurgaon has 25.3
gotoeitherJaipurAIIMS,whichis
frequented by Rajasthanis, or
March 27 circular and its appli- GURGAON, MAY 1 find one in Gurgaon. No one lakh voters, of which over 55% of Delhi AIIMS which treats the
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE cationfor interimrelief. It,there- wantstocontest.Youmighthave voters arefrom rural areas, mak- whole country. With the AIIMS
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 after, said: “Till the next date of TRAVELLING DOWN a kaccha seen this new candidatein films, ing it an important base for in Rewari, people of South
hearing, theoperation of the im- road with over a dozen vehicles but the youth would not have politicians to focus on. Haryana can seek treatment in
THE DELHI High Court, in an pugned circular dated 27March, andspeakersplayingmusicwith seen him. We are from South At Hajipur, Arti was met with their own region,” she said.
interim order, stayed the opera- 2024, issued by the DoE shall the words Jai Shri Ram, BJP’s Haryana as is our family, our grievances from the public. “... Meanwhile, Congress’s
tionof acircularbythestategov- standstayed.” Thematter is next Gurgaon Lok Sabha candidate roots and our blood. It has been the national highway passing by Babbar started his campaigning
ernment’s Directorate of listed on July 31. It has granted Rao Inderjit Singh’s daughter, knownsincethetimeof RaoTula the area was downgraded to a by visiting Gurgaon’s Sheetla
Education (DoE), which re- four weeks to the DoE to file its Arti Singh Rao, had one message Ram ji. We don’t know of the statehighway.Asingle-laneroad Mata Mandir. On being called an
strained ‘unaided private response to the petition. for residents: Vote for your fel- Congress candidate, where he is fromRewaritoAligarhshouldbe “outsider”,hesaidhisforefathers
schools’ located on land allotted “Any incomplete proposal low Haryanvi. and where he will go, or if he made into a two-lane one. We migrated from Pakistan to India
bythegovernmentfromincreas- shall be summarily rejected,” The 43-year-old was cam- knows anything about our re- hope behenji informs Rao sahab and landed in Ambala. “I might
ing fees without prior sanction. states the proposal, adding that paigning for her father — who is gion and villages. So what is the of this,” said locals. be born in Agra but many of my
A single-judge bench of these proposals will be “scruti- the sitting MP — in Sohna’s re- purpose of voting for him?” Arti Singh Rao visited Sohna villages on Wednesday. Express To this, Arti read out a list of relativesareinFaridabadandmy
JusticeCHariShankar,initsApril nised by the Director...” “Such mote villages on Wednesday. Rao Inderjit is a descendant projectsunderSingh,emphasis- sister is in Gurgaon. My relation-
29order,issuednoticetotheDoE schoolsarestrictlydirectednotto Calling Congress candidate Raj of RaoTulaRam,theformerking ing on Majra AIIMS, the founda- ship with the city is not a flimsy
in a petition filed by the ‘Action increaseanyfeeuntilthesanction Babbar an outsider, Arti, who is of the Ahirwal region. His father Arti, who has been working test the 2024 Assembly polls. On tion stone of which was laid by claim, but when my ancestors
CommitteeUnaidedRecognised is conveyed to their proposal by a member of the BJP state exec- Rao Birender Singh served as withherfatherforoveradecade, Tuesday, she visited Pataudi PM Narendra Modi in February. came to India, they came to
Private Schools’, challenging the (the) DoE,” states the circular. utive in Haryana, said: “The Haryana’s second CM in 1967. had earlier said she would con- amongotherplaceswhileherfa- “PeopleinSouthHaryanahaveto Haryana,” he said.

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry & T Lewis

CROSSWORD 5353 DAYTODAY BY PETER VIDAL

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

Mercury, the planet Nostalgia seems to
of communication, be an important
has now picked ingredient at the
itself up and dusted present time. Many
itself down after recent of you will gain from a
bruising encounters. Seldom sentimental trip to the past,
have you been so determined not necessarily this week, but
to get your point across, and hopefully within a month.
had such power. What you really have to do is
recover old feelings and relive
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21) glorious memories.
You can be as self-
interested as the SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 23)
next person, yet Even those lucky
there's something Scorpios who are
noble and idealistic about your gentlemen or ladies
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson wisdom and genuine of leisure will be
friendship. We will all gain if caught up in the general rush to
you continue to act with such achieve a deeply-held worldly
generosity of spirit, even in desire. This is no time for regrets
ways which may not be clear or uncertainty, and you should
for a very long time. try not to be distracted by
irrelevant memories.
ACROSS DOWN GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)
Your lot in life, at the SAGITTARIUS (Nov 24 - Dec 22)
1 Hated kind of duty? (5) 2 Back number (8)
moment, may be Today’s stars really
8 Fair and square initially in 3 Does it figure in the band? (8) rather dull and many are excellent in that
accommodation (8) 4 Wages get stopped in Geminians are quite they encourage
9 Broken grid I fixed (5) settlement (3-3) frankly bored. You could do certain key
10 Study to invite scorn (8) 5 Girl hit out at journalist (5) worse than rouse yourself and Sagittarian aspirations, notably
11 Spoils what may be of 6 Sort of lead mother will follow arrange an adventure, even if the instinctive desire for travel
antiquarian interest (5) in principle (5) only a weekend break, to get and adventure. Be warned,
12 Not far at sea from being sick 7 It may be in number three away from your routine. There’s though, that entrenched
(3) cabin (5) nothing wrong with being an positions and dogmatic battles
16 Wan friend takes cover 12 Not even curious (3) escapist. are looming, and that might
(6) need to change your mind.
13 Part of England is marshy (3) CANCER (June 22 - July 23)
17 Puzzle set in game (6)
18 Earth study? (3)
14 Reveal the record to be
unsuccessful (8)
MARVIN by Tom Armstrong Although, in
astrological
CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
There is everything
23 Propeller guard (5) 15 Put into water and simmered tradition, adverse to gain from taking a
24 His relations make the perhaps (8) and challenging calculated financial
headlines (8) 19 Players ordered off (6) aspects denote times of strife, risk, just as long as
25 Not bound to relax (5) 20 The effrontery of some discord and confusion, you you take full responsibility.
bandsmen (5) must see such perils as the grit Even if you incur a small loss,
26 Doing little work as there’s
which eventually produces the you will have clarified your
direction missing (8) 21 A papal order to cause dismay
pearl of great wisdom and priorities and personal needs.
27 Worn by the widow taken out (5)
success. In other words, you’ll After all, sometimes you have
by a gardener 22 Went to pieces when rise to the challenge. to learn from your mistakes.
(5) penniless (5)
LEO (July 24 - Aug 23) AQUARIUS (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
Solutions Crossword5352Across:1Avant-garde,6Wear,10Malta,11Returning,12 There is no Even peaceable
Fiendish,13Apart,15Padlock,17Slumber,19Supreme,21Creases,22Rebel,24
Especial,27PlainJane,28Badge,29Eden,30Ill-starredDown:1Arms,2Alltiedup,3 escaping the fact Aquarians are sure
Train,4Airsick,5Ditches,7Erica,8Rightdress,9Treasure,14Apostrophe,16Overland, that tension is to be involved in
18Bystander,20Eyeball,21Coppers,23Brave,25Cobra,26Mead. mounting, as it some sort of fracas
always does before the Moon over the next week. There may
aligns with your sign. You can be no other advice than to raise
do no better than consciously the drawbridge and prepare a
maintain an optimistic and defensive position. But, while
tolerant spirit in the face of you’re about it, there are other
JUMBLED WORDS
SOLUTION SUDOKU 5548

DifficultyLevel4s whatever doubts or irritations important actions you can

Instructions afflict your daily life. take, like acquiring new
Given below are four jumbled words. Solve the jumbles to make proper words and move TosolveaSudokupuzzle, practical skills.
them to the respective squares below. Select the letters in the shaded squares and VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sep 23)
everydigitfrom1to9
SUDOKU 5549

jumble them to get the answer for the given quip. Suspicions about PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
mustappearineachofthe other people’s Now is a perfect
We are to seek wisdom and understanding only in the ___ _ __. - Robert Hall (6,2,4) nineverticalcolumns,in actions may be time to pay
eachoftheninehorizontal countered by attention to your
RSAEO MONDAY rowsandineachofthe sadness over a recent event. physical needs and
nineboxes. Whatever your personal well-being. Make a fresh start
situation, you are approaching as far as diet and exercise are
a short period when the concerned and remember that
ALIST ILTFGH DifficultyLevel answers will only be the astrological approach to
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; found by looking within. health has more to do with
You’ll soon discover the part prevention than cure, and with
3s=Medium;4s=Hard;
you played in creating maintaining a sensible balance
- Robert Hall 5s=VeryHard; current conditions. in your emotions.
Answer: We are to seek wisdom and understanding only in the length of days. 6s=Genius
SOLUTION: AROSE, TAILS, DYNAMO, FLIGHT
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

5 GOVT & POLITICS

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

President offers prayers at Ram temple: Living ‘Misconceived’:Topcourt

symbol of the ideals of Indian culture, society RegistryreturnsCentre’s
decorated to welcome the to deny it as Rahul ji does not

pleaonspectrumverdict
MAULSHREE SETH President. know the facts. Honourable
LUCKNOW, MAY 1 Inapostlater,referringtoher President as well as former
visit to the Ram temple, the President Ram Nath Kovind
PRESIDENT DROUPADI Murmu President said: “It is not possible were both given invitations at
visited Ayodhya Wednesday for me to put into words the di- their residences.” Rai also said
where she prayed before the vine experience of seeing the that SCs, STs, OBCs were repre- order, appeal by way of motion, solepurposeof exclusiveassign-
idol of Ram Lalla in the sanctum child form of Lord Sri Ram in sented at the ceremony. EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE from such refusal to the Court”. ment by auction”.
sanctorum of the Ram temple. Ayodhya.” Ever since the inauguration NEW DELHI, MAY 1 The Centre’s plea,moved last Thegovernmentsaidthereis
This was her first visit to Referring to the Ram temple of the Ram temple, the Congress week, had said that the anurgentrequirementfortheSC
Ayodhya following the conse- as the “living symbol of the leadership, which did notattend THE SUPREME Court Registry Department of “to clarify that in the situations
cration of the idol in the temple ideals of Indian culture and soci- the event, has on multiple occa- has refused to receive the Telecommunications has been specified…andothersimilarcir-
in January this year. ety”, she said “it would continue sions said that the function was Centre’s “application seeking assigning mobile access spec- cumstances, the assignment of
ThePresident,whoseaircraft to inspire countrymen to work meant for the elite, and that the clarification” of the February trum through regular spectrum spectrum through administra-
landed around 4.30 pm at the for the benefit of all”. poor, Dalits, tribals and OBCs 2012 judgement in the 2G case auctions, in line with the 2012 tive process may be undertaken
Maharishi Valmiki International “I consider it a divine bless- were not invited. in which the top court had di- judgement. But it said that the if so determined through due
Airport where she was received ing that I got the opportunity to Congress president rected that spectrum allocation “assignment of spectrum is re- process in accordance with law,
by UP Governor Anandiben pray to Lord Sri Ram for the Mallikarjun Kharge, who re- should be done through auc- quired not only for commercial if such assignment is in pursuit
Patel, offered prayers at the welfare of my countrymen,” cently accused the government tions. The Centre’s plea had telecommunicationservices,but of governmental functions, or
Hanuman Garhi temple and she said. of ignoring President Murmu sought the allocation of spec- also for non-commercial use for publicinterestsorequires,orauc-
then at the Ram temple. Earlier in the day, Shri Ram and her predecessor President trum through other administra- the discharge of sovereign and tion may not be preferred due to
She performed aarti on the President Droupadi Murmu attends an aarti at a ghat of the Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Kovind because they are ST and tive processes as well. public interest functions such as technical or economic reasons”.
ghats of the Saryu river in the Saryu river in Ayodhya on Wednesday. PTI Trust general secretary Champat SC, again targeted the Prime The SC Registry, however, is security, safety, disaster pre- The SC had in February 2012
evening. She also visited the Rai, rejecting Congress leader Minister over the issue learnt to have returned the plea, paredness, etc.” quashed the 2Glicences granted
Kuber Teela. In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the Wednesday. At a rally in Yadgir terming it misconceived and an The plea added: “There are to different companies by the
Rashtrapati Bhavan said, the statue of the celestial bird divine, human beings and other President was not invited to the in Karnataka, Khargesaid: “After attempt to seek a review of the also specific sui generis cate- then UPA government.
“PresidentDroupadiMurmuvis- Jatayu who is so revered in our creatures.” Ram temple consecration cere- how many days was President judgementin the guiseof asking gories of usage, including com- The Centre said that the SC
ited Kuber Teela and offered traditionasasymbolof thevalue Ayodhya’s roads and the mony on January 22 because Murmu invited to Ayodhya for forclarification.TheRegistrysaid mercial use of spectrum where, while answering a presidential
Pooja. She also paid obeisance to of collective caring among the Saryu ghat wore a festive look, she was a tribal, said, “... I have the darshan of Lord Ram?” this in its note while declining to technical and economic condi- reference in September 2012
take up the plea. tions of the use affect the feasi- had said that the use of the term
Noting that the government bilityof auctionasameansof as- ‘perhaps’ in the February judge-
hadwithdrawnareviewpetition signment of spectrum and thus ment “suggests that the recom-
against the judgement in May auction as the exclusive mode mendation of auction for alien-
2012, the Registry said it is once may present some issues in the ation of natural resources was
again trying to get the matter relevant assignment.” never intended to be taken as an
with similar prayers heard after The “assignment”, it said , absolute or blanket statement
a long delay. “may require to be undertaken applicable across all natural re-
DELHI CONFIDENTIAL Sources said the Centre still
has an option to appeal against
administratively due to eco-
nomic conditions such as de-
sources, but simply a conclusion
made at first blush over the at-
the refusal under the SC Rules of mand being lower than supply tractiveness of a method like
2013, which say: “The Registrar or due to technical conditions auction ni disposal of natural re-
may refuse to receive a petition suchas spectrumforspacecom- sources. The choice of the word
onthegroundthatitdisclosesno munication, where it would be ‘perhaps’ suggests that the
reasonable cause or is frivolous more optimal and efficient for learned Judges considered situ-
or contains scandalous matter, spectrum to be shared by multi- ations requiring a method other
butthepetitionermaywithinfif- ple players, rather than being than auction as conceivable and
teen days of the making of such brokenupintosmallerblocksfor desirable”.

Cong: Decision on ASSAM

Presiding officer

BUYING TIME POLL MOVES Amethi, Raebareli suspended over

video of multiple
THE BJP and Congress party presidents were recently served
notice by the Election Commission over alleged Model Code
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee during an election campaign in Malda, Wednesday. Express
candidates soon votes to BJP in
of Conduct violations by their top leaders — Prime Minister
NarendraModiandRahulGandhi.Theirreplieswereexpected ingadecisionandif theCongress
mock polling
on Monday, but the parties sought more time from the EC.
Although the Commission usually responds to deadline ex-
tension requests on the same day, Monday was unusually
TMC removes Kunal Ghosh as PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, MAY 1
was “scared” in fielding Rahul
Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi,
Ramesh said: “There is no delay.
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
GUWAHATI, MAY 1
busy with party delegation visits. EC’s decision on the request
wasn’t formally communicated even on Tuesday. Finally, on
Wednesday,itislearnt,theCommissionwrotetobothBJPand
general secretary, hours after he AMID MOUNTING suspense
over the Amethi and Rae Bareli
Lok Sabha seats, the Congress
Has the BJP not announced its
candidates in Raebareli? Smriti
Irani is a sitting MP. Nobody is
Thedistrictelectionofficer(DEO)
in Assam's Karimganj Lok Sabha
Congress, giving them seven more days to file their replies.
They now have to respond by 11am on May 6. shared stage with BJP candidate Wednesday asserted that “no-
bodyisscared”andadecisionon
the matter would beannounced
scared, discussions are ongoing,
the Congress president has been
authorised. There is no delay,
constituency has suspended the
presiding officer of a polling sta-
tion after a video purportedly
otherwise. However, Tapas da is in the next 24-30 hours. there is time till May 3,” he said. showing a polling agent voting
DAUGHTER’S DEBUT EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, MAY 1
an able leader whose house re-
mainsopen for party workers all
Congress general secretary
Jairam Ramesh said the party’s
The state leadership in Uttar
Pradesh has already urged the
fivetimesonanelectronicvoting
machine (EVM) for the BJP can-
WITH A court ruling on Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari’s eligibility the time. He is always available central election committee central election committee and didate was widely circulated.
to fight elections from the seat awaited, the Ansari family has THE TRINAMOOL Congress for the people. It is unfortunate (CEC) has empowered Congress the party leadership to field In a statement issued on
already picked a “backup” candidate — his eldest daughter, (TMC) leadership Wednesday that we are going on different president Mallikarjun Kharge to Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Sunday, the DEO's office said the
32-year-old Nusrat Ansari. Afzal is the brother of gangster- removed its leader Kunal Ghosh pathsbutIcannotkeephimeven finalise the candidates for Priyanka from Rae Bareli. video was recorded during a
turned-politician late Mukhtar Ansari. Nusrat, who has al- as the party’s state general sec- an inch behind our party candi- Amethi and Rarbareli. The CEC members had also “mock poll” before the actual
ready started campaigning in Ghazipur, will become the first retary, hours after he shared the Ghosh (left) praised BJP’s date Sudip Bandyopadhyay. He “Myexpectationisthatinthe supported the view of the Uttar voting on April 26 in the con-
womanfromthefamilytoenterpolitics.AgraduatefromLady stage with former TMC MLA Tapas Roy (left) at a blood is a mass leader.” next 24-30 hours, the Congress Pradesh Congress during its last stituency. The DEO suspended
Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi, Nusrat had met turned BJP Lok Sabha candidate donation camp in Kolkata. Ghosh was earlier removed presidentwillfinaliseandadeci- meeting on Saturday. the presiding officer Nazrul
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav when he visited Tapas Roy and praised him. astheparty’sstatespokesperson sion taken by him will be an- Amethi was represented by Haque Tapadar for “gross negli-
the family after Mukhtar’s death and the latter encouraged In a statement, the TMC said, after he expressed his displeas- nounced,” Ramesh said in re- Rahul Gandhi from 2004 till gence and dereliction of duty”.
her to enter politics. All eyes are now on the Allahabad High “Recently, Mr. Kunal Ghosh has diaoutletsnottoconflatehisviews ure over the candidature of cer- sponse to a question at a press 2019, when he was defeated by The order stated that it was the
Court which is scheduled to hear Afzal’s matter. been expressing views that do withthoseoftheparty,asdoingso tain TMC leaders. After the con- conference at the AICC head- BJP’s Smriti Irani. He currently duty of the presiding officer to
not align with those of the party. maynecessitatelegalaction.” troversy Thursday, Ghosh quarters here. “Till that is done represents Wayanad in Kerala. ensure that no one carried mo-

TECH SHIFT
It is important to clarify that The decision came after declined to spell out his next all the information, all so-called The Amethi and Raebareli bile phones to the polling booth,
these are his personal opinions Ghosh was seen participating in move, saying he would like to office orders are fake,” he said. constituenciesgotopollsonMay yet the video in question was
and should not be attributed to a blood donation camp in the “continue in the party in future”. Asked aboutthedelay in tak- 20 in the fifth round of the polls. recorded using a mobile phone.
THESUPREMECourtinthelastfewweekshasseensometech- the party. Only statements is- city in which BJP candidate from TheformerRajyaSabhamember In the video making the
nologicalshifts—fromintegratingWhatsAppmessagingserv- sued from AITC headquarters Kolkata Uttar Tapas Roy was a said he had already expressed rounds on social media, Abdul
ices with the court’s IT systems to finally migrating to a new
website. Lawyers now get WhatsApp updates on new filings,
shouldbe considered theofficial
position of the party.”
part. Roy quit the TMC in March
and the BJP made him a Lok
his desire to resign as party
spokesperson and state general
Doctored Shah video: Delhi Police Sahid — a polling agent for
Independent candidate Abdul
court orders in their respective cases. While a new website
was launched earlier, the old one continued to be operational
Itfurthersaid,“Mr.Ghoshwas
previously relieved from his role
Sabha candidate.
At the blood donation event,
secretary in March.
Roy said he stood by Kunal
summons Jharkhand Cong chief Hameed — can be seen pressing
the button for BJP candidate and
and was being used more than the new one. On Wednesday, as party spokesperson. Now, he Ghosh said: “Let us keep politics Ghosh following the develop- Ranchi: Jharkhand Congress Police's Intelligence Fusion & sitting MP Kripanath Mallah five
the old website was removed, completing the migration to a has been removed from the posi- aside today. We tried ourbesttill ment. “This is nothing but TMC president Rajesh Thakur was StrategicOperations(IFSO)office times in a row.
new website with easier access to e-services. tion of General Secretary of the the last moment to keep him promoting its narrow-minded summoned by Delhi Police on in connection with an FIR regis- “As per procedure, polling
stateorganisation.Weurgeallme- (Roy) in the party. But he chose politics,” he told mediapersons. May 2 in connection with its in- tered on April 28 by its Special agents are allowed to cast a few
vestigation into the doctored Cell, he said. “I received the no- votes in favour of the candidate
video of Union Home Minister tice from Delhi Police on duringamockpoll.Statementsof

BSP outdoes INDIA in fielding Muslim faces in UP, AmitShah,apartyspokesperson

said on Wednesday.
Thakur has been asked to
Tuesday. It is beyond my under-
standing why the notice was
served to me. This is nothing but
otherpollingagentsareunderway
and polling officials have been
served show cause notice in this

rejects Opposition alliance’s ‘vote-cutter’ charge join the investigation at Delhi anarchy,” Thakur said. PTI regard,” the DEO had said.

BhimRajbhar,formerstateparty Mashhod Ahmed said, “In the leader and Akhilesh’s uncle Of the 15 nominees the
MAULSHREE SETH president, with a Pasmanda historyofPurvanchal,itisBehenji Ramgopal Yadav’s son Akshay is Congress had declared so far,
LUCKNOW, MAY 1 (backward) Muslim woman (Mayawati), who has shown the party's candidate from the there are only two Muslim can-
SabihaAnsari,whichissaidtobe courage to give ticket to ‘bunkar constituency. In central UP, the didates. The BSP's rivals includ-
FIGHTING THE Lok Sabha elec- anattempttostrikeachordwith ki beti’.” BSP has fielded Sarwar Malik ing the SP and Congress have
tions in Uttar Pradesh solo, the Pasmanda Muslims as well as The BSP has fielded the from Lucknow against defence chargedthatithasfieldedaslew
Mayawati-led BSP is going all womenvotersofthecommunity. Muslim candidates from a slew minister Rajnath Singh and SP of theminoritycandidatestocut
outtowootheMuslimcommu- InthisSamajwadiParty(SP)’s ofeastUPconstituencies candidate Ravidas into their support base and dent
nity,sharpeningitsattackonthe bastioncurrentlyheldbytheBJP, including Varanasi, Mahrotra.FromKannauj, the INDIA's vote bank in an al-
ruling BJP. the SP has fielded Dharmendra Gorakhpur,Maharajganj, where Akhilesh is con- legedbidtogiveadvantagetothe
Taking the lead in fielding Yadav, a cousin of party chief Bhadohi, testing, the BSP has BJP. Calling the BSP a “vote-cut-
Muslimfacesinthepolls,theBSP Akhilesh Yadav. Ambedkarnagar and namedImranBinZafaras ter”, the INDIA bloc has even ac-
has named as many as 20 candi- After changing its nominee, Sant Kabir Nagar. In DECISION itscandidate. Addressing cusedthepartyofbeingallegedly
dates from the community, in- the BSP has mounted its Varanasi,PrimeMinister 2024 a rally in Badaun, BSP the“BJP'sB-team”.Rejectingsuch
cluding women candidates, out Azamgarh campaign on the Narendra Modi’s con- supremo Mayawati said, allegations,theBSPcamphashit
of the 72 nominees it has de- theme, “bunkar ki beti” (daugh- stituency, the BSP has “Wedonotshowbiasto- back, accusing the SP and the
clared so far. This is by far the ter of weavers), in a reference to fielded Niyaz Ali, while it has wards anyone while giving tick- Congress of “failing the Muslim
maximum number of Muslim Sabiha’s Ansari caste group. nominated Jawed Simnani from ets... We give it to those as per community in ensuring its
candidates fielded by any major Weaversareinsizeablenumbers Gorakhpur. their share in population.” proper representation in polls”.
contender in UP in this election. in not just Azamgarh but also its In Badaun, where Akhilesh's Fighting the polls as part of The Muslim community ac-
In some seats, the party has neighbouring districts including anothercousinAdityaYadav,son theINDIAalliance,theSPandthe countsforabout19%ofUP'spop-
even replaced its senior leaders Bhadohi,MauandevenVaranasi. of Shivpal Singh Yadav, is in the Congress are contesting 62 seats ulation. It plays a significant role
with new Muslim candidates. A former Congress leader, fray, the BSP has fielded Muslim and 17 respectively in UP. The SP in about 16 parliamentary seats,
In the Muslim-dominated Sabhia, 36, had been an office- Khan. In Firozabad, the BSP has hasfieldedonlyfourMuslimcan- mainly in western and eastern
Azamgarh constituency in bearer in the UP Congress’s mi- nominatedChaudharyBashir,re- didates – in Rampur, Sambhal, parts of UP. The BJP has declared
Purvanchal(eastUP),theBSPre- nority wing. Speaking to The placing its candidate Satyendra KairanaandGhazipur–outofthe 73 candidates in UP so far, none
cently replaced its candidate IndianExpress,Ansari’shusband, Jain fielded earlier. Senior SP 60 it has named so far. of whom is a Muslim face.
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

6 DECISION
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

2024
I Hereby Declare
AKHILESHYADAV,50, former UP CM, SP chief and Kannauj candidate
IMAGEOF THE DAY ‘If the BJP knew, no
TOTAL ASSETS (2019)
`42.03 CR (2024) `37.79 CR way Prajwal would
have got a ticket’
Movableassets `9.13cr
Immovableassets `17.22cr
Liabilities `25.41lakh
Education BE,MysoreUniversity
Pendingcriminalcases 3FIRsforIPC
KIRAN PARASHAR
SHIVAMOGGA, MAY 1
DIMPLEYADAV,46, former MP, Akhilesh’s wife, SP Mainpuri candidate
TOTAL ASSETS (2019) WITH 14 of Karnataka's 28 Lok
Sabha constituencies having
`42.03 CR (2024) `37.79 CR gonetopollsonApril26,stateBJP
Movableassets `5.11cr president B Y Vijayendra, 48,
claims the party is heading for a
Immovableassets `10.54cr
victory and that there would be
Liabilities `74.45lakh
“turmoil” in the ruling Congress
Education BCom,LucknowUniversity in the state following the elec-
Pendingcriminalcases None tions.Inaninterview,Vijayendra
Total assets for Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav are the same, including – state BJP stalwart B S
spouse and dependents. The individual assets are their own and do not Yediyurappa’s younger son and
include that of each other or dependents. first-timeMLAfromShikaripura
– speaks about the alleged sex
abuse case involving JD(S) MP
THE EXPRESS
AKSHAYAYADAV,37, Akhilesh’s cousin, SP Firozabad candidate
TOTAL ASSETS (2019)
and ex-Prime Minister H D Deve
Gowda's grandson Prajwal INTERVIEW
`136.44 CR (2024) `32.12 CR Revanna as well as the BJP-JD(S)
WITH
alliance. Excerpts: BY VIJAYENDRA
Movableassets `31.59cr KARNATAKA BJP
Immovableassets `104.59cr How well has the BJP done in PRESIDENT
Liabilities `11.66cr CongressleaderPriyankaGandhiVadraduringapublicmeetingin Assam’sDhubriconstituencyonWednesday. PTI the 14 seats which went to
Education BBA,AmityUniversity,Noida polls in the previous phase?
Pendingcriminalcases 3FIRs I have had discussions with between(DeputyChief Minister
the heads of all our party district and state Congress chief) D K

ADITYAYADAV,35, Akhilesh’s cousin, SP’s Badaun candidate

GROUND REPORT units. We are confident of win- Shivakumar and (CM)

As Modi lands in Gujarat, BJP

ning seats in all the places. In Siddaramaiah? The only differ-
TOTAL ASSETS Bengaluru rural, Dr C N ence is that they have not gone
Manjunath will win with more public, but in our party some
`14.63 CR (2024) than1lakhmarginagainstsitting people have gone out with their
Movableassets `12.21cr Congress MP D K Suresh. statements. It is a common phe-

races to douse Kshatriya fires

Immovableassets `2.42cr nomenon and you cannot be a
Liabilities `2.41cr There is a lot of criticism that herotoall.If someonecrossesthe
Education MA,LucknowUniversity the BJP and JD(S) alliance has line, then the party high com-
Pendingcriminalcases None not worked well in the state... mand will take a call.
With regard to BJP and JD(S),
the alliance was one of the best What political changes are
DHARMENDRAYADAV,45, SP candidate from Azamgarh Talk of “teaching (unity), we are here to remove
Rupala,” Bhavnaba asserts.
decisions taken. Yes, there were
minor issues related to support-
you expecting after the Lok
Sabha elections in
TOTAL ASSETS (2019)
`13.5 CR (2024) `11.87 CR BJP a lesson” The BJP has re-nominated
two-time MP Poonam Maadam,
ing each other's campaign or
otherwise, but overall it has
Karnataka?
Shivakumar will not let
Movableassets `2.13cr but Modi seems an Ahir OBC leader, from gone well. Siddaramaiah continue as the
Jamnagar. The Congress has chief minister. It is not just me,
Immovableassets
Liabilities
`11.37cr
`3.43cr
above blame fieldedanadvocate,JPMaraviya, Were you aware of the Congress leaders are saying this.
a Leuva Patidar contesting his Prajwal Revanna episode?
Education MA,AllahabadUniversity first election. BJP leader Devaraje Gowda Your father Yediyurappa was
Pendingcriminalcases 3FIRs GOPAL KATESHIYA The president of a local unit says he sent you a letter the BJP face in the state, but
& LEENA MISRA of the Shree Karni Sena who is informing you about it? now it's said to have become
RAJKO, DHROL, leading the rath procession, Let me make it clear from “faceless”. Your take?
JAMNAGAR, MAY 1 UpendrasinhJadeja,saysitisun- BJP's point of view that nobody Youarethinkingmuchahead.

Why BJP expelled IN THE posh Kalavad area of

Rajkot, a gate opens onto the
usual for Kshatriya women to be
out in public. But Rupala’s com-
mentshavehurtthemdeeply,he
can support this case. I am not
aware of the letter that Devaraje
Gowda claims to have written.
As a state party president, I have
tobeagoodorganiser.Ihavebeen
focusingonincreasingthefollow-

a Poonch leader makeshift office of the Kshatriya

Asmita Andolan Samiti. Here,
plans are being charted to reach “Kshatriya asmita rath” at Jamnagar’s Khambaliya. Express
says. As the procession leaves,
theKshatriyasarejoinedbyother
communities in taking a pledge
I have not received any such
letter. I don't think the BJP na-
tional leadership was aware of
ersbaseintheOldMysururegion
where historically we have not
performed well. Things will

over ‘hate speech’

out to Kshatriya-dominated to “vote for the Congress”. this development. change in the upcoming days.
localities in the seat. Narendrasinh Jadeja, 48, a It is unfair to say that the BJP
Rajkot is the Ground Zero of city unit general secretary who Pratap to Bhavnagar’s erstwhile farmer, says that in the wake of high command was aware of Why areyounotseeninPM
the Kshatriya protests against says: Ahankari Bhajap ne sabak Maharaja Krishnakumarsinh the Kshatriya protests, “other it. If we were aware, where is Modi's rallies in the state?
UnionministerandBJPRajkotLok shikhdaviye(Wehavetoteachthe Gohil, touted as among the first communities who would not the question of allowing him Itiswronginformation.Even
ARUN SHARMA SabhaseatcandidateParshottam arrogant BJP a lesson).” princely state rulers to sign the dare speak up are coming out in (Prajwal) to contest (as the al- the PM doesn't want the state
JAMMU, MAY 1 Rupala, over remarks made by WhiletheBJPbelievesRajkot Instrument of Accession with our support”. liance’s joint candidate from the party president to leave all the
him against the community. itself may not pose a problem as India. Five ‘Kshatriya asmita TheBJPhasbroughtoutallits Hassan seat). work to join him for the rally.
EVEN BEFORE the Election With the protests spreading theRajputsherenumber“barely dharma raths’ honouring the battle guns in the area, such as However, I am participating in
Commission took up the matter, from Rajkot to other seats with 80,000”, in a constituency of 20 community's patron deity former Karnataka governor It has been nearly six months the PM's rally now. I have only
the BJP Tuesday expelled a sen- larger Kshatriya populations, all lakhvoters(or4%),inconstituen- Ashapura Ma are criss-crossing Vajubhai Vala, former Union since you were appointed the been in Shivamogga (home dis-
ior party leader, Satish Bhargav, eyes are on Prime Minister ciessuchasJamnagarandKutch, Kshatriya-dominated villages”. ministerVallabhKathiriaandex- state BJP chief. But the trict) for two days for campaign-
for making a “hate speech” dur- Narendra Modi's rallies in Kshatriyas form up to 11% of the One aspect of the Kshatriya CM Vijay Rupani, to campaign infighting in your party ing. That aside, I have been trav-
ing the poll campaign in border Jamnagar and Anand Thursday. population.InAnand,theyareas discontentisthefeelingthatthey for Rupala. seems to have continued. elling across the state.
Poonch district’s Mendhar town Can the Modi magic work in his many as 60%. BJP rallies in these have been “sidelined” at the cost Kathiria claims to have Your comments? FULL INTERVIEW ON
against some Pahari leaders ow- homestate,helping the BJP bury constituencies have been dis- of thePatidarsundertheBJPgov- wrestedbacksomeof theground Do you think there is no fight indianexpress.com
ing allegiance to the Peoples the rift with the Kshatriyas? rupted by protesting Kshatriyas. ernment. However, in the Ravki byrallyingtheLeuvaPatidarsbe-
Democratic Party (PDP) and Thereseemstobesomesoft- As per Zala, the numbers are village that is not the story. hind Rupala, a Kadva Patidar, in
National Conference. ening in the standoff. Just before workingoutintheir(or Congress SarojbenFachra,partof agoupof Rajkot – the two communities
Bhargav was speaking in relation JammuBJP leader Satish Modi landed in Gujarat candidate Paresh Dhanani's) Patidarwomen,saysthatforher, are traditional rivals there. FOR MORE LOG ON TO
to the Lok Sabha election for Bhargav. Express Wednesday for his first rally in favourinRajkotaswell–1.5lakh “corruptionisthemajorissue”of While road shows may be
Anantnag-Rajouri. Polling for the the state of this election, the Kshatriya votes, “plus the Leuva the elections and claims no missing, a BJP leader says, Rupala
INDIANEXPRESS.COM/ELECTIONS
seat, due on May 7, has been de- Gujarat Rajput Samaj PatidarvoteswhichDhananiwill knowledge of the Rupala row. is attending social and religious
ferred to May 25 on account of What was behind Bhargav’s Organisations’ Coordination attract, and the Maldharis”.If Yashpalsinh Jadeja, 22, says events as part of a new strategy. ● FROMTHE
bad weather. The BJP is not con- speech? Committee announced that it DhananiisaLeuvaPatidar,Rupala he himself has no differences TheCongress'sDhanani,whode- URDUPRESS
testing any seats in Kashmir. Last week, a senior Pahari would not hold protests against is a Kadva Patidar. Neither is a lo- with the Patidars, but wants the featedRupalain2002isattending
leader, Murtaza Khan, who had any public meetings by the PM, cal, both belonging to Amreli. BJP to “retire” Rupala. smaller gatherings in residential
What did Satish Bhargav say? earlier left the PDP, extended in deference to his office. The protests have by now at- In Jamnagar, nearly 100 km societies. At one such meeting, ‘BJP’S 400
Thespokesperson of theBJP’s support to PDP supremo ButattheKshatriyasamitiof- tractedanarrayof outfits,includ- away, a ‘Kshatriya dharma rath’ Dhanani speaks of the Surat PAAR PITCH HAS
Pahari Cell, Bhargav warned Mehbooba Mufti, who is a can- fice in Rajkot, there is no let-up in ing several versions of the Karni inKhambhaliyavillageisgreeted episode. The reference to the
Pahari leaders who are seen as didate from Anantnag-Rajouri. theplans.Coordinatingtheaction Sena. Kshatriya iconography is with the beating of drums. walkover to the BJP candidate in BACKFIRED’
supportingtheNCandPDPinthe The BJP has hinted that it might isRajbhaZala,aformerBJPRajkot everywhere, from Maharana “We are here for Rajput ekta Suratdrawsonlyatepidresponse.
coming polls to vote for the BJP support some “patriotic” parties
and Prime Minister Narendra in the absence of its own candi-
Modi. Bhargav reminded Paharis
that the Modi government had
dates in the Kashmir fray. While
announcing support for the PDP,
KEY PLAYERS
keptitspromiseofincludingthem Khan said the BJP should not
inthelistofScheduledTribes,and
thensaid:“Remember,therewill
come many occa-
sions and you may
“compel” Paharis to vote for any
particular party when it was it-
self notcontesting. After Nitish flip-flop, JD(U)’s Lalan Singh on shaky ground
be given wounds How significant Singh skirted the question, say- andKoeris(bothOBC),pickingup “Whatisthepointofvotingfor
liketheoneswegot is the Pahari vote DEEPTIMAN TIWARY ing he onlys talk about his work. thegunagainstuppercastes.The Mahato’s wife? He is a convicted
during 1947.” in Anantnag- MUNGER, MAY 1 Apparently,Singhwascaught RJD is hoping that the Muslim- criminal. She has been fielded
DECODE Rajouri? by surprise when Nitish Kumar Yadav combine, a section of purely to split Kurmi votes,” says
What was
Bhargav
POLITICS The Paharis
form more than 4
FORMER JD(U) president Rajiv
Ranjan Singh aka Lalan, who is
broke the alliance with the RJD
andre-joinedhandswiththeBJP,
Dalits, along with a split in the
Kurmi votes in the constituency
Shantakumar Mandal, a Kurmi
from Aleempur village.
referring to? lakh of the total saidtohavebeeninstrumentalin inJanuarythisyear.Asavoterput will help its candidate win. However, Mohit Kumar, a 22-
Days after Independence in 7.35lakhelectorateinRajouriand stitchingtheJD(U)-RJDalliancein it,"LalanBabuisunabletounder- Munger has around 18 lakh year-old Kurmi student, says al-
August 1947, when Jammu and Poonch districts. After delimita- 2022, is in a piquant situation. stand how to campaign. Till yes- voters, around two lakh each of though he will vote for Modi,
Kashmir ruler Maharaja Hari tion, Poonch along with two- Four months ago, addressing a terday,hewasabusingModiand whichareYadav,Kurmi,Dhanuk some Kurmis are voting for
Singh was yet to decide whether thirds of Rajouri are out of the rally in Munger, his Lok Sabha praisingLalu.Now,heisexpected (OBC), Bhumihar and Vaishya Mahato because of caste.
to go with India or Pakistan, the Jammu seat and part of constituency, Singh had thun- to do the opposite." votes, while one lakh are There are others who have
latter had sent tribals and troops Anantnag-Rajouri.Theelectorate dered from the stage that the However, if he does sail Muslims, and 1.5 lakh are lost trust in everyone.
into J&K. They soon overran vast in the Kashmir part of the con- Mahagathbandhan was going through, it will be due to the Rajputs.TherestareEBCs,Dalits, Vinod Sah of Dakra Nala vil-
areas killing a large number of stituency, over 10.94 lakh, out- strongandthatNarendraModi’s JD(U)-BJP alliance, given the Brahmins and other castes. lageinJamalpurhasbeenrunning
people and looting their proper- numbers that in the Jammu part. "farewell"wouldstartfromBihar. anger against him among a sig- While Yadavs and Muslims from pillar to post to get his son
ties, particularly of Hindus. Infact,Anantnag-Rajouriwasthe On Friday, Singh was addressing nificant section of voters in Singh is facing off against Anita Devi, the wife of convicted arerallyingbehindtheRJDonthe treatedforanoperationonhisleg.
Many Hindus then rushed for oneconstituencythattheBJPwas anotherrallyinMunger,thistime Munger over his performance gangster-turned-politician Ashok Mahato in Munger. Facebook Assembly segments of Munger, He says doctors are asking for Rs
safety particularly in Poonch expectedtocontestinKashmiron sharing the stage with Modi. He during the current term. Jamalpur and Lahkisarai, 3 lakh, which he does not have.
and Rajouri. What followed account of its changed demo- welcomed the PM as a huge au- “LalanBabuhasdonenothing Bhumiharsandotheruppercaste “EvenAyushmanBharathasbeen
were large-scale clashes be- graphics. A win here would have dience looked on, saying that for the constituency. Munger is similarsentiments.“Evenif Lalan Babu, but grudgingly,” he says. groups are supporting Singh, of no help,” he says.
tween the Hindus and resident beenabigboostasthepartynever Goddess Chandi had bestowed such an old city, but nothing has Babu had got a little bit of work Notably, Singh had lost the largelybecauseofNarendraModi. As a father of two daughters,
Muslims in these areas. won a seat in Kashmir. her "blessings" upon him to win beendonehere...If itwerenotfor done here, he would have won pollsfromherein2014,whenthe Among Dalits, Paswans are hesays“BetiBachaoBetiPadhao”
There are competing narra- In the absence of the BJP, 400 seats. He also said the PM the JD(U) siding with the BJP, we by a record margin. Pichhle JD(U) had contested on its own. staunchly behind the BJP, but the is just a slogan.
tives and no concrete figures Paharileadershavebeen declar- must now teach a lesson to the would not vote for him, even if it paanch saal mein Nitish Babu sirf Singh’schallengerinthecon- rest appear split. “The government should
from either side on how many ing allegiance to their previous “corrupt”, but avoided any men- meant voting for the RJD,” says bandh karwaye, khulwaye kuchh stituency is Anita Devi, the wife Asectionof Kurmisappearto makeafixeddepositinthename
were killed. Finally, on October parties, with the contest mainly tion of the RJD. Kalu Kumar, a tea seller from the bhi nahi (Nitish Babu has only of convicted gangster-turned- be gravitating towards the RJD of daughters for their marriage.
26, 1947, Hari Singh signed the between Mufti and the National In fact, when questioned Halwai (OBC) caste in town. shut down factories here in the politicianAshokMahato.Mahato due to its Kurmi candidate, but Myothersonisagraduate,butis
Instrument of Accession with Conference'sMianAltaf,amuch- abouthischallengerfromtheRJD Another OBC, paan shop lastfiveyears,inauguratednoth- had shot to infamy in the 1990s the loyalty of the majority for forcedtoworkasasecurityguard
the Indian Union. respected Gujjar leader. in a recent media interview, owner Deepak Chaurasia, has ing). We will still vote for Lalan withhisgang,madeupof Kurmis Nitish Kumar is intact. as there are no jobs,” he says.
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

7 DECISION
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

2024
KCR faces stern GROUND REPORT
action from EC:
Campaign ban
for 48 hours Old political rivalry in Davanagere
SREENIVAS JANYALA
HYDERABAD, MAY 1

IN ONE of its strongest actions

during this poll season, the
Election Commission (EC) has
has new faces: women contestants
BJP, Congress field debutantes: Wife of sitting MP from constituency vs wife of Karnataka minister
barredformerTelanganaCMand However, Srinath Reddy, a seen as having further consoli-
BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao SANATH PRASAD farmer belonging to Harapana- dated support for the party PM Narendra Modi and Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel at
from campaigning for 48 hours, DAVANAGERE, MAY 1 halli, says that for the LS polls, among the backward. Gujarat’s Himmatnagar, Wednesday. Nirmal Harindran
for allegedly making derogatory what should matter are “na- The goodwill for the Sham-
and objectionable statements AT A TIME when sexual assault tionalissues”and“nationallead- anur family owing to the SSIMS
against the Congress during a
public rally in Sircilla district.
InalettertoKCR,theECstated
allegations against JD(S) leader
PrajwalRevannahaveovertaken
the state’s political scene, there
ership”.
Up against the two women
candidates is Congress rebel
Hospitalmanagedbythemisan-
other plus for the Congress.
In last year's Assembly elec-
Give in writing won’t
thathisstatementswereinviola-
tion of MCC. The ban is effective
for48hoursfrom8pmonMay1.
is a new excitement in this con-
stituency in central Karnataka
for the coming elections.
Vinay Kumar, a Kuruba, who is
contestingasanIndependentaf-
ter being denied a ticket by the
tions, the Congress won seven of
the eight Assembly segments in
the constituency.
grant religion-based
TheECinitsletterstatedithadre-
ceived a complaint from G
Niranjan,seniorvice-presidentof
The reason being the two
women debutantes in the fray
from the Davanagere LS seat–
party. Kumar isaprominentface
too, being the founder-director
of Insights Active Learning
“When Mallikarjunappa
(Siddeshwara's father and for-
mer Davanagere MP) passed
quota, PM dares Opp
Telangana PCC, alleging KCR had the BJP’s Gayathri Siddeshwar, BJP’sGayathriSiddeshwar (Insights IAS). away, the sympathy factor In Karnataka overnight, they de-
made derogatory statements 69, and the Congress’s Dr (above);Congress’s Kumar may hurt Prabha’s worked for the BJP. Later, the EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE clared all Muslims as OBCs, they
against the Congress on April 5. Prabha Mallikarjun, 48. DrPrabhaMallikarjun. Express chances as the Kuruba vote, party reaped political dividends AHMEDABAD, MAY 1 looted a part of the reservation
Basedonthecomplaint,theEC Both are from prominent po- which generally goes to the due to the Modi wave and the giventoOBCsovernight.Willthis
had asked the CEO of Telangana litical Lingayat families, with Congress with its CM Siddaram- surgical strike against Pakistan,” ATHISfirstelectionrallyinGujarat work in the country? Should I let
to submit a report, which was Gayathri the wife of sitting family has always won the the fields in Mayakonda village aiah the community's tallest says district Congress chief H B this LS elections, PM Narendra thiswork?.”“Theyshouldalsoan-
done on April 10. Davanagere MP G M Siddes- Vidhan Sabha elections here. and belongs to Madiga SC com- leader, is likely to get split. Manjappa. Modi Wednesday accused the nounce they will never touch
EC received a response from hwara and Prabha the wife of About 30 km from munity,saysbesidesthewoman The Davanagere seat is dom- “Given the Congress guaran- Congress of spreading lies and reservation of SCs, STs, and OBCs.
KCR on April 23 to its showcause state minister S S Mallikarjun Davanagere town, in the village factor,shewillchoosePrabhabe- inated by the Lingayats (both tees and the party’s manifesto challenged the INDIA Bloc to give Theywillneverdeclareit,”hesaid.
notice,and he stated “theofficers and the daughter-in-law of of Mayakonda, four women cause of Congress guarantees. Panchamasali and Sadara); fol- promises, we have an edge,” the it in writing it will not provide Recalling the previous elec-
inchargeof electioninTelangana Shamanur Shivashankarappa, seated in a verandah are having “This has made me financially lowed by SC groups Lambanis, leaders says. BJP district chief reservationonthebasisofreligion tions, Modi said, “When I con-
and Sriciall are not Telugu people who at 92 was re-elected to a discussion about Gayathri and independent,” she says. Gollas, Bhovis and Madigas; the Rajashekar counters, “The BJP is and also not touch the quota tested the 2014 election,
andtheyhardlyunderstandlocal Assembly last year. Prabha. Sharada, who hails from Eventhemenarelookingfor- Valmiki Nayaks (who are trib- fighting this battle in alliance availed by SCs, STs and OBCs. Congress leaders mocked me.
dialect.Thecomplaintismadeby Davanagere is marked by the the Golla community, says: ward to Gayathri and Prabha as als); and Muslims. with the JD(S), which has over “These people have started They said this Gujrati tea-seller,
Congress by picking some sente- political rivalry between the “With women as leaders, it is “fresh faces” with a new per- While the BJP is confident of 1.5 lakh votes in the region. sayingModiisaskingfor400seats who has grown up eating rice
nces from the press conference Siddeshwara and Shamanur easier for us to open up about spective. While noting that the consolidating the Lingayat votes Moreover, Davanagere has ben- becausethereisreservation...NDA and pulses, doesn’t know any-
outofcontext.TheEnglishtransla- families, going back to the late ourproblems. Irrespectiveof the womencandidatesbelongtoold in its favour, with B S efited from the development had 360 MPs... (with) others like thing. But the country replied
tionofthesentencesisnotcorrect ’90s. While the constituency has Congress or the BJP, we can hope political families of the region, Yediyurappa back in the party works by the Modi government, BJD and Andhra’s YSRCP, which and eventually reduced them
andistwisted”.KCRsubmittedhe been won the past five times by to be heard, especially on the is- Siddesh, a social worker and a saddle, the SCs and STs favour including railway connectivity werenotinNDAbutsupportedus, from 400 to 40 seats.”
confined his criticism to the poli- Siddeshwara (he is not contest- sues of finance and health." native of Harapanahalli, says: “It the Congress. The Siddaramaiah between Tumkur and wehad400seats,butwearenei- “...except BJP, no party is con-
cies of the Congress in the state. ing this time), the Shamanur Nirmala, who is working in is definitely a welcome move.” government's guarantees are Davanagere.” ther born for this sin (paap) nor testing 272 seats and then they
this is our way,” Modi said at (Congress)saywillformthegov-
Deesa in Banaskantha. ernment. You need at least 272
POLITICAL SLUGFEST OVER SEXUAL ABUSE TAPES Referring to Congress claim- seatstoformagovernment...This
ing BJP will change the Constitu- is the magic of Modi because

‘Being in Modi political family a BJP will not remain with those tionandendreservationifitwins,
hesaid:“Today,IchallengeCongr-
ess ke shahzade (Rahul Gandhi),
there is no Congress candidate”.
Meanwhile, at Himmatnagar
inSabarkanthadistrict,Modisaid,

safety guarantee for criminals?’: who commit crimes against the party and all its members if
theyhavecourage,announcethat
on the basis of religion, they will
“They (Congress and INDIA bloc)
have exhausted everything and
thereforehavestartedanewkaro-

Rahul, Priyanka step up attacks women: Shah in Karnataka

nevermisusereservation,change bar (business) of fake video. The
theConstitutionandgivereserva- entire business is fake. Nobody is
tion to anyone. They will not do listening to them so, they are
that because dal me kuch kala hai showingthefaceofModiandput-
(there’s something fishy)... I say ting fake things in his mouth.”
SUKRITA BARUAH EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE thisonrecordthattillBJPisthere, "Congress and its INDIA bloc
GUWAHATI, MAY 1 BENGALURU, MAY 1 till Modi is there, Bababsaheb’s havebecomeafakefactory.They
and Constitution, the reservation call themselves mohobbat ki
THE CONGRESS continued its at- AMID THE raging controversy given to SC, ST and OBCs and the dukaan. But their mohabbat ki
tack on the BJP and PM Narendra over allegations of sexual abuse general class is secured...” dukan is into making fake goods,
Modi over sex abuse allegations against JD(S) MP Prajwal “Those who want to give fake slogans and fake promises,”
againstJD(S)MPPrajwalRevanna, Revanna, which has embar- reservation on the basis of reli- he said. At another rally in Deesa
with both Rahul Gandhi and rassed the party and put the BJP- gion...theyhaveexperimentedin at Banaskantha, Modi dared the
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stepping JD(S) in a spot, Union Home Andhra and Karnataka. For vote- Opposition to attack him “from
up their attack on Wednesday. Minister Amit Shah Wednesday bank, they want to snatch reser- the front and stop this game of
JD(S) and BJP are allies in made it clear Wednesday in vation of Dalits, tribals and OBCs. fake videos”.
Karnataka. Hubballi that his party would
In a post online, Rahul wrote, not stand with those who com-
“As usual, Narendra Modi has
maintainedashamefulsilenceon
mit atrocities against women.
Shah, speaking for the first Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Haveri, Wednesday. PTI
THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
the gruesome crimes against time on the issue, hit out at CM WhowillbewhereThursday,May2
womeninKarnataka.Hewillhave Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Assam’s Dhubri on Wednseday. PTI Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM
to answer why, despite knowing D K Shivakumar, asking why no Application, who was stabbed to conduct in the past has shown
everything, they (BJP) promoted action was initiated against death on her college campus, al- that talk is cheap: Can we forget
the monster who exploited hun- come out. What do we find? “The ones who carry the most Prajwalbeforetheelectionswere legedly by her former classmate how Olympian Girls were sexu-
dreds of daughters, just for the Modiji had campaigned for the burden are women. They go to overintheVokkaligabelt,“despite Fayaz Khondunaik on April 18. ally harassed by your MP? Who
AmitShah
NarendraModi ■ Bareilly,Badaun,Sitapur
sakeof votes?Howdidsuchabig personwhocommittedthoseof- work, they go to the fields and being aware of the allegations”. Blamingthestategovernmentfor did you stand with? Your MP, of ■ Anand,Junagarh,
(UttarPradesh)
criminalescapefromthecountry fences.Theoffenderfledthecoun- they go to jobs. Then they come AlthoughPrajwalwasamem- the allegedly deteriorating law course, and you let the women Surendranagar,
with such ease?” try and no one stopped him. home and look after children, ber of BJP’s alliance partner in andordersituation,Shahsaid,“If athletes sit in protests on the Jamnagar
Headded,“FromKaiserganjto Neither Modiji nor Amit Shah cook food, look after everyone... Karnataka,Shah,withoutnaming youcannotprotectwomen,leave streetsofDelhiforweeks.Canwe (Gujarat)
KarnatakaandUnnaotoUttarak- stoppedhim.Theylethimescape. Forthem,BJPgovernmentisoffer- Prajwal, said, “the party will not it to us. We will make Karnataka forget how rapist convicts of the
hand, the PM’s silent support to Wherever there have been of- ingnothing.Thetruthisyougeta standwithhim.Ourstandisclear. a safe place for women.” Bilkis Bano were released on pa-
theculpritswhotargetdaughters fences against women, be it rationof 5 kgand along withitRs BJP cannot remain with those Hiremath’s family also sub- role by the Gujarat BJP govern-
is boosting the morale of crimi- Hathras in UP or Unnao, Modiji 1,200 (under Assam Govern- who commit atrocities against mitted a petition seeking capital ment and your party men gar-
nals.Isbeingpartof Modi’s‘polit- was silent. Instead they tried to ment’s Orunodoi financial assis- women.Whoeverhemightbe,let punishment for the accused. landedthem?Canweforgethow
ical family’ a ‘guarantee of safety’ protect the offenders… In Mani- tance scheme for women). He himbepunishedwithoutanyde- Reacting to Shah’s attack, your party stood behind the per-
for criminals?” pur, a jawan’s wife was stripped (PMModi)tellsyou‘baschupraho’ lay. If you (Congress) have the Siddaramaiah said on X, “Dear petrators in the Unnao case,
InAssam,Priyankasaid,“The- and paraded. Everyone saw the (now keep mum)...” she said. courage, initiate action immedi- HM@AmitShahavare,thanksfor whereaminorDalitgirlwasraped
se people (BJP leaders) talk of video. Modiji, Amit Shah also ShehitoutatCMHimantaBis- ately.Hefledthecountryonlybe- finally expressing outrage in the and murdered? Can we forget PriyankaGandhi
women’ssecurity.Youmusthave must have seen it. So why were wa Sarma, claiming there were cause of you (Congress) and now #PrajwalRevanna matter. You howyourpartydefendedtheper- RahulGandhi Vadra
seenwhatishappeninginKarna- they silent?” she said. “big allegations against him and you are doing politics.” have also said you don’t condone petrators of rape in Hathras? Can ■ Shivamogga, ■ Korba(Chhattisgarh)
taka.Peopleassociatedwiththeir She reached out to women when he joined BJP, those allega- Later, Shah met the family of violenceagainstwomenevenifit we forget how BJP turned a blind Raichur Morena
party have committed such of- voters and claimed the BJP has tions vanished”, thanks to “BJP Neha Hiremath, 23, a first-year is done by an ally of yours. One is eye when women were made to (Karnataka) (Madhya Pradesh)
fences. Thousandsof videoshave done “nothing for the women”. washing machine”. student of Masters in Computer tempted to believe you, but your parade naked in Manipur?”

POLL PITCH
In run-up to Phase 3, Constitution, reservation come on campaign frontburner
head touching the steps of ence at the AICC headquarters in power, will change the 2024...theCongressandtheINDI maalik (owner) of 27-percent
MANOJ C G Parliament — a reflection of the Delhi Wednesday during which Constitution. alliance have entered the now,” Modi had said in Agra
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 Constitution — and that in 2019 he argued that the “real inten- The arguments on both sides maidan with yet another some days ago. “Congress in-
he had bowed before a copy of tion”behindBJP’s“400paar”slo- revolve around reservation and lie…theyshow the Constitution, tends to play the same game in
ON WEDNESDAY, the social me- the Constitution in the central gan is to secure power to change tap into insecurities and appre- aarakshan lelenge... iska dar UP... OBCs will have to under-
dia handles of Prime Minister hall of Parliament after he was the Constitution. hensions across the caste divide dikhate hai... Congress ki jamaat stand the game of Congress and
Narendra Modi put out a short elected the leader of the NDA al- He said “samvidhan badlo” -- framed in the larger context of kaan kholkar sun le... this is Modi, SP. There are many OBC castes in

E
1.15-minute video clip with a liance. has been the demand the Constitution which guaran- tillModiisalive...Iwillnotletyou UP, like Kurmi, Maurya,
E X P L A I NE D

caption“forme,theConstitution On Tuesday, a day of the RSS since 1949. tees equality and reservation. play the game of reservation of Kushwaha, Yadav, Jat, Gurjar,
is sacred. It is supreme.” The earlier, Modi’s main Ramesh quoted B R This primacy of the the basis of religion. The reser- Rajbhar, Teli and Pal. This is their
video opens with Modi — at the challenger Rahul Ambedkar as having Constitution in campaign rheto- vation which SC, ST, OBC and the right. But they (the Congress)
campaign rally in Zaheerabad in Gandhi showed up at a
● said on November 25, ric comes after two phases of poor in the general category want to give it to their favourite
Telangana Tuesday — saying the Congress campaign 1949intheConstituent voting and with five more to go - havegot...theyhavegotinonthe vote bank,” he added.
Constitution is a “holy book” for rally in Bhind in Assembly that “it is be- - perhaps a first after the 1977 basis of the Constitution... with TheCongressandtheopposi-
him and that he was the only Madhya Pradesh with a red cause of the discipline of the elections post Emergency. the blessings of Baba Saheb... tion, on the other hand, argue
Chief Minister who celebrated pocket size edition of the Congress Party that the Drafting The sub-text is, of course, usme rati bhar bi koi loot nahi that the ruling party wants to
the 60 years of the Indian Constitution. Holding the copy Committee was able to pilot the reservation. Prime Minister saktahai...If theCongresshasthe win more than 400 seats so that
Constitution. of the Constitution, Gandhi Constitution in the Assembly Nirmal Harindran Modihasrepeatedlyarguedthat courage... Let them declare... it is they can make changes in the
“Maine Surendra Nagar main claimedtheBJP,if votedtopower with the sure knowledge as to the Congress, if it comes to my challenge.” Constitution and snatch away
haathi ke upar hamare samvid- again, would “tear apart” and the fate of each article and each People garland Dr BR Ambedkar statue in Ahmedabad. power, will “rob” OBCs of their The thrust of the Prime the reservation benefits of SC, ST
han ko rakha tha. Samvidhan “throw away” the Constitution amendment” and that “the reservation in order to give it to Minister’s argument is that the andOBCastheRSS,theBJP’side-
haathi par baitha tha aur Modi whichgrantedrightstothepoor, Congress Party is, therefore, en- the Muslim minority. Congress, if voted to power, ological fountainhead, had al-
paidal chal raha tha,” Modi says Dalits, Scheduled Tribes and titled to all the credit for the later on November 30, 1949 in ior ministers and leaders of the Addressing a meeting in would carve out a quota for mi- ways been opposed to reserva-
as the video shows the 2010 vi- other backward classes. smooth sailing of the Draft which he claimed it was writ- BJPaswellasveteranOpposition Banaskantha today, Modi, refer- norities-- read Muslims -- in the tions.
suals of the procession. Not to be left behind, Constitution in the Assembly.” ten that “the worst about the figures, including the likes of ring to Rahul, said “the 27 per cent OBC quota. This is part of Rahul’s aggres-
The Prime Minister then re- Congress communication head Ramesh then went on to new Constitution of Bharat is NCP(SP)’sSharadPawar,haveall Congress’s shahzada had (in “The Congress government sive caste census pitch — aimed
counts his first visit to Jairam Ramesh distributed quote an article that he claimed that there is nothing Bharatiya been invoking the Constitution 2019) proudly called the entire in Karnataka declared all at the OBCs – framed as a warn-
Parliamentin2014,whenhehad copies of the pocket-size was published in the RSS-linked about it.” to drive home their political Modicommunity,theentireOBC Muslim castes as OBC overnight ing about the threat of BJP
bowed in respect with his fore- Constitutionafterapressconfer- publication ‘Organiser’ five days Not just Modi or Rahul, sen- point – that the rival side, if in community thieves... now in and told them that you are the changing the Constitution.
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

8 THE EDITORIAL PAGE

WORDLY WISE
When a person is lucky enough to live inside
a story... the pains of this world disappear.
— PAUL AUSTER

FOUNDED BY
The trade push
§

§
RAMNATH GOENKA
Pickup in global growth should spur India’s exports.
BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL
But fallout from geopolitical tensions need monitoring

A HEALING TOUCH Dharmakirti Joshi, Adhish Verma and Meera Mohan

After a year of ethnic strife, Manipur requires a combination OVER THE PAST few years, global trade has broad-based decline in international com- and auto and auto parts also rose.
been very volatile, first on account of the modity prices. This indicates that India was India’s exports to the Gulf Cooperation
of economic, political and administrative remedies

A
Covid-19pandemicandthenduetogeopolit- able to ship a higher volume of goods. Council(GCC)countriesalsorose,reflectinga
YEARAFTERitwasjoltedbyethnicviolence,Manipurcontinuestobeonthe ical conflicts. Since the middle of 2022, the According to quick estimates of the Ministry further increase in exports to the UAE — the
edge. The state has not seen large-scale violence in the last eight months. valueof globalmerchandisetradehasshrunk of Commerce and Industry, items with as largest export destination of Indian goods in
continuously as per data from the United much as 45 per cent share (in dollar terms) the GCC region. It is noteworthy that India’s
However, lives continue to be lost in clashes between Meiteis and Kuki-
Nations Conference on Trade and in India’s merchandise exports managed to gemsandjewelleryexportstoUAEincreased
Zomis, belying Chief Minister Biren Singh’s repeated claims of peace “grad- Development. In fact, in 2023, global mer- grow last year. by a whopping 42.3 per cent during April-
ually returning” to the strife-torn areas. The scars created by the conflict are admittedly chandise exports fell by 4.6 per cent. The Theimpressive24percentgrowthinelec- February2023-24evenasIndia’soverallgems
deep – more than 200 people have lost their lives, families languish in refugee camps and January-March 2024 quarter, though, saw tronics goods exports last year reflects surg- and jewellery exports declined by 14.5 per
there have been reports of gruesome violence against women. Vigilante groups continue some sequential improvement. ingexportsof telecominstrumentsormobile cent during this period.
to take the law into their hands. But great harm has also been done by the state govern- India’s performance has been largely in handsets, spurred by the Production Linked However,itisamatterof concernthatex-
line,withmerchandiseexportsfalling4.7per Incentive scheme. The heft of electronics ex- portsoflabour-intensivesectorssuchasgems
ment’s lack of will to initiate a meaningful dialogue between the warring communities.
cent in 2023. This, however, was better than portsisvisiblefromthefactthatbarringthese, andjewellery,textileproducts(largelyready-
That much needs to be done to repair the broken trust between neighbours was under- developing Asia as a whole, which saw mer- coreexportsregisteredamarginaldeclinelast made garments), leather and leather prod-
scored by an incident two days after the conclusion of round two of the Lok Sabha polls. chandise exports decline by 6.8 per cent. In year.Theshareofelectronicgoodsinthecoun- ucts, marine products and plastics, declined
One person lost his life and two others were injured after residents of two adjoining vil- 2023-24, India’s merchandise exports stood It is a matter of concern that try’s merchandise exports has risen signifi- last year. In fact, the share of most of the
lages waged a gun battle in the early hours of Sunday. A day earlier, two CRPF personnel at$437.1billion,down3.1percentfrom2022- exports of labour-intensive cantly—fromaround2percentin2017-18to labour-intensive categories in the country’s
were killed and two others sustained injuries following a blast at the paramilitary force’s 23. But the monthly data does suggest a pick sectors such as gems and 6.5 per cent in 2023-24. While India contin- merchandise exports has come down drasti-
up—aftera8.9percentcontractioninthefirst uestohaveadeficitinelectronicsgoodstrade, cally over the last decade. For instance, the
outpost in Bishnupur district — one of the most brazen attacks on security forces in the
halfoftheyear,exportsgrewby2.8percentin
jewellery, textile products theratioofvalueofelectronicexportstoimpo- shareof gemsandjewelleryexportsinIndia’s
past year. Violence against security forces has, in fact, been one of the recurring features (largely ready-made
thesecondhalf.Inthelastquarterofthe2023- rtshasimprovedfrom0.11to0.34,largelyled merchandise exports fell from 13.2 per cent
of the conflict, highlighting that force alone cannot quell a situation that requires sensi- 24 — a period when the threat of Red Sea dis- garments), leather and byasurgeintheshareoftelecominstruments. in2014-15to7.5percentin2023-24.Similarly,
tivity and compassion in equal measure. ruptions on exports was partly playing out — leather products, marine Other large core categories such as drugs the share of textile exports is down from 11.1
After the first conflagration on May 3 last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah an- exports grew at a faster pace of 4.5 per cent. andpharmaceuticals,engineeringgoodsand per cent to 7.5 per cent. Arresting this decline
Besidesanuncertainglobalenvironment,
products and plastics, agricultural goods also saw healthy export must be a priority.
nouncedtheformationof acommitteewithrepresentativesfromdifferentethnicities,po-
Indiahasalsohadtodealwithlowerinterna- declined last year. In fact, the growth.Itisalsonoteworthythatdespitethe Thatsaid,overthepastfewquarters,goods
litical parties and civil society, to begin the process of healing. That the committee ran
into internal differences soon after does have much to do with the complexities of
tionalcommodityprices,whichhavereduced share of most of the labour- banonnon-basmatiriceandwheatandsome exportshavefaredwell.Whatalsobodeswell
itsexportbillmeasuredindollars.Mostinter- intensive categories in the other curbs from time to time, overall agri- for India’s exports is the upward revision to
Manipur’s society. The situation is also made more fraught by landholding patterns and national commodityprices(both energyand culture and allied exports growth, led by global growth and trade projections by mul-
the continuing impact of colonial policies that segregated the state’s tribal-dominated non-energy) have been declining after spik- country’s merchandise other categories such as meat and poultry tilateral agencies. S&P Global expects global
hill areas from the Meitei-dominant Imphal Valley. But in the past year, Singh’s govern- ing due to the geopolitical conflict in Europe exports has come down products, spices, fruits and vegetables, oil growthatahealthy3.2percentin2024comp-
ment has done very little to assure communities, especially the hill tribes, that his ad- post February 2022. drastically over the last meals,oilseedsandunmanufacturedtobacco aredto2.8percentearlier.WTOprojectswo-
ministrationisabovetheidentitypoliticsthathaspushedthestatetothebrink.Hisregime In 2023-24, the sharp decline in crude oil decade. For instance, the remained healthy. rld trade volumetogrow 2.6percentin 2024
priceswasabigcontributortothefallinIndia’s In terms of the country of destination, from-1.2percentin2023.Bilateralfree-trade
has, instead, stoked tensions and aggravated faultlines with its incessant evocation of share of gems and jewellery
overallmerchandiseexportbill.India’spetro- oddly, goods exports to the US — India’s agreements with major economies and the
the insider-outsider trope. leum export bill was $13.3 billion lower, as exports in India’s largest market with solid economic growth ongoing push to manufacturing should also
The Manipur government has done well to crack down on drug smugglers. But it con- crudeoilpricesfell$13 perbarrel.Withmore merchandise exports fell in2023—contractedin2023-24asitsgrowth spur India’s exports in the near to medium
tinues to gloss over political and administrative failures by blaming the problem on illegal than a 20 per cent share, oil is India’s single was largely led by the services sector. term.Inthebase-casescenario,exportsshould
from 13.2 per cent in 2014-15
migrantsfromMyanmarwithwhomtheKuki-Zomisshareacommonethnicity.Inallthis, largest export item and hence, its movement However, there has been an uptick over the grow at a healthy rate and contribute to the
has a large bearing on total merchandise ex- to 7.5 per cent in 2023-24. pastfewmonths.Ontheotherhand,exports overall growth momentum. The spoilers
measures to improve livelihoods in a state that has the third lowest per capita income in
the country — it ranked the highest in the northeastern region in the 1990s — have taken a portearnings.Involumeterms,though,India Similarly, the share of textile to the Euro region grew last year despite a would be uneven global growth and geopo-
exported more petroleum products last year. exports is down from 11.1 per sharp economic slowdown in the region, litical tensions which will bear watching.
backseat. The healing touch Manipur requires must necessarily be a combination of eco-
Excluding petroleum and gems and jew- which has also been vulnerable to geopoliti-
nomic, political and administrative measures. The Biren Singh government would be fail- ellery exports (the other top export item
cent to 7.5 per cent. caluncertainties.Whileexportswerelargely Joshi is chief economist, Verma is senior
ing its mandate if it did not recognise this imperative, even after a year of strife in the state. whichwasalsodown13.8percentlastyear), Arresting this decline must led by petroleum products, other key items economist, and Meera Mohan is
coreexportswereup1.4percent,despitethe be a priority. suchasmachinery,pharmaceuticalproducts economic analyst, CRISIL Ltd

DON’T GO BY APRIL
Reduction in Delhi pollution shouldn’t lead to complacency.
Much needs to be done to reduce city’s burden of emissions A MATTER OF IMPUNITY
F
OR 23 DAYS in April, the residents of Delhi breathed less noxious air than they
do the rest of the year. On these days, the air quality index (AQI) was below 201
— compared to17 days during the same period in 2023, none in 2022, 18 in 2021,
Prajwal Revanna case shows how the political class fails the accountability test
12 in 2019 and eight in 2018. According to the Commission for Air Quality
Management (CAQM), the improvement can be attributed to “favourable Ruchi Gupta
meteorological/weather conditions coupled with consistent, comprehensive, concerted
efforts” to control air pollution in the national capital region. Is this, then, good news on PRAJWALREVANNA,JDSMPandjointBJP-JDS to secure justice for the women concerned have shown that representation must go
the ever-grim air quality front in Delhi? candidate in Hassan, has reportedly fled to is of secondary importance. hand in hand with norms to translate into
There seems to be a suggestion of overall improvement in air quality in Delhi and its ad- Germanyaftermultiplevideosdepictingsex- It is also evident that democratic politics empowerment for the community.
joining areas in the data released by CAQM at the end of last year: Not counting the anom- ual assault on women — some government is ultimately about the commons. Prajwal’s This also points to another aspect of our
employees — started circulating online and behaviour was known and documented in democracy: The acquisition of power and its
alous conditions in 2020 (when Covid-related restrictions resulted in a sharp drop in activ-
anFIRwasregisteredbasedonacomplaintby thousandsof videoclips,andinalettertothe exercise remain top-down. The “people” are
ity,andtherefore,pollutionlevels),theperiodfrom2018to2023showedasteadilydeclining a former employee. In this story, what is no- BJP state leader. Even in the case of other of- not coming together to power the rise of a
daily average AQI — from 225 in 2018 to 204 in 2023. There was also a rise in the number of table is the context which empowered and fenders, it strains credulity that the truth party or a leader but are instead being mo-
good air days (with AQI between 0 to 200) — from 159 in 2018 to 206 in 2023. Yet, when protectedthedisgracedMP.Clearly,therewas about their behaviour became known to the bilisedfromthetopthroughacomplexwebof
looked at closely, the picture is not quite so rosy: AQI was between 0-50 only on one day in knowledgeof hisbehaviour.Yet,notonlywas partyapparatusonlywhenitbecameknown messagesandpartymachinery.Consequently,
2023,adipfromthegrandtotalof3in2022,althoughanimprovementoverzerodaysin2018. noactiontakenagainsthim,hewasmadethe to the public. But in each instance, what pro- representation often reflects top-down dele-
joint candidate for the BJP-JDS alliance, with pelled the party into action — whether sus- gated power; nor is the electorate able to co-
Mostofthe“good”airdayswereinthemoderatecategoryof101-200AQI.Thefactisthatthe
the Prime Minister campaigning for him. pension or expulsion or a slowing down of here together as “the people” to extract any
air in Delhi — indeed, most Indian cities — remains bad because the baseload emissions are This tells us something about our politi- ascent — was public outrage. Here too, what meaningful accountability from representa-
very high. There are no shortcuts to reduce this. Occasionally, meteorological or external cal sphere. First, our political class — espe- made the two parties distance themselves tives and/or political parties.
conditions reduce or sharpen the impact of pollution — like this April, or when a record- cially the ruling party — has repeatedly from Prajwal was not his reprehensible be- These aspects of our political sphere in-
breaking La Nina event in the Pacific Ocean led to cleaner-than-usual air in the winter of shown itself to be incapable of setting a bot- haviour,buttheseparatefactof hisbehaviour teractwitheachothertoproduceacultureof
tom line for acceptable behaviour. Members
Members of the BJP, or those becoming public. impunity in which norms cannot be reliably
2022. And emergency actions, like the highly publicised odd-even scheme and construc-
of the BJP, or those close to it, have displayed close to it, have displayed a Third, it is evident that for all the rhetoric enforced. The onus of pursuing accountabil-
tion bans, cannot address what is patently a problem in need of a long-term strategy.
Delhi’s air pollution may not always be as visible as it is during the winter months, but
a proclivity for defending men with serious proclivity for defending men onwomen’sempowerment,women’sissues ity has fallen on individual women. In
allegations against them — Prajwal, Brij with serious allegations have not solidified into enforceable norma- Prajwal’s case, it is not clear whether the
any plan to tackle it must be designed with short-, medium- and long-term measures, in- Bhushan, Bilkis Bano’s rapists, Kuldeep tive standards. Consequently, women are videosgoingviralalonewouldhavebeensuf-
cluding targeted interventions in airsheds — localities in cities or contiguous small urban Sengar — but an instrumental detachment
against them — Prajwal, Brij mobilised as voters and are targets of wel- ficienttoimposetangibleconsequencesif not
and rural centres, whose peculiar geography may hinder the dispersal of pollutants. This from norms exists across party lines. Sengar Bhushan, Bilkis Bano’s fare schemes but issues such as respect, for the courageous woman who came for-
also requires greater coordination between local, state and central bodies, enabled by the reportedly made his way across all parties in rapists, Kuldeep Sengar — equality, agency, and security remain on the ward to file a police complaint. The Unnao
CAQM,whichhassofaractedmorelikearegulatorybody,focusedprimarilyonimplement- Uttar Pradesh; Prajwal has been the joint but an instrumental periphery. In fact, even when such issues are rapesurvivorwasabletogetSengarconvicted
candidateof twoopposingalliances.Itistrue articulated, they remain in the rhetorical butpaid aheavyprice for it, losing herfamily
ing emergency responses.
that in many instances, this detachment is detachment from norms realm as campaign promises or as part of membersintheprocess.Whilesystemicim-
an outcome not of active permissiveness but exists across party lines. This partisan one-upmanship. It would also be a punityextractsahighpricefromthewomen
intense partisanship. This has made the ac- detachment is often an mistaketoseerepresentationaloneasshort- who speak up, it diminishes those who op-

ACTS OF FAITH
quisition and consolidation of power the outcome of intense hand for political empowerment. Equitable erate under it too. Prajwal had enviable ac-
supreme value. However, it would be wrong representation is an end in itself in a democ- cesstopower,whichhecouldhaveexercised
to argue that this detachment arises solely partisanship. However, it racy. However, political empowerment goes to do good for his people. Instead, the perva-
from political constraints, rather than also would be wrong to argue that beyond representation to the ability to set sive environment of impunity allowed him
Paul Auster’s fiction explored what remains from a sense that ethical norms are dispen- [it] arises solely from political normative standards and enforce them ei- to wield his power in ways which limited his
when old certainties give way sable. The callous way in which the sexual
constraints, rather than also therthroughorganisationalorcollectivecon- horizon to his own person.

I
assault videos were made public, exposing sciousness. The cynical and trivial exertions
T IS A truth widely acknowledged that a first novel is often a thinly-veiled account the victimised women to further scrutiny, is from a sense that ethical of the National Women’s Commission and The writer is the executive director of
of a writer’s own life. For Paul Auster, though, the writer and the person were often indicative of this dispensability — the desire norms are dispensable. selective silences of women representatives Future of India Foundation
indistinguishable,enmeshingfactandfiction,realityandmake-believeoveracourse
of a long, brilliant career that ended with his death on Tuesday at his home in
Brooklyn, New York. Auster was 77. In the Auster counterverse, life was a prototype of fic-
tion in which “All men contain several men inside them, and most of us bounce from one
self to another without ever knowing who we are”. In books such as The New York Trilogy MAY 2, 1984, FORTY YEARS AGO
(1985), In the Country of Last Things (1987), Moon Palace (1989), Leviathan (1992) and
Baumgartner (2023), this entanglement assumed an investigation of identity, of love and BANGLADESH DEADLOCK on the activities of the National Council of
KhalistanandtheDalKhalsaanddeclaredthe
growth. Together, it constitutes a crippling
burden on their strained economies and
loss and what remains when old certainties give way.
When he was 14, Auster had had his first encounter with chance. He had been on a hik- THEMILITARYGOVERNMENTof PresidentH two organisations unlawful. Both organisa- threatens the freedom of the press.
MErshadandthe15-partyoppositionalliance tionshadearlierbeenbannedonMay1,1982
ing tour when a young boy next to him was struck dead by lightning. The memory of it
never quite left the writer. In his Man Booker Prize-shortlised 2017 novel 4 3 2 1, in which
led by Hasina Wajed, president, Awami
League, have failed to reach an agreement on
for two years under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act.
MAY DAY IN DELHI
fourdifferentversionsof theprotagonist’slifeplayouttodifferentends,oneversionhasthe the modalities of withdrawal of martial law LAKHSOFWORKERSalloverthecountrycel-
leadcharacter,ArchieFerguson,dieatasummercampundersimilarcircumstances.Chance
and a dexterity with form would become the leitmotif of Auster’s prodigious fiction.
and transfer of power. The alliance’s demand
includes lifting of martial law, return of the
CURBS ON THE PRESS ebrated May Day by holding meetings, tak-
ing out rallies, and expressing their solidar-
In many ways, writing was, for Auster, an act of faith. In an interview to Paris Review, army to barracks, holding elections to sover- NEWSPAPERS HAVE BEEN caught in a triple ity with workers all over the world. In the
he spoke of the curiosity that fuelled his fiction: “So many strange things have happened eignparliamentbeforeotherpolls,restoration bind of unserviced allocations of imported Capital, May Day was marked by innumer-
of democracy and fundamental rights. newsprint by the State Trading Corporation, able processions, taken out by workers car-
to me in my life, so many unexpected and improbable events, I’m no longer certain that I
having to make good the deficit through re- rying red flags. They belonged to different
know what reality is anymore... Novels are fictions, of course, and, therefore, they tell lies
(in the strictest sense of the term), but through those lies every novelist attempts to tell the
BANS UNDER UAPA liance on high-cost domestic newsprint
whosepriceshavebeenarbitrarilyraisedand
unions, including Centre of Indian Trade
Unions,HindMazdoorSabha,All-IndiaTrade
truth about the world.” THE GOVERNMENT HAS reimposed the ban through a newsprint policy that constricts Union Congress and others.
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024 WHAT THE OTHERS SAY

9 THE IDEAS PAGE

“The US government should pay heed to the demands of pro-Palestinian
protesters. What we have seen so far is a display of double standards and flouting
of international and humanitarian laws in Gaza, and these students have been
trying to bring focus on that.” — THE DAILY STAR, BANGLADESH

Sunlight, science & state A tax on

Involvement of publicly-funded institutions in Surya Tilak project shows how
our prior ideas of what is ethically and constitutionally defensible can be challenged aspiration
The rich have ways and means to
avoid paying inheritance tax. It is the
middle class and youth that will suffer
neurship and capital formation, leading
Gautam I Menon to reduced savings and investment, ulti-
mately slowing down economic growth.
Second, an inheritance tax may force
THE SURYA TILAK project at the Ram temple beneficiaries to sell assets like family busi-
in Ayodhya has been the subject of recent nesses or real estate to pay taxes, result-
public interest. It involved constructing a ing in inefficient asset allocation and the
mechanism to direct sunlight onto the fore- disruption of family enterprises.
head of the idol. This was to first happen at Gourav Vallabh Third, inheritance tax can provoke sig-
noon on April 17, the occasion of the festival nificant resistance due to its visibility and
of Ram Navami this year. The mechanism perceived burden. Taxpayers may focus
was to be designed so as to repeat its task THE CONCEPT OF inheritance tax has re- only on the apparent burden, disregard-
every year on the festival date. cently sparked significant debate in our ing the broader context of lifetime tax li-
The difficulty is that this festival follows a country. This policy involves taxing the as- abilities, leading to distorted perceptions
lunisolar calendar. Purely solar or purely lu- sets and properties that individuals inherit of fiscal policy.
nar calendars follow the motion of the sun from their deceased ancestors. Congress Fourth, the inheritance tax creates sig-
or the moon respectively. Special festival leader Sam Pitroda’s suggestion to discuss nificant administrative burdens, espe-
dates, if they follow a solar calendar, are the and debate the implementation of the in- cially for widows and non-resident
sameeachyear.However,if suchfestivaldays heritance tax has brought this tool back Indians. Tax regulations and procedures
are at all tied to the phases of the moon, they into the spotlight. Pitroda cited a US ex- can exacerbate emotional and financial
willfallondifferentcalendardateseachyear. ample where the government takes 55 stress, emphasising the need for simpli-
Dates for most Indian festivals, including per cent of the deceased’s wealth as fied and accessible tax frameworks.
C R Sasikumar
Ram Navami, have a lunar calendar compo- Inheritance Tax, while the remaining 45 Fifth, although the purpose of inheri-
nent.Lunisolarcalendarscombinelunarand project? The computation of the 19-year cy- These are relevant especially in a coun- per cent is distributed among the legal tance tax is to redistribute wealth, its abil-
solarcycles.InIndiancalendars,RamNavami cle, the Metonic cycle, after which the Ram try where essentially all fundingfor research heirs or children. ity to achieve equal outcomes is disputed.
falls on Chaitra Shukla 9. The Navami is the Navami date repeats, is not too complicated. flows from the government. India spends The Congress party has distanced it- Wealthy individuals frequently use so-
lunar component, referring to the waxing of Such calculations were known to ancient close to just 0.7 per cent of its GDP on re- self from Pitroda’s views, stating that they phisticated estate planning techniques to
themoon,orShukla;thesolarChaitramonth astronomers. The design of the periscope search, a figure that is much smaller than are his own and do not represent those of reduce tax liabilities, which lessens the ef-
relatestothepositioningof theconstellations. arrangement needs expertise. Constructing what China or the USA spends. The slack, the party. But timing is crucial in politics. fect of the tax in reducing wealth inequal-
For the Surya Tilak, once this date is cal- the actual periscope arrangement using a pushing scientific funding to 3 per cent or It is important not to dismiss Pitroda’s ity. This leaves the middle class more sus-
culated each year, this would translate into system of mirrors, capable of movement in moreof GDPindevelopedcountries,istaken opinion as merely personal, as he is a re- ceptible to taxation.
changing the position of the mirrors accord- a graduated manner, is not as easy as it up by the private sector. Unfortunately, pri- spected mentor to Congress and has long Finally, India lacks robust social secu-
ing to the shifting position of the sun to di- might sound. Some knowledge of telescope vate-sector science research involvement in been associated with the party. rity systems, and people rely heavily on
rect the sun’s rays appropriately. To design a design is called for. Also a familiarity with India is still at a nascent state. Inheritance tax, which is also known family support. Introducing an inheri-
system that ensures that sunlight falls pre- design and machining, but perhaps not What alternatives could reasonably have as “estate tax” and sometimes referred to tance tax during economic strain may
cisely on the idol each year thus requires of the sort of accuracy that might require been explored? The Ram temple authority as “death tax” or duty is present in several worsen investment and wealth genera-
some calculation. high-precision equipment. could have announced that it would fund a forms across multiple countries such as tion, incentivise capital flight, and drive
Given the complexity of problems that It would have been possible to construct competition to find the best technical solu- South Africa, Brazil, and the US. A few young talent abroad. Enforcement chal-
typically occupy astronomers, this is not ex- a combined electronic and computational tion. Scientists associated with institutions emerging economies like India and China lenges and tax avoidance may limit rev-
cessivelydifficult.Theappropriatedatescor- mechanism that would have directed the such as the IIA could have, in their own time, don’t have the provision for such a duty. enue generation.
respondingtoalunisolarcalendarcanbecal- mirror arrangement. However, keeping in and voluntarily, evaluated these solutions. Let us examine what such a tax would The global economic scenario suggests
culated as far in the future as we want mind the need for robustness, the designers An Atal Tinkering Laboratory, from about mean in these countries. that the next 50 years will be India’s years.
(Indeed, there are phone apps for this). took the not-unreasonable option of design- 10,000 across the country, could have been A look at the share of wealth with the The country’s capital market is hitting
The setting up of the necessary equip- ing a manual system that only required ad- asked to help with the hardware implemen- top 10 per cent of the population is in- new records every day. Prime Minister
mentwasdonebyscientistsandengineersat justment once each year. tationof thesuccessfulidea,withfundingfor structive: It is at 85.6 per cent in South Narendra Modi has set a goal of making
two government-funded organisations, the The core question, though, is whether this taken from private individuals or the Africa, 79.7 per cent in Brazil, 70.7 per cent India the third-largest economy during his
Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in such a project, explicitly politico-religious in temple trust. None of this would have re- in the US, 68.8 per cent in China and 65 third term and achieving the vision of a
BengaluruandtheCentralBuildingResearch character,shouldatallhavebeentakenupby quired requests to government-funded in- per cent in India. The above data clearly “Developed India” by 2047. However, the
Institute, Roorkee. IIA is an autonomous in- governmentinstitutions,requiredtofunction stitutions that would further a religious aim, shows that an inheritance tax can’t be chief opposition party’s mentors’ recent
stitute wholly funded by the Department of withintheletterandspiritof ourConstitution. even ignoring its political overtones. used for equitable wealth distribution. proposal to discuss implementing an in-
Science and Technology (DST). The Central Since Independence, we have largely fol- In political science, the Overton window The top 10 per cent of the population’s heritance tax seems a step backwards. It
Building Research Institute (CBRI), a govern- lowed the principle that public institutions refers to the range of ideas and policies for share of the total national wealth is higher gives the impression that the Opposition
ment institution, is under the Council of should not be asked to participate in explic- which there is large-scale public support. for South Africa, Brazil, and the US than lacks innovative ideas to take India ahead.
Scientific and Industrial Research. itlyreligiousactivities.Thisinnowayrestricts ShiftsintheOvertonwindowbringnewpos- India and China. Inheritance tax can be Discussing such policies only encour-
InapostonX,viewedmorethanfourmil- scientistsand engineersat thoseinstitutions Since Independence, we have sibilities,hithertounacceptable,intothemain- easily avoided by the wealthiest individ- ages capital and talent flight abroad
lion times at last count, the Secretary of the in doing so on their own time. It is possible largely followed the principle stream. Such shifts can happen naturally, as uals, either by utilising assets exempt from and penalises the aspiring middle-class
DST highlighted the work of these two or- that this happened here, although the DST society itself changes, or can be encouraged the tax — such as business, agricultural wealth generation efforts more. This
ganisations, speaking of “the accurate calcu- secretary’s highlighting this achievement
that public institutions through deliberate political reframing. property, and pension funds — or by trans- is detrimental to the nation’s growth
lations and well-optimised design” of the fromalaboratorydirectly under him,admits should not be asked to The saga of the Surya Tilak project is in- ferring their wealth above the taxable and is equal to killing the dreams of
Surya Tilak. no such nuance. participate in explicitly structivebecauseitisatestof howwechoose threshold well before their death. India’s youth.
The comments on his post provide an in- Buthowcanpublicly-fundedinstitutions religious activities. This in to define and implement the secular charac- Ultimately, this tax will be collected from In the long run, wealth and income
teresting window into modern India. A ran- push back against such demands? Can they ter of our state. It illustrates how our prior every aspiring middle-class household. equality can be achieved only by including
dom sample of these comments reads: “Our refuse such directions, even if routed indi- no way, restricts scientists ideas of what is ethically and constitution- Implementing an inheritance tax will the middle and bottom of the pyramid so-
ancestors did this also without the help of rectly via the government agency that funds and engineers at those ally defensible can be challenged, even as hamper economic growth and middle- ciety as part of the wealth creation effort
modern tech. Good to see we are following them? What’s to prevent another govern- institutions in doing so on what is done is presented as a fait accompli. class aspirations, young Indians’ dreams, of our country, not by negatively affecting
our ancient roots in the new world also”; “Is ment, with different priorities, directing re- their own time. It is possible Oncewegetusedtotheideathatthegov- and wealth creation efforts due to the their aspirations and dreams.
there caste reservation in IIA?”; “The divine search institutions funded by it, to contro- ernment of the day can make such requests, following reasons.
culmination of Bhakti and science, just like versial political uses? that this happened here, whether directly or indirectly, it would be First, inheritance taxes create disincen- The writer is professor of finance, Xavier
how it used to be in the ancient days”; and It is interesting that even the small num- although the DST secretary’s hard to turn the clock back. tives for wealth accumulation and invest- School of Management, Jamshedpur.
“What high school kids in other countries do ber of distinguished former administrators highlighting this ment, potentially hindering entrepre- He is a member of the BJP
as a project for a science fair ends up as a of government funding bodies who have Menon is a professor at
achievement from a
something that astrophysicists on Govt pay written in favour of the Surya Tilak project, Ashoka University, Sonepat.
in India do for a temple”. have tended to evade these questions, focus- laboratory directly under Views expressed are his own and do not
Is this really a high-school science-fair ing instead on its value as science outreach. him, admits no such nuance. represent those of his institution

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Only the .001 per cent POLITICS’ LOW POINT
THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘The
Republic and its people’ (IE, May 1). It
A SMALL PRICE TO PAY
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Selected
to office’ (IE, May 1). The universally
A wealth tax on billionaires and centimillionaires is feasible and needed appears that the BJP’s lofty goal of accepted definition of democracy is a
“crossing 400 seats” in the ongoing government of the people, by the peo-
general elections is facing hurdles. The ple and for the people. And this is
Jayati Ghosh rhetoric has now moved to tapping re- achieved through free and fair elec-
ligious narratives. The lowest point tions when people exercise their fran-
IT IS DIFFICULT to think of a more “hare- and wealth are creating dysfunctional more unequal than the British colonial raj’ are not as unequal as India, yet so bitterly re- was in conveniently interpreting the chise to elect their representatives in
brained, retrograde” piece than the Indian economies and increasingly divided and un- has found that between 2014-15 and 2022- sisted by our own elites. Congress party’s manifesto on income the government. In Surat and Indore
Expresseditorialonwealthtax(‘Retrograde’, happy societies. The injustice and social and 23,inequalityof wealthandincomerosedra- Theusual argumentagainst wealth taxes distribution and inequality. The BJP Lok Sabha constituencies, BJP candi-
IE, April 25) — but the more correct phrase economic tensions created by such inequal- matically to reach their highest levels since is one that is repeated by the editorial: That wants to win more than 400 seats in dates got elected unopposed because
maywellbe“behindthetimes”.Theeditorial ity are well known. Indeed, even the IE edi- thecolonialperiod,tothepointthattheshare they are too complicated to administer and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls to make rivals’ nominations were either found
betraysadeepignoranceof theexplosivena- torial admits: “That concentration of capital of thetop one per cent intotalincomeisnow generate very low revenues that are not changes to the Constitution. They (BJP) invalid or withdrawn. As a result, mil-
ture of wealth inequality in India as well as a isaproblem,thatmarginalisedsectionsmust among the very highest in the world — even worth the costs of collection. (Funnily are walking on the path of dictatorship lions of electorates’ right to vote be-
lackof awarenessof risingsupportforwealth getaleg-up, that effortsmust bemade to ad- worse than South Africa, Brazil and the US. enough, the same people seem to take for and are destroying democracy. The came infructuous. In effect, the candi-
taxes from policymakers across the world. dressinequalitiesof opportunity,expandthe Even worse, the study found that the Indian grantedthatamuchmorecomplicatedtax— writer has rightly stated that the peo- dates are nominated to office by the
Arguments for taxes on extreme wealth pie, is beyond debate.” There are several tax system could even be regressive (falling the property tax applied to real estate — can ple of India must vote to save the sec- BJP. This has happened many times
have been gathering pace in many countries, strategies required to ad- more heavily on lower-in- continue and is feasible.) ular credentials of the country which since independence. ECI could easily
even becoming the most important agenda
item for the G20 thanks to Brazil’s
dress this, but one of the
moreobviousandimmedi-
D E
EAR DITOR , come groups) when con-
sidered in terms of
One obvious problem with the previous
attemptstoimposewealthtaxesinIndiawas
are under threat.
S S Paul, Nadia
revise its rules and subject these seats
to a by-election. This will be a small
Presidency this year. An idea advanced in ate policies is the imposi- ID ISAGREE net wealth. that the threshold for wealth tax collection price to pay to save the essence of
the ‘Global Tax Evasion Report 2024’ by tion of taxes on extreme A fortnightly column The authors of that was placed too low. This affected many peo- THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘The democracy.
economist Gabriel Zucman and colleagues is wealth and inheritance. study noted that taxing ple who were not so extremely wealthy and Republic and its people’ (IE, May 1). The L R Murmu, New Delhi
now finding support from many govern- India currently has the
in which we invite only 167 families just two clearly did involve high costs of implemen- essence of India lies in its remarkable
readers to tell us why,
ments. Finance Ministers of four major
countries — Brazil, Germany, Spain and
third highest number of
dollar billionaires in the when they differ with
per cent of their net wealth
would have provided 0.5
tation. But the world has changed. It is now
much easier to get access to information
diversity. Our Constitution stands as an
enduring beacon, safeguarding funda-
SILENCE & INJUSTICE
South Africa — recently argued for a two per world — 200 according to the editorial positions per cent of GDP in revenue about financial wealth held by high-net mental rights rooted in the very fabric THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Look be-
cent tax on dollar billionaires. And it may the Forbes list, up by 31 in 2022-23. To put this in worth individuals, even when these are held of our existence. Attempts by politi- yond thesexualabuse clips’ (IE,May, 1).
surprise the editors of this newspaper to from the previous year. or news coverage of perspective, it would allow in other countries, because of the automatic cians to exploit it for personal gain The sex scandal surrounding the in-
learn that at the tax discussions at the United Mumbai and Delhi alone ‘The Indian Express’ central and state govern- exchange of banking information across 142 threaten the stability of our nation. Just cumbent member of parliament
Nations, the representative of the Indian are home to around 350 ments together to increase jurisdictions, including India. as a holy book remains unchanged, so PrajwalRevanna,hasagainaccentuated
government (currently led by the same BJP centimillionaires (those their public health spend- So a wealth tax imposed only on the must our Constitution to prevent chaos the vulnerability of women to men in
that is so critical of the Congress Party’s pro- who hold more than $100 million in assets). ing by more than 50 per cent. But such a tax 200-dollar billionaires or the thousand-plus and preserve the integrity of our positions of power. Another disquiet-
posal) has also voiced support for this, agree- These numbers ballooned over the last wouldbarely benoticedbytheverywealthy, centimillionaires would be relatively easy democracy. The Supreme Court’s as- ing thing is the silence of the ruling dis-
ing that “governments should make a high- decadeandaresettoincreaseevenmorerap- since — even if they choose to spend billions to collect and could yield significant tax rev- sertion that the basic structure is invi- pensationanditsalliancepartners.This
level commitment to reach agreement on idly in future. of rupees in pre-wedding bashes for their enues. It would not affect 99.999 per cent olable reinforces the imperative of pro- has ultimately led to the language for
the taxation of wealthy individuals within All this is happening in an economy children — they are scarcely able to spend of the population. tecting our constitutional framework. empowerment sounding hollow. How
the United Nations framework convention where real wages have barely increased for enough to make a dent in their vast riches. The real obstacle to such a policy comes Let us unite to safeguard our constitu- much more will women suffer? When
on international tax cooperation”. most workers and have even declined for In such a context, a wealth tax and an in- from the lobbying power of the super-rich. tion and uphold the principles of will we as a nation come together
Why such widespread support from ap- regular workers and construction workers, heritance tax for the super-rich should be a democracy. against gender injustice?
parently unlikely quarters? Essentially, be- over the past decade. A recent study by the no-brainer, even for theharebrained!Itisre- The writer is professor of Economics at the Ajay Corriea, Vasai Nupur Sharma, Ghaziabad
causemorepeopleinpowerarerealisingthat World Inequality Lab titled ‘Economic in- ally surprising that wealth taxes are being University of Massachusetts Amherst and
the current extreme inequalities of income equality in India: The ‘billionaire raj’ is now actively considered in other countries that was previously with JNU
 10 EXPRESS NETWORK WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

Is pvt property community resource? SC HC asks UP top cop to form

team to probe Raebareli SP
reserves verdict, to lay down parameters
Chandrachud presiding over the ment authored by Justice N L and then the state has to step in. thatthematerialresourcesof the
over allegations of assault
ANANTHAKRISHNAN G nine-judgebenchsaid. Untwalia, however, said the ma- The CJI said: “We are not say- community is so distributed that fromwherethearrestwasmade, Police, UP, Lucknow, who shall
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 The remarks came as Senior jority of judges did not subscribe ing that private properties are ultimately, the operation of the MANISH SAHU according to the petitioner. get a SIT constituted of persons
AdvocateGopalSankaranaryanan to the view taken in respect of outsidethescopeof 39(b).What economic system does not result LUCKNOW, MAY 1 However,thepolicerecordedhis superior to the police officers
HOLDING THAT considering submitted that 16 judgments by Article 39(b) by Justice Iyer. we are saying is that there must intheconcentrationofwealthand arrest only a day later in a theft concerned, including Abhishek
everyprivateresourceof anindi- various Constitution benches Justice Iyer’s stand was fur- be some parameters laid down. means of production to the com- THE LUCKNOW bench of the case, the petitioner claimed. Agarwal, Superintendent of
vidual as part of the material re- haveconsistentlyinterpretedma- ther affirmed in the 1982 Otherwise, the logic of mon detriment”. Allahabad High Court has di- The petitioner alleged that Police, Raebareli, to investigate
source of the community will be terialresourcestoincludeprivate ‘Sanjeev Coke Manufacturing ‘Ranganath Reddy and Sajeev She added, “both this have to rectedtheUttarPradeshDirector her son, who holds an MBA de- the entire incident.”
“far-fetched” and only help scare property and private resources. Company vs Bharat Coking Coal Coke’isthatanindividualisapart beread.So,thequestionisifaper- General of Police (DGP) to con- greeanddoesnothaveanycrim- In her petition, Gomati
awayinvestorswhomaybewary The nine-judge bench also Ltd And Another’ case. of the community and therefore son invests, puts up a huge fac- stitute a Special Investigation inal record, was falsely impli- Mishra sought directions to reg-
of thelevelof protectiontheyget, comprised Justices Hrishikesh On Wednesday, everything owned by the indi- tory,startsproductiontomorrow, Team (SIT) to investigate allega- cated in a theft case because he ister an FIR against all the
the Supreme Court Wednesday Roy,BV Nagarathna,Sudhanshu Sankaranarayanan said the nine- vidualispartof thecommunity”. itcannotbesaidthatitisgoingto tionsthata29-year-oldmanwas refused to provide his taxi (pri- “erring” police personnel at
reserveditsorderonthequestion Dhulia, J B Pardiwala, Manoj judgebenchneedstoansweronly Sankarayanayanan said at- be taken away for the purpose of assaulted and falsely accused in vate vehicle) to Abhishek Kheero and Sarauni police sta-
whether private property would Misra, Rajesh Bindal, Satish thelimitedquestionreferredtoit tempts to lay down strict defini- distribution to the workers. That theft cases after he allegedly re- Agarwal, who is Superintendent tions in Raebareli who were in-
fallwithinthedefinitionofmate- Chandra Sharma and Augustine andleavetheresttobedealtwith tionsforwhatmayormaynotfall is not the aim of that”. fused to give his vehicle topolice of Police, Raebareli, when asked volved in the“wrongfulconfine-
rialresourceofthecommunityin George Masih. It is answering a by the different benches when- under 39(b) at this stage “could Article 39(b) in the Directive personnel who claimed to be to do so by some of Agarwal's ment,custodialtortureandfiling
Article 39(b) of the Constitution. referencetoitwhicharoseinthe everthesituationarises.However, comebackandboomerangonus, Principles of State Policy (DPSP) acting at the behest of the subordinate officers. of false cases” against her son,
“You tell a manufacturer of contextof thetwoviewsgivenby theCJIsaid“if wetakethatallpri- on a future date”. says that “the state shall, in par- Superintendent of Police, The court pointed out that Alakh Mishra.
semiconductor chips, situated thejudgesinthe1978decisionin vatepropertyiscomprisedinma- JusticeNagarathnasaidthat“it ticular, direct its policy towards Raebareli, Abhishek Kumar despite time being granted on She also requested a fair in-
somewhere in Taiwan to manu- ‘State of Karnataka And Anr Etc terial resources, there is nothing is not just material resources per securing- that the ownership Agarwal. multiple occasions, till date the vestigationintothethreecasesin
facture semiconductor chips in vsShriRanganathaReddy&Anr’. left for future benches”. se, it is material resources of the and control of the material re- The court ordered that the opposite parties – the police of- which her son was booked, as
India because India needs semi- Thecasedealtwiththenational- Sankaranarayanan cited the community, and it is for the pur- sources of the community are so SITshouldcompriseofficerssen- ficersconcerned–arenotinapo- well as compensation from the
conductorchips,butsorrythisisa isationof roadtransportservices. exampleofabusinessmansetting pose of distribution. Now, if you distributed as best to subserve ior to the officers facing the alle- sitiontoreplyastowhynoinves- state government for the viola-
material resource of the commu- Oneof theopinionsbyJustice upavaccinemanufacturingfacil- readthisinthecontextof‘clausec’ thecommongood”.Article39(c) gations, including SP Agarwal. It tigation was conducted by them tion of his Fundamental Right
nity, we might just take it away. V R Krishna Iyer was that mate- ityandsaidthatitmayhavebeen of Article 39, where it speaks states that “the operation of the instructed that the SIT report with regard to the alleged arrest. guaranteed under Article 21 of
Theywillsaysorry,Idon’twantto rial resources of the community a purely private resource at that about the operation of economic economicsystemdoesnotresult shouldbe submitted withintwo The court also said that the theConstitutionof India.Shealso
investinyourcountryif thisisthe would include both natural and time but after the Covid pan- system, distribution is an aspect in the concentration of wealth months, with the next hearing stand of the police officers con- sought directions to preserve
levelof protectionwhichyougive man-made,publiclyandprivately demic, it becomes something es- of the economic system...So it and means of production to the scheduled for July 3. cerned is that the son of peti- footage of the CCTV installed at
me”, Chief Justice of India D Y ownedresources.Theotherjudg- sential for the entire community should be read in that context so common detriment”. The petitioner, Gomati tioner was arrested in the inter- the petrol pump and Kheero po-
Mishra(70), allegedthatherson vening night of March 31 and lice station in Raebareli.
Alakh Mishra was arrested by April 1, as per the case diary. Gomati Mishra's lawyer, PRS

Last year, Ujjain man ‘helped’ a TV actor Rupali the police on the intervening
nightof March30and31.Theen-
tire episode was captured on a
In its order, the court stated
that“inthegivencircumstances,
we find it a fit case to refer the
Bajpai said, “Alakh Mishra has
obtained bail in the case and is
currentlyout.Heremainedinjail

rape victim; now, he is held for Ganguly joins BJP CCTV camera at a petrol pump matter totheDirectorGeneralof for around a week.”

‘abusing minors’ at his ashram PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, MAY 1
Ganguly is known for Navy starts converting warships’
roles in shows such as
ANAND MOHAN J
BHOPAL, MAY 1
In September 2023, CCTV
footageemergedoftheminorgirl,
bleedingandpartiallyclothed,af-
boy who was allegedly sexually
assaulted by Thakur complained
to his mother when he returned
TV ACTOR Rupali Ganguly, fa-
mous for her roles in TV serials
Sarabhai vs Sarabhai
and Anupamaa
propulsion from steam to diesel
ter she was raped by an autorick- home. “The parents of the child such as Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and complete midlife upgrade pro- eral issues crop up in ships with
INSEPTEMBERlastyear,ateacher shaw driver. The footage showed came to the ashram. Then the Anupamaa, joined the Bharatiya AMRITA NAYAK DUTTA gramme is expected to take steampropulsion,moresoasthey
at an Ujjain ashram “came to the no one coming to her aid even as ashram worker Thakur was JanataPartyhereon Wednesday BJP from power. NEW DELHI, MAY 1 around two years. age. “There are issues such as
aid” of a minor rape victim who shewalkedaroundtheareaforan sacked.Later,manymoreparents ahead of the third phase of the RespondingtotheSPleader’s Top officials told The Indian steam leaks and high tempera-
was going door to door seeking hour, with one resident even visitedtheashramandlevelledal- Lok Sabha elections. remarks, Tawde said, “The THE NAVY has begun the process Expressthatoncesuccessful,there tures in the boiler and engine
help. He has now been arrested shooing her away. legations,” said a senior officer. Ganguly joined the BJP at the Opposition, which has been of converting the propulsion sys- areplanstoconverttheremaining rooms... which contribute to un-
along with a caretaker for al- Sharmahadsaidhehelpedthe The ashram authorities con- party headquarters in the pres- spreading lies, has now started a temsofitswarshipsfromsteamto ships of the Brahmaputra class — comfortable working conditions
legedly sexually abusing at least girlafterhespottedheroutsidethe tactedpoliceafterseveralparents ence of senior leaders including ‘vote jihad’ campaign.” dieselinamajorupgradeaimedat INS Brahmaputra and INS Betwa for the crew,” the official said.
threeminorboysattheirashram. ashram. At the time, he had told madeallegationsagainstSharma nationalgeneralsecretaryVinod He added, “On the one hand significantly enhancing their life, —fromsteamtodieselpropulsion. Moreover the steam propul-
PoliceregisteredthreeFIRsun- The Indian Express: “This is a holy and had a confrontation with the Tawde and national media de- they are giving OBC reservation maintenancesupportandcapabil- Besides these ships, the INS sionsystemhasseveralauxiliary
der relevant provisions of the IPC town,peopleherearesupposedto ashramofficial.Anashramofficial, partment in-charge Anil Baluni. toMuslims,ontheothertheyare ity,TheIndianExpresshaslearnt. Vikramaditya and the INS equipment and systems associ-
aswellasundermultiplesections behelpful,butnoonehelpedher... Gajanand,said:“Wecalledthepo- Tawde welcomed Ganguly talking about ‘vote jihad’ during Officials aware of the devel- Jalashwa are the only other plat- ated with it, making it more
of the POCSO Act against the 21- therewasnohumanity.” lice to help us but they arrested into the party fold and used the elections.” Tawde asked opment said the conversion of forms of the Navy that are pow- maintenance-intensive. Ships
year-old teacher, Rahul Sharma, Thepolicehaveruledoutany ourstaff.Theallegationsarefalse.” opportunity to attack the oppo- Congress president Mallikarjun the propulsion system of INS ered by steam. powered by diesel, on the other
and ashram caretaker Ajay connection with the Ujjain rape However, the officer said: sition parties over Samajwadi Kharge and party leader Rahul Beas — a Brahmaputra-class Officials said the move will hand, are easier to maintain.
Thakur.Bothhavebeensenttoju- case for now. “We sent through “Whenwearrived,wefoundthat Party (SP) leader Maria Alam's Gandhi if the "campaign" was frigate—beganinearlyApril.The significantlyenhancethelifeand TheIndianNavyisamongthe
dicial custody, police said, adding 200CCTVvideosandhisrolehas theashramofficialswerethesus- appeal for “vote jihad”. started on the instruction of the work is being carried out in col- capability of the warships. INS few in the world to have ships
thattherearemanymorevictims sofarbeenruledout,”saidasen- pects. There are many more vic- Alam, while seeking votes party high command. laborationwiththegovernment- Beas for instance, which would and submarines powered by
whohaven’tfiledacomplaintyet. ior police officer. According to tims in this case and we tried to for the INDIA bloc's candidate Addressing the press confer- owned Cochin Shipyard Ltd. haveotherwisebeende-inducted steam, diesel, nuclear power as
UjjainSPPradeepSharmatold police, children from poor fami- convince them to file a case. from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha ence, both Ganguly and Joshi The move from the older in around 10 to 12 years, is ex- well as electricity. A majority of
The Indian Express: “So far three lies were sent to be trained as Policemendressedincivilclothes seat, called for a “vote jihad,” said they have joined the BJP to generation steam to diesel pectedtoremaininactiveservice the Indian Navy’s 150 ships and
children have come forward and pandits in this ashram, affiliated alsotriedspeakingtothechildren, saying it was necessary in the work for the progress of the propulsion is being carried out for more than 20 years once it is submarines are powered by
madetheallegations.Wehavear- to the state Sanskrit board. but they refused as they were current situation for the minor- country under the leadership of along with several other equip- converted to diesel propulsion. diesel engines or gasturbines, or
rested two persons in this case.” Around 10 days ago, a minor scared,” the officer said. ity community to dislodge the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ment and system upgrades. The Anofficialexplainedthatsev- a combination of both.

‘The military can no longer order Pakistan

politics in the way it likes’
Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghavan on the the implications of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government in Pakistan, the
possibility of India re-engaging with it and the future of Imran Khan. The session was moderated by Diplomatic Editor Shubhajit Roy
On the economic crisis in Pakistan
Every four or five years, there is an economic
crisis of this kind, essentially because Pakistan
spendsmoremoneythanitgenerates.Ithasanar-
rowtaxationbase.Itimportsmorethanitexports.
Thereisnotenoughinvestmentorproductionbe-
cause of its poor internal security. Structurally, it
is a crisis-prone economy.
This particular crisis was unique in that until
recently, Pakistan played an important geopolit-
ical role with regard to Afghanistan for the US. In
2022-23,Pakistansuddenlydiscoveredithadno
geopoliticalleverage.Theworldhadsuddenlybe-
(LtoR)FormerIndianHighCommissioner come disinterested, primarily because of what
On the fallout of the Pakistan elections toPakistanTCARaghavan;Diplomatic was happening in Ukraine, the pandemic and so
I think the principal takeaway from this elec- EditorShubhajitRoy on.Itnowhastoundertakedifficultnegotiations
tion is contradictory. While on the one hand, the with the IMF and execute major structural
Pakistanmilitarystillplaysadominantroleinthat changes, which are very difficult for this kind of
nation’s polity, what is clear is that the military he has a strong sense of loyalty to his brother. For coalition, and which, frankly, many Pakistanis
cannolongerorderPakistanpoliticsinthewayit years, the military has tried to detach the two. don’t want to do. It’s not easy because the eco-
likes. The election result and Imran Khan’s sur- They see Shehbaz is not instinctively anti-mili- nomic model in Pakistan is based on patronage,
prisingly strong showing demonstrated that. AUDIENCE QUESTIONS tary in the way Nawaz often was in the past. In favours and the government wanting to run
It’s true that whatever happens in Pakistan thelast20years,thePML-Nhasnotsplit,despite things in a particular way.
will be decided by what the Pakistan military On Kashmir in India-Pak ties On US-China-Pak relations all the pressures put on it.
wants but only up to a point. The second take- Pakistan has a sense of entitlement In US-Pakistan relations, there was al- On the Indian government’s view
away is equally surprising because who could aboutKashmirandthatisthedominantnar- waysanundercurrentofmistrustforthelast On the challenge to the authority of Our main focus has been on the counter-ter-
havethoughtthatImranKhan,whowasinmany rative within its politics. For India, J&K is an 15years.ApartfromitsAfghanistanexperi- Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir rorismfrontandonstabilisationalongthelineof
ways the front which the army had created for a integralpartof thecountry.Youcannotrec- ence, the US currently has other issues to Despite all the efforts of the military, Imran control. There’s no real political dialogue with
hybrid type of administration, would suddenly oncilethesetwopositions.Whatyoucantry deal with in West Asia and Europe. The Khanwasabletodemonstratethathehasahuge Pakistan. There are no high commissioners in
becomepublicenemynumberone.Theoldpub- todo,andthisiswherediplomacycomesin, China-Pakistanrelationshipisarelationship public and political following, which has made a place. Diplomatic relations have been down-
licenemies,thePakistanPeople’sParty(PPP)and is finding some kind of a stopgap arrange- ofgreat strategicvaluetobothcountriesand majordentonthemilitary’sprestige graded. How long will this impasse
the Pakistan Muslim League led by Nawaz Sharif ment. It may stop working after some time will remain so. The Chinese have also re- and on its perceived capacity to or- continue? This particular dilemma
(PML-N), would be partners of the military in a andthenyouhavetoworkonitagaintoim- alised that doing business in Pakistan is not der Pakistan. That may reflect on isnotanewone.Thereisanelement
de facto concert to run the country. No matter provethatsituation.Differencesofthiskind as easy as they thought. Nevertheless, the General Asim Munir because, after ofriskwhenyouengagebutitisim-
howweakorconstraineditisbythemilitary,pol- exist between countries all over the world. overall political and military relationship is all,heisthechief andthishappened portantwelookatPakistanaspartof
itics has an autonomous position in the country. You have to manage these differences. very strong. under his watch. our overall foreign policy.
There will be views in the mili- You have a brittle stability with
On the fragility of the PPP-PML coalition taryestablishmentthattheyshould- SCANTHECODETO Pakistan,withavirtualzerorelation-
ThiswasnotthefirsttimethatthePPPandthe n’t take their differences with Khan WATCHVIDEO ship. You have a bad situation with
PML-N acted in concert. They did the same in For some time, they may stay together be- ilyadvisor.ThePML-N’sperformanceintheelec- too far. It is better to have a working China all along the Line of Actual
2007-08 to give the last push to the tottering cause both parties know that unless they put up tionswaslessthanoptimal.It’ssomethingwhich relationshipwithallelementsofthe Control (LAC) and a less-than-opti-
Musharraf regime and in 2014 to beat the mili- a minimal united front, the economy will go he has taken personally. Maryam is being political spectrum because that is how the mili- malpoliticalanddiplomaticrelationship.Wehave
tary-led attempt to cut the civilian government down.NegotiationswiththeIMFwillbecomedif- groomed as he feels that she is Nawaz’s political tary can ensure that it plays a dominant role.The a very bad situation with Myanmar developing
led by Nawaz Sharif down to size. It is surprising ficult and they will face the onslaught of public heir, rather than his sons, since she’s always had interesting thing about Pakistan politics is that in our northeastern border because of the inter-
that they are in a coalition with the military, be- criticism for mismanagement. The Army will a political flair. It’s also part of the larger family the future of civilian politicians never faces a clo- nal erosion in the Myanmar state.
cause both parties have ananti-military, anti-es- work hard at keeping them together. However, arrangement that she, for some time, is CM of sure. Nawaz Sharif has been down and out and Therefore,manywouldarguethatitisinyour
tablishment narrative at their core. the general impression in Pakistan is that this Punjab, possibly because she didn’t have the ad- come back on top at least on three occasions. I national interest that you try to stabilise your re-
It’salsoadifficulttimeforPakistanandevery- coalitionisnotgoingtolastbeyondtwoyears,af- ministrative experience and there would have don’tthinkanyoneinhisrightsensesshouldrule lationship. The initiative to engage has always
one realises that for whoever forms the govern- ter which new contradictions will emerge. been too much criticism if she had immediately out Imran Khan. The fact is that he has a tremen- come from India. If you wait for Pakistan to take
ment, it’s a totally pointless job in terms of the beenmadePM.ShehbazShariflikesgettingthings dous political and popular following, a certain an initiative, in a sense, you’ll be waiting forever
kind of public popularity they are going to lose On Sharif family’s plan doneontheground.He’sverygoodatputtingup charismatic appeal, and if he survives, I’m pretty because Pakistan’s space to manoeuvre is much
because of the economic downturn. NawazSharifwillplaytheroleofaseniorfam- infrastructureprojects.Onemustalsorealisethat sure he has a strong political position. more limited.
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024 EXPRESS NETWORK 11
Hindu marriage is not
an event for wining & Salman house firing case: Accused Charges framed
against Lawrence
Bishnoi, 26 others
dining; invalid without
proper ceremonies: SC
‘dies by suicide’ in police custody
This is the third case of alleged suicide in the custody of Mumbai police over the last nine months
in Moosewala
murder case
Chandigarh: A court in Punjab's
Mansa district on Wednesday
framed charges against jailed
transfer of a divorce petition volved in procuring firearms for polPolice stand guard at GT hos- gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and
ANANTHAKRISHNAN G from a court in Muzaffarpur, MOHAMED THAVER & the two co-accused, Sagar Pal pital where Anuj Thapan's body 26 other accused in connection
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 Bihar to a court in Ranchi, SAGAR RAJPUT andVickyGupta,whoarealleged is kept, in Mumbai. ice officer. withtheSidhuMoosewalamur-
Jharkhand.Duringthependency MUMBAI, MAY 1 to have fired five rounds outside “To protect his identity, der case.
A HINDU marriage is a ‘sam- of the petition, she and her for- Khan’s residence on April 14. Thapan sent a photograph of Singer Shubhdeep Singh
skara’ or sacrament and will not mer partner, both commercial AN ACCUSED arrested in con- Both Pal and Gupta have also himself without showing his Sidhu, known as Sidhu
be recognised under the Hindu pilots,decidedtoresolvethedis- nection with the firing incident been arrested. A fourth accused, face. The person who delivered Moosewala, was shot dead in
Marriage Act, 1955 “unless per- pute by filing a joint application outsideactorSalman Khan’sres- Sonu Bishnoi, who suffers from the weapons identified him Punjab's Mansa district on May
formed with ceremonies in the under Article 142 of the idence in Mumbai’s Bandra on an ailment, is in judicial custody. from his clothes. The unknown 29, 2022. The prime accused in
proper form”, the Supreme Constitution. April14allegedlydiedbysuicide Lastweek,theMumbaiPolice person, whose face was covered thecase,Canada-basedgangster
Court has ruled. The couple were engaged to while in police custody on had invoked MCOCA against the with a mask, walked up to him, Goldy Brar, is yet to be arrested
A bench of Justices B V bemarriedonMarch7,2021,and Wednesday. four accused, along with handed the firearms and left,” and charges have not been
Nagarathna and Augustine claimed to have ‘solemnised’ Anuj Thapan, 23, who was LawrenceBishnoiandhisbrother said a police officer. framed against him.
George Masih in an April 19 or- their marriage on July 7, 2021. arrestedfromPunjabonApril25, Police stand guard at Mumbai’s GT hospital where Anuj Anmol Bishnoi, who claimed re- Thapan, accompanied by "District Sessions Judge H S
der, reminded that “a (Hindu) They obtained a “marriage cer- reportedlyhangedhimself inthe Thapan’s body has been kept. Sankhadeep Banerjee sponsibility for the firing. While Sonu Bishnoi,is then reported to Grewal framed charges against
marriageisnotaneventfor‘song tificate” from Vadik Jankalyan bathroom of the lock-up at the Lawrenceis lodged in Sabarmati have travelled to Panvel and de- 27 accused in the Moosewala
and dance’ and ‘wining and din- Samiti and based on this certifi- Mumbai Police headquarters, prison, Anmol is reported to be livered the weapons to Pal and murder case," said Satinder Pal
ing’ or an occasion to demand cate, secured a ‘Certificate of apparently using a bedsheet bathroom door does not have a The State CID has been asked in Canada or the United States. Gupta. “We have learnt that Singh Mittal, the counsel for the
andexchangedowryandgiftsby Registration of Marriage’ under given to inmates to sleep on. He latch. It is a half-door, covering to investigate the case. A CID Police sources said Thapan Thapan was so desperate for Moosewala's family.
undue pressure leading to pos- the Uttar Pradesh Marriage was rushed to GT Hospital, onlythemiddlepart,toallowthe team took the CCTV footage and wasindirectcontactwithAnmol, charasthattheyevenwenttothe The court has fixed the next
sible initiation of criminal pro- Registration Rules, 2017. where he was declared dead. police to keep an eye on the ac- recorded the statements of the and they would contact each Panvel railway station in search hearing on May 20.
ceedings thereafter”. The date for the marriage “The incident took place at cused.Thiswasdoneafterpastin- other inmates in the lock-up. An other on apps like Signal. of it,” said an officer. The accused were booked
The bench said, “A marriage ceremony was fixed on October around 12.30 pm in the bath- stancesofaccusedhangingthem- accidental death report has Accordingtosources,Thapan Thisisthethirdcaseofalleged under different sections includ-
is not a commercial transaction. 25, 2022. Meanwhile, they lived roomof thepolicelock-uponthe selves in the lock-up bathrooms. been filed at the Azad Maidan was introducedto Anmolby one suicideincustodyinMumbaiover ing 302 (murder), 307 (attempt
Itis a solemnfoundationalevent separately but differences first floor,” a police officer said. Accordingtoasource,oneof- police station. Ankit Kakadia over two years the last nine months. On to murder), 326 (voluntarily
celebrated so astoestablish a re- cropped up between them and Police sources said that while ficer and four guards were on Mumbai Police sources said ago, following which he started September 8, 2023, 40-year-old causing grievous hurt by dan-
lationship between a man and a cases followed. twoothersaccusedinthecasehad duty,trackingtheinmatesviathe Thapan was addicted to charas getting direct orders from the Vikram Atwal, who was accused gerous weapons or means), 148
woman who acquire the status The court noted that the par- been taken to record their state- two CCTV cameras installed in and cigarettes. “He was addicted gangster. “Even in this case, of killingair-hostessRupalOgrey, (rioting, armed with deadly
of a husband and wife for an tieshadnotsolemnisedthemar- ments, Thapan was in a cell with the lock-up. “Ideally, these per- totheextentthatwheneverhedid Thapan had received directions allegedlydiedbysuicideinthepo- weapon), 201 (causing disap-
evolving family in future which riage as per section 7 and hence 10 others accused in different sonnel should have kept an eye not get it, he would start shiver- from Anmol to pick up the licelock-upinAndheri.OnJuly28, pearance of evidence of of-
is a basic unit of Indian society.” it was not a Hindu marriage. cases. At around 12.30 pm, he is ontheaccusedgoingtothebath- ing,” said a Crime Branch officer. weaponsfromanunknownper- 28-year-old Deepak Jadhav, who fence), 212 (harbouring of-
The bench said “unless and The bench said that “for a reportedtohavegonetothebath- room, and been alerted when it Thapan, who was arrested son at Abohar city in Punjab,and was arrested in another murder fender) and 120 B (criminal
until the marriage is performed valid marriage under the Hindu room where he hanged himself. took time for him to come out of from Punjab by the Mumbai hand them to Sagar Pal and case,alsoallegedlydiedbysuicide conspiracy) of the Indian Penal
with appropriate ceremonies Marriage Act, the requisite cere- As per the procedure, the the bathroom,” said the source. Crime Branch, was allegedly in- Vicky Gupta in Panvel,” said a inside the lock-up in Borivali. Code and other relevant sections
andindueform,itcannotbesaid monies have to be performed of the Arms Act. PTI
to be ‘solemnised’ as per Section and there must be proof of per-
7(1) of the Act”.
The court was dealing with a
formance of the said ceremony
when an issue/controversy CBI searches 30 locations SOUTH CENTRAL RAILWAY
Follow us on @SCRailwayindia
Details of the Tender Notices of
plea by a woman seeking the arises”.
over cryptocurrency scam
S.C.Railway can be seen on our
website: www.scr.indianrailways.gov.in

PUB/0400
NOTICE INVITING e-TENDER

DRDO successfully EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

NEW DELHI, MAY 1
der IPC sections 120B (criminal
conspiracy) 419, 420 (cheating)
and Section 66 D of the IT Act,
(through https://ireps.gov.in)
CE/C-II/SC, CE/C-III /SC & CE/C-V/
SC Construction Organisation,

tests missile-assisted THE CBI said Wednesday they

2000,” a CBI spokesperson said
in a statement Wednesday.
S.C.Railway, Secunderabad,
respectively, invites e-tender on
behalf of the President of India for

torpedo release system

have searched 30 locations TheCBIhasseizeddigitalde- the following works:
across 10 states and UTs after vices,includinglaptops,phones, Sl.No.: 01 NIT No.: 13-CAO- C-SC-
registering a case in a fraudulent ATM cards and a trove of email 2024 Date:06/04/2024 Name of work:
investmentschemelinkedtothe accounts, during searches SCR Construction Organization- KZJ-

Next-gen system to boost Navy’s HPZ Token App, in which the

publicwasbeingmisledtoinvest
spread across the country.
The probe so far has un-
BPQ section - Proposed construction
of 3rd line with electrification between
Kazipet - Balharshah stations -
anti-submarine warfare capability in non-existent crypto-currency earthed 150 bank accounts re- Last mile connectivity works in
mining machine rentals. lated to the accused used to commissioning of sections between
The nationwide operation collect funds from investors. (a). Balharshah (BPQ) - Manikgarh
(MAGH) section in Maharastra
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE ended Tuesday night. “Two pri- “These funds were initially state and (b). Rechni Road(RECH)
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 vate companies, Shigoo used for payouts to build trust, - Bellampalli (BPA) section in
PTI Technology Private Limited and before being illicitly transferred Telangana state - Additional quantity
THE DEFENCE Research and MEANWHILE, IN HIMACHAL: Tourists throng Koksar in Lahaul & Spiti district on Wednesday. Lillian Technocab Private out of India, often converted of supplying and stacking machine
Development Organisation Limited, along with their direc- into cryptocurrency ” the crushed clean, hard, angular and
durable stone ballast”-reg. Estimated
(DRDO) Wednesday tested a tors were booked in the case un- spokesperson said

IMD: No relief from prolonged

Cost: ` 2,79,42,174.00 EMD:
next-generation torpedorelease ` 2,89,700.00 Completion Period:
system aimed at boosting the 05 (Five) Months Date of Opening:
Navy's anti-submarine warfare 14/05/2024 15:00 hrs.
capabilities, the Defence
Ministry said.
The Supersonic Missile-
heavtwave spells during May Sl.No.: 02 NIT No.: 14-CAO- C-SC-
2024 Date:06/04/2024 Name of work:
SCR Construction Organization:
Kotipalli-Narsapur New BG line- 1)
Assisted Release of Torpedo temperatures forecast mainly Karnataka,Telanganaandcoastal Proposed identification and marking
(SMART) system has been de- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE over the Western and Eastern Andhra Pradesh. of Railway land boundries of already
signed and developed by the BENGALURU, MAY 1 coasts, Gujarat, Southwest “Climatologically,heatwaves acquired Railway land. 2) Fixing of
DRDO.Thismissile-basedmech- Rajasthan, Odisha, Jharkhand, over the country last for one to land boundary fencing with RCC
posts and barbed wire along idetified
anism to launch lightweight tor- The SMART system was THERE WILL be no relief from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and West three days during May. But this railway boundries on both sides of
pedoes can target submarines launched from the prolonged heatwave spells dur- Bengal. year, we expect above-normal Railway alignment from Kotipalli to
hundreds of kilometres away — Integrated Test Range off ing May, the India AswithApril,extendedheat- heatwavedaysduringMay,”said Amalapurami,e Km 45/0 to Km 58/0
far beyond the conventional the coast of Odisha. PTI Meteorological Department wave spells will be experienced MrutyunjayMohapatra,director (Excluding Goutami bridge ) and from
range of lightweight torpedoes. (IMD) said Wednesday. over a large geographical area, general,IMD,whilereleasingthe Vasista bridge A2 to Narsapuri.e
km 92/0 to km 101/0. Estimated
It will be particularly employed Themaximumtemperatures extending to Central and temperatureandrainfallforecast Cost: ` 3,82,49,456.80 EMD:
in the absence of other assets for precision inertial navigation. It over the Northwest and the Northern India, said the IMD. for the country for May. ` 3,41,300.00 Completion Period:
immediate action when an en- carries an advanced lightweight NorthregionsaswellastheWest During May, heatwaves last- IMD declares a heatwave 06 (Six) Months Date of Opening:
emy submarine is detected. torpedo missile as a payload coast during May are expected ing eight to 11 days have been whenthenormalmaximumtem- 14/05/2024 15:00 hrs.
The system, which can be along with a parachute-based to be above normal, it said. forecast over South Rajasthan, perature recorded over at least Sl.No.: 03 NIT No.: PMS-04-CAO-
launched from both coasts and release mechanism. Hotter days await Gujarat, WestMadhyaPradesh,Vidarbha twolocalitiesinplainstouches40 C-SC-2024 Date: 23/04/2024
Name of work: SCR Construction
warships, was successfully Several state-of-the-art Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Marathwada in degrees Celsius or is 4.5 degrees Organisation: Nanded Division-
flight-tested at around 8.30 am mechanisms, such as symmet- Haryana, Delhi, Eastern Uttar Maharashtra and Gujarat. Celsiusabovenormal. Aheatwave Appointment of Authority Engineer
from a ground mobile launcher ric separation, ejection and ve- Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, cen- Heatwaves ranging from five is declared in hilly and coastal re- for providing Project Management
from the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam locity control, have been vali- tral and eastern Maharashtra, tosevendayswillbeexperienced gions when temperatures cross Services(PMS) for “Construction Of
Island off the Odisha coast, ac- dated with this test. Bihar, West Bengal, north in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, 30degreesCelsiusand37degrees Proposed Doubling of Track between
Ankai Station(excluding) at Km 16.00
cording to the ministry. Defence Minister Rajnath AndhraPradeshandnorthTamil Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, some areas Celsius respectively. (Ch. 16000) &Karanjgaon Station
The canister-based missile Singh praised the DRDO on the Nadu this month. of Chhattisgarh, east Madhya A severe heatwave is de- (excluding) at Km. 69.01(Ch 69010)
system comprises several ad- successful flight test and said Nights, too, shall be warmer Pradesh, interior Odisha, clared if the temperature depar- [i.e., (53.01 Km)] and between
vanced subsystems including SMART would enhance the than average during May owing Gangetic West Bengal, ture is 6 degrees Celsius over Karanjgaon Station (including) at
two-stage solid propulsion and Navy’s strength. to the above-normal minimum Jharkhand, Bihar, north normal. Km. 69.01(Ch 69010) & Aurangabad
Station(including) at Km 113.15(Ch
113150) [i.e., (44.14 Km)] including

In Goa’s capital, a historical artefact is

Electrification and Signaling Works
in connection with Aurangabad-Ankai
Doubling Project in Nanded Division
of South Central Railway”. Estimated

discovered inside a dug-up pavement

Cost: ` 13,10,79,000.00 EMD:
GOVT. OF NATIONAL CAPITAL TERRITORY OF DELHI ` 8,05,400.00 Completion Period:
27 (Twenty Seven) Months Date of
OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ELECTION OFFICE (SOUTH) Opening: 30/05/2024 15:00 hrs.

Historians say the stone carving could be a depiction of ‘Paulist missionaries’ M.B. ROAD, SAKET, NEW DELHI-110068 Sl.No.: 04 NIT No.: PMS-05-CAO-
C-SC-2024 Date: 23/04/2024
Name of work: SCR Construction
PHONE NO. 011-20860810, Email:- [email protected] Organisation: Nanded Division-
churches. From the headgear, developthenewcapital,or‘Nova Appointment of Authority Engineer
PAVNEET SINGH CHADHA the violin (musical instrument) Goa’ (Panaji).” for providing Project Management
PANAJI, MAY 1 and the presence of a dog in the “There must be hundreds of F.7(515)/DEO(S)/Advert. Leading/2024/1807 Dated:- 01/05/2024 Services(PMS) for “Construction Of
sculpture, I am certain it is a such pieces, discarded during Proposed Doubling of Track from
WORKERS DIGGING up a pave- similar statue of a Paulist. My the rebuilding process, and PRESS NOTICE Parbhani to Parli stations (58.06Kms)
(excluding Gangakhed yard from km
ment in Panaji Tuesday stum- hypothesis is that from the buriedatvariousplacesinPanaji, 292.075 to km 298.85 =6.775 Km)
bleduponacarvedstoneslabes- carvings and the type of stone, of which I know of at least three Regarding Creation of Auxiliary Polling Stations, General including Electrification and signaling
timated to date back several this particular sculpture dates sites. During the construction of works in connection with Parbhani
hundred years, when Goa was back to the 19th century, theNewPattoBridge,manysuch Election to Lok Sabha 2024 to South Delhi Parliamentary -Parli doubling project in Nanded
under Portuguese rule. around the time Panjim be- granite artefacts and round pil- Division of South Central Railway in
The slab, made of either came Goa’s capital,” he said. lars were found in that area,” he
Constituency-07 (SDPC-07): the state of Maharashtra”. Estimated
Cost: ` 9,22,23,600.00 EMD:
granite or sandstone, depicts a The Archaeology said. In view of large number of voters in the following Polling Stations; the Election ` 6,11,100.00 Completion Period:
bearded man playing a musical Department has taken custody Several myths are associated commission of India has approved creation of Auxiliary Polling Station as per details 30 (Thirty) Months Date of Opening:
instrument, withananimalnear of the statue to ascertain its withthePaulistsinlocalfolklore. 30/05/2024 15:00 hrs.
his feet. This has led to specula- time period and historical sig- Themissionariesarereveredfig-
given below:- i) For bid document and other
tion that the carving is that of a nificance. ures, especially for their profi- details, please login to website
SI.No. of the https://ireps.gov.in.
“Paulist” — missionaries from Dr Nilesh Fal Dessai, Director ciencyinbuildinglargechurches Name of Total Name of
Sl. PS Auxiliary Electors to be ii) Tenderers can submit their offers
the Society of Jesus who worked of the Department of and structures across Goa. the AC/ electors Polling Station
No. No PS No. shifted to online during tender submission
to spread Catholicism in the Archaeology, said: “It is a signif- One such popular myth says District in the PS Location
Auxiliary PS period which is the Fifteen days
Portuguese Empire’s Asian The carving, either made of icant find, though it is yet to be that the construction of period prior to closing of tender.
Sarvodaya Co-Ed
colonies. granite or sandstone, was established which period the RibandarCauseway or the Ponte iii) Tenderers should watch for any
AC-45 (Mehrauli) Sr Sec School,
HistorianPrajalSakhardande found by workers digging sculpture belongs to. We will Conde de Linhares — a 3.2-km 1 26 1856 26A 901-1856 corrigenda (issued online only) up
Distt. South D-Block, Vasant Kunj,
said these Jesuit missionaries up a pavement. Express consult experts and historians.” causeway connecting Panaji to New Delhi- 110070
to the date of commencement of the
tender submission period.
came to Goa in the 16th century. Another historian, Sanjeev Ribandar — was done by the
Chief Administrative Officer/
A0516

“They were followers of St Paul Sardesai, said: “It is my logical Paulists overnight with the light AC-52 Sri Satya Sai Vidya
1702 Const./Secunderabad
who built the College of St Paul images of Paulists already exist theory that this carved granite of a single lamp. 2 (Tuglakabad) 49 3121 49A Vihar Opposite
onwards
in Old Goa, and hence the term in the Siridao area. slab was partof theconstruction The causeway was built in Distt. South- East Pkt-A-11, Kalkaji Extn For further tender conditions /
‘Paulists’,” he said. “This sculpture is exactly the material which was transported 1633–34 under the direction of details and for downloading the
Though the origin of the same as those in Siridao. The from the earlier, decaying the then Viceroy of Portuguese
Sd/- tender documents,
(M. Chaitanya Prasad, IAS please visit website at
sculpture is yet to be conclu- Paulists were earlier in Old Goa Portuguesecapital at‘VelhaGoa’ India — Miguel de Noronha, www.ireps.gov.in
sively established, Sakhardande and later came to the Tiswadi (Old Goa) and brought here dur- fourth Count of Linhares — after DIP/SHABDARTH/CLASSIFIED/0026/24-25 Returning Officer, SDPC-07 http://www.scr.indianrailways.gov.in
saidthreesimilarsculpturesand area, where they built many ing the latter part of the 1700s to whom it is named.
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

CLIMATE CHANGE WAS BELIEVED TO BE REASON

12 THE WORLD
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024
EL NINO CAUSED PANAMA CANAL DROUGHT
The phenomenon El Nino, and not climate change, was a key driver in low rainfall that disrupted
shipping at the Panama Canal last year, scientists said on Wednesday. A team of international scien-
tists found that El Nino doubled the likelihood of the low precipitation in Panamalast year. This re-
duced water levels at the reservoir that feeds freshwater to the Panama Canal, causing it to dry up. AP

TOPOFTHE U.S. STUDENT PROTESTS: OVER 300 ARRESTED IN NEW YORK

WORLD
Israel, Palestine supporters clash in
Residents amid flood
UCLA, police clear tents in Columbia
in Kenya, Tuesday ASSOCIATED PRESS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES
NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES,
MAY 1
KENYA Migrants wait to return to their camp after a failed bid to cross
Floodtollrises DUELLINGGROUPSof protesters
clashed on Wednesday at the
the English Channel, in Calais, France, earlier this week. Reuters

to181,homes, University of California, Los

roadsdestroyed Angeles, grappling in fistfights

and shoving, kicking and using
stickstobeat one another. Hours
UK starts detaining
Nairobi: Floods and land-
slides across Kenya have
killed 181 people since
earlier, police carrying riot
shields burst into a building at
Columbia University that pro-
migrants set to be
deported to Rwanda
March, with hundreds of Palestinian protesters took over
thousands forced to leave and broke up a demonstration
their homes, the govern- that had paralysed the school
ment and Red Cross said while inspiring others.
on Wednesday, as dozens After a couple hours of one-
morewerekilledinneigh- and-off scuffles between pro- REUTERS ‘DEPENDANTSDROPAFTER
bouring Tanzania and
Burundi. Torrential rain
Palestinian and pro-Israeli
demonstrators at UCLA, police
LONDON, MAY 1 STUDENTVISAREFORMS’
andfloodshavedestroyed arrived, formed lines and began BRITISH AUTHORITIES have London: The UK government
homes,roads,bridgesand to slowly corral some of the pro- started to detain migrants in has welcomed a “significant
otherinfrastructureacross testers. Police have swept preparation for them to be sent fall” in the number of depen-
the region. The death toll through campuses acrosstheUS to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 dentsaccompanyingoverseas
inKenyaexceedsthatfrom over the last two weeks in re- weeks, the government said students after its crackdown
floods triggered by the El
Nino weather phenome-
sponsetoprotestscallingonuni-
versities to stop doing business
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, NEW YORK CAMPUS Wednesday, laying groundwork
for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's
onstudentvisaseffectivefrom
early this year. The Home
non late last year. In the with Israel or companies that flagship immigration policy. Office said that dependents
central Kenyan town on support the war in Gaza. A law to pave the way for had drastically fallen by al-
Mai Mahiu, where at least There have been confronta- sending asylum seekers to most 80 per cent amid over
48 died in flash floods on tionsandmorethan1,000arrests. Rwanda if they arrived in Britain 26,000fewerstudentvisaap-
Monday, two bodies were In rarer instances, university offi- without permission was ap- plications made. PTI
recovered from the debris cials and protest leaders struck proved by parliament in April,
onWednesday,KenyaRed agreementstorestrictthedisrup- and Sunak wants the first flights
Cross South Rift Regional tiontocampuslifeandupcoming to take off in July. Human rights thosewhohavenorighttobehere
ManagerFelixMaiyosaid. commencement ceremonies. charities and unions opposed to so we can get flights off the
Last year's rains followed TheclashesatUCLAtookplace thepolicyareexpectedtolaunch ground,” interior minister James
theworstdroughtinlarge around a tent encampment built fresh legal challenges to stop the Cleverly said Wednesday.
parts of East Africa in bypro-Palestinianprotesters,who flights from taking off after the Care4Calais, a refugee char-
decades. REUTERS erected barricades and plywood UK Supreme Court declared the ity, said the detentions had
for protection — while counter- policy unlawful last year. startedonMonday.Aspokesper-
protesterstriedtopullthemdown. Images released by Britain's son said they still did not know
LosAngelesMayorKarenBass interior ministry on Wednesday who will be earmarked for the
RUSSIA calledtheviolence“absolutelyab- showedamanbeingputinavan first flight.
Armsproduction horrentandinexcusable"inaspot
onXandsaidofficersfromtheLos
byimmigrationenforcementof-
ficials, and another being led out
UK sentitsfirstasylumseeker
to Rwanda under a voluntary
boostedas US Angeles Police Department were of his house in handcuffs. scheme, The Sun Newspaper re-
on the scene. Officers from the “Our enforcement teams are ported, a separate programme to
upsUkraineaid CaliforniaHighwayPatrolalsoap- working at pace to swiftly detain thedeportationpolicy.
pearedtobethere.Theuniversity
Moscow: Russia's defence said it had requested help.
minister on Wednesday Late that same day, New York POLLS SCHEDULED LATER THIS YEAR
ordered a hike in City officers entered Columbia's (Top) Pro-Palestine protesters face off with California Highway Patrol at the University of California, Los Angeles; Police use a
weapons production and
said deliveries needed to
be faster for the war in
campus after the university re-
questedhelp,accordingtoastate-
mentreleasedbyaspokesperson.
vehicle named ‘the bear’ to enter Hamilton Hall from the street, in Columbia University, New York on Tuesday. Reuters
Wickremesinghe to
Ukraine, a week after U.S.
President Joe Biden
signed off on tens of bil-
A tent encampment on the
school's grounds was cleared,
along with Hamilton Hall where
‘The time is now’: In Tel Aviv, Blinken urges face his own cabinet
lions of dollars of new
military aid for Kyiv.
Biden on April 24 signed
officers used a ladder to climb
throughawindow.“...wewereleft
with no choice,” the school said.
Israel, Hamas to proceed with ceasefire deal member in Sri Lanka
a bill into law that pro-
vides $61 billion in addi-
tional aid to Ukraine, in-
“The decision to reach out to
the NYPD was in response to the
actions of the protesters, not the
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JERUSALEM, MAY 1
pauseinthenearlysevenmonths
of war in Gaza. He said Hamas
wouldbeartheblameforanyfail-
“There is a proposal on the table,
andaswe'vesaid,nodelays,noex-
cuses. The time is now,” he said.
TURKEY TO JOIN S AFRICA
IN GENOCIDE CASE AT ICJ
presidential polls
cluding an array of cause they are championing. We ure to get a deal off the ground. Blinken said the deal would Ankara: Turkish Foreign
artillery, rocket systems, have made it clear that the life of US SECRETARY of State Antony “We are determined to get a also allow much needed aid into MinisterHakanFidansaidon PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
anti-tank munitions and campuscannotbeendlesslyinter- Blinken was meeting with Israeli cease-firethatbringsthehostages Gaza. Meanwhile, the families of Wednesday that Turkey COLOMBO, MAY 1
ammunition. REUTERS rupted by protesters who violate leadersonWednesdayinhispush home and to get it now, and the Americans held by Hamas urged would join in South Africa's
the rules and the law.” New York foracease-firedealbetweenIsrael onlyreasonthatthatwouldn'tbe him to make their case to Prime genocide case against Israel PRESIDENT RANIL
CHINA MayorEricAdamssaidabout300 and Hamas, saying “the time is achieved is because of Hamas,” Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. at the International Court of Wickremesinghe, if stood for re-
were arrested at Columbia and now” for an agreement that Blinken told Israel's ceremonial Blinken is set to meet the PM and election in the presidential poll
‘Willlaunchlunar CityCollegeinpolicecrackdowns. would free hostages and bring a PresidentIsaacHerzogatTelAviv. his War Cabinet Wednesday.
Justice (ICJ). REUTERS
due later in the year, may have a
probetoexplore face-up with his cabinet col-
league Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe,
Ranil Wickremesinghe;
Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe
farsideofmoon’
Beijing: China on
Surprise PM divides Weinstein expected in New York who is currently serving as the
Minister of Justice.
Former president Wickremesinghe while another
Wednesday announced
that it will launch its lunar
Haiti transition council court after rape conviction revoked Maithripala Sirisena, the chair-
man of Sri Lanka Freedom Party
sectionsupportsthemainoppo-
sition Samagi Jana Balawegaya
probeChang'e-6onFriday Port-Au-Prince: A surprise an- from 2006 to 2011, are now ing last week’s order. (SLFP), told reporters on (SJB) — a political alliance led by
tocollectsamplesfromthe nouncementhasrevealedHaiti’s weighingoptionsincludingfight- REUTERS Jurors in Manhattan con- WednesdaythatRajapakshe,65, Leader of the Opposition Sajith
far side of the moon. The new prime minister is threaten- ingthedecisionorresigningfrom NEW YORK, MAY 1 victed Weinstein in February would be his party's candidate Premadasa.
probeissettocollectsam- ing to fracture a recently in- the council. A source with direct 2020 of sexually assaulting for- in the presidential election Wickremesinghe, who is yet
plesfromthefarsideofthe stalled transitional council knowledge of the situation said HARVEY WEINSTEIN IS due to merproductionassistantMiriam scheduled to be held before to announce his candidacy, is
moon,makingthismission tasked with choosing new lead- the council’s political accord had appear in state court in Haley in 2006 and of raping as- November 15 this year. “He will banking on cross-party support
the first of its kind in hu- ers for the Caribbean country. been violated by the unexpected Manhattan on Wednesday for piring actress Jessica Mann in be the most suitable candidate for his re-election to implement
man history, China Four of seven council mem- move and that some council the first time since New York’s 2013.Theyareamongmorethan from SLFP”, Sirisena said. aneconomicreformprogramme
National Space bers with voting powers said members are considering other highestcourtthrewouthis2020 80 women who have accused Rajapakshe is a member of to pull the country out of bank-
Administration said. The Tuesday that they had chosen choices as potential PM. rape conviction last week. Harvey Weinstein in a court him of sexual misconduct. the now fragmented Sri Lanka ruptcy.
Wenchang Space Launch Fritz Bélizaire as prime minister, The council on Tuesday was The hearing before Judge in California in 2022. Reuters The conviction included Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) The main opposition leader
Site Wednesday con- takingmanyHaitiansabackwith scheduledtoholdanelectionand Curtis Farber will give prosecu- chargesof first-degreesexualas- party, the home for members of Sajith Premadasa and the
ductedafinalrehearsalfor their declaration. choose its president. But two tors and Weinstein’s lawyers a sault and third-degree rape. the United People's Freedom Marxist Janatha Vimukthi
thelaunch,coveringallrel- The council members who hours later, one council member chance to address the next steps inga23-yearsentenceinaprison Weinstein, who has denied hav- Allianceloyaltoitsformerleader Peramuna (JVP) party leader
evant systems compre- oppose Bélizaire, who served as said that not only a council presi- fortheformerfilmmogul,which inupstateRome,NewYork.Heis ing non-consensual sexual en- Mahinda Rajapaksa. AnuraKumaraDissanayakehave
hensively. PTI Haiti's sports minister during the denthadbeenchosen,butaprime could include a new trial. currently at Bellevue Hospital, counters with anyone, was ac- Apartof theSLPPiscurrently already announced their candi-
secondpresidencyofRenéPréval minister as well. AP Weinstein,72,hasbeenserv- wherehewastransferredfollow- quitted on other charges. in alignment with 75-year-old dature.

AUSTER’S BOOKS HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED INTO MORE THAN FORTY LANGUAGES

Paul Auster, prolific and experimental author-filmmaker, dies at 77

“literary superstar” in news ac- who flocked to the borough in Newark in 1947 — was short- stylemagazinepublishedbyThe ment of neighborhood dream- wrote.Hisparents’marriagewas
ALEX WILLIAMS counts. The Times Literary the 1990s and later. listed for the Man Booker Prize. New York Times. ers and eccentrics. One is Paul strained, and his relationship
NEW YORK, MAY 1 Supplement of Britain once His reputation was anything Hiscareerbegantotakeflight By the 1990s, Auster had set Benjamin (Auster’s early pen with his father remote. “It was
called him “one of America’s butlocal,however.Hisbookshave in 1982, with his memoir “The his sights on Hollywood. He name; Benjamin was his middle not that I felt he disliked me,”
PAUL AUSTER, a prolific novelist, most spectacularly inventive been translated into more than Invention of Solitude,” a haunt- wrote several screenplays, some name),acerebral,cigarette-puff- Auster wrote in “The Invention
memoirist and screenwriter writers.” forty languages. He took home ing rumination on his distant re- of which he directed. ingwriter(WilliamHurt)whose of Solitude.” “It was just that he
who rose to fame in the 1980s Though a New Jersey native, several literary prizes in France lationship with his recently de- “Smoke” (1995), directed by life is saved when a young man seemed distracted, unable to
with his postmodern reanima- he became indelibly linked with alone. Like Woody Allen and ceased father. His first novel, Wayne Wang from a screenplay (Harold Perrineau) pulls him look in my direction.”
tion of the noir novel and who the rhythms of his adopted city, Mickey Rourke, Auster, who had “City of Glass,” was rejected by by Auster, was based on a from the path of a truck. For a writer whose work was
endured to become one of the which was a character of sorts in lived in Paris as a young man, be- 17 publishers before it was pub- Christmas story by the author Paul Benjamin Auster was filled with themes of pain and
signature New York writers of much of his work — particularly came one of those rare American lished by a small press in published in the Times. It drew born Feb. 3, 1947, in Newark, the loss,fargreaterpainwouldcome
his generation, died of compli- Brooklyn, where he settled in imports to be embraced by the PAUL AUSTER California in 1985. deeplyfromhislifeinParkSlope, elder of two children of Samuel his way.Inthespringof 2022,his
cations from lung cancer at his 1980 amid the oak-lined streets French as a native son. 1947-2024 Thebookbecamethefirstin- where he shared a brick town and Queenie (Bogat) Auster. His sonDanielAuster,44,diedfollow-
home in Brooklyn on Tuesday of brownstonesintheParkSlope “The first thing you hear as stallment in his most celebrated house with his wife, novelist Siri father was a landlord who ing a drug overdose 11 days after
evening. He was 77. neighborhood. you approach an Auster reading, work, “The New York Trilogy,” Hustvedt. owned buildings in Jersey City being charged in the death of his
Hisdeathwasconfirmedbya As his reputation grew, anywhere in the world, is In Britain, his 2017 novel, three novels later packaged in a The film, heavy with philo- with his brothers. 10-month-old daughter, Ruby.
friend, Jacki Lyden. Auster came to be seen as a French,”NewYorkmagazineob- “4321,” which examined four single volume. It was listed as sophical musings, stars Harvey Paul Auster grew up in South In additiontohiswife,Auster
With his hooded eyes, soul- guardian of Brooklyn’s rich liter- served in 2007. “Merely a best- parallel versions of the early life one of the 25 most significant Keitel as Auggie, the proprietor Orange, New Jersey, and later is survived by his daughter,
ful air and leading-man looks, ary past,aswellasaninspiration selling author in these parts, of its protagonist — as Auster New York City novels of the last of aParkSlopetobaccoshopthat nearby Maplewood, but his Sophie Auster; his sister, Janet
Auster was often described as a to a new generation of novelists Auster is a rock star in Paris.” was, a Jewish boy born in 100 years in a roundup in T, the is a locus for a colorful assort- home was not a happy one, he Auster, and a grandson. NYT
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

13 ECONOMY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

GOLD USD RATE OIL SILVER

`70,420 `83.41 $88.45 `86,500
Note: Gold, silver rates at Delhi spot market, gold per 10g, silver per 1 kg; Crude oil (Indian basket) as of April 30

SENSEX: 74,482.78 ▼ 188.50 (0.25%) NIFTY: 22,604.85 ▼ 38.55 (0.17%) NIKKEI: 38,274.05 ▼ 131.61 HANG SENG: 17,763.03 ▲ 16.12 FTSE: 8,151.37 ▲ 7.24 DAX: 17,932.17 ▼ 186.15
Domestic equity, forex markets were closed on Wednesday on account of Maharashtra Day; International market data till 1900 IST

BRIEFLY KEEPSKEYRATEATATWO-DECADEHIGHOFROUGHLY5.3%
Car sales subdued in
Petrolsalesup
12.3%;diesel
falls2.3%inApr
USFedholdsrates,flags‘lack Apr on high base, polls
New Delhi: India’s petrol con-
sumptionsoared12.3percent
inApril,butdieselsalescontin- offurtherprogress’oninflation ENS ECONOMIC BUREAU
NEW DELHI, MAY 1

E
ued to slide despite the coun-
try entering into hectic elec- DOMESTIC PASSENGER vehicle

E X P L A I NE D
tioneering for general ASSOCIATEDPRESS (PV) sales started on a flat note
elections, preliminary data of WASHINGTON,MAY1 Shift in in the first month of the new fis-
state-ownedfirmsshowedon US Fed’s cal, at an estimated 338,341
Wednesday. Petrol sales of THE US Federal Reserve on ● timetable units. This was just 1.76 per cent
three state-owned firms, Wednesday emphasised that in- up compared with the same
which control 90 per cent of flation has remained stubbornly THE US Federal Reserve’s month last year.
themarket,roseto2.97million high in recent months and said it latest message reflects an Industry executives attrib-
tonnes in April compared to doesn’t plan to cut interest rates abrupt shift in its utedthistoahighbaseeffectand
2.65 million tonnes in the until it has “greater confidence” timetable on interest muteddemand due totheongo-
same period last year. Diesel that price increases are slowing rates. As recently as their ing Lok Sabha elections. Maruti Suzuki India’s sales in the domestic market was flat
demanddropped2.3percent sustainablytoits2percenttarget. last meeting on March Thecountry’slargestpassen- at 137,952 units. Reuters File
to 7 million tonnes. Demand The Fed issued its decision in 20, the Fed’s policymak- gervehiclemanufacturer,Maruti
for the nation’s most con- a statement after its latest meet- ers had projected three Suzuki India’s sales in the do-
sumed fuel had fallen 2.7 per ing, at which it kept its key rate at rate reductions in 2024, mestic market was flat at operating officer (COO) Tarun On the other hand, Toyota
centinMarch. PTI a two-decade high of roughly 5.3 likely starting in June. 137,952 units compared with Garg said the PV industry’s Kirloskar Motor said its total
per cent. Several hotter-than-ex- Financial markets now 137,320 during the same month growth seen in April was a re- wholesales increased 32 per
Q4:Ambuja pectedreportsonpricesandeco-
nomic growth have recently un-
US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Stanford
Graduate School of Business in US. Reuters File
expect just one rate cut
this year, in November.
last year. Second-largest PV
manufacturer Hyundai Motor
flection of what was estimated
in beginning of 2024 of about an
cent year-on-year to 20,494
units. “We believe that this sta-
Cements’profit dercut the Fed’s belief that
inflation was steadily easing. The
India also saw domestic sales
grow by a mere 1 per cent at
overall low single-digit growth.
“It is more because of the high
ble performance underlines a
strong foundation for another
at`1,525.78cr combinationofhighinterestrates
and persistent inflation has also
lead, over time, to lower borrow-
ingcostsforconsumersandbusi-
per cent, as supply chains have
easedandthecostof somegoods
biggestCovid-erapolicies:Itspur-
chase of several trillion dollars in
50,201 units. Tata Motors re-
porteda2percentincreaseinto-
base effect of the last two years
and not necessarily a slow-
positive year,” Toyota Kirloskar
Motor vice-president, sales-
New Delhi: Adani Group firm emerged as a potential threat to nesses, including for mortgages, has actually declined.Average Treasurysecuritiesandmortgage- tal domestic PV sales, including down,” he said, adding that the service-used car business Sabari
Ambuja Cements Ltd on US President Joe Biden’s re-elec- auto loans and credit cards. But prices,though,remainwellabove backedbonds,anefforttostabilise electric vehicles at 47,883 units. inquiry levels and booking were Manohar said.
Wednesday reported a con- tion bid. “In recent months,” given the persistence of elevated theirpre-pandemiclevels,andthe financial markets and keep “We have started on a very at similar levels to the last year. MG Motor India said its retail
solidated net profit at Rs Wednesday’s statement said, inflation, financial markets now costs of services ranging from longer-term rates low. The Fed is high base this year...Right now. Withtheimprovementinthe sales declined 1.45 per cent to
1,525.78 crore for the fourth “there has been a lack of further expectjustoneratecutthisyear,in apartment rents and health care nowallowing$95billionof those the country is going through supply chain, the overall order 4,485 units.
quarter ended March 2024. progresstowardthe2percentin- November, according to futures to restaurant meals and auto in- securities to mature each month, elections and there is a model book of the industry has re- Inthetwo-wheelersegment,
The company had clocked a flation objective.” The central prices tracked by CME surance continue to surge. With withoutreplacingthem.Itshold- code of conduct... During the duced, Garg said. TVS Motor Company reported
netprofitof Rs763.30crorein bank’s latest message reflects an FedWatch.The Fed’s more cau- the presidential election six ings have fallen to about $7.4 tril- elections the markets are a little The prediction of a normal 29 per cent growth in the do-
the January-March quarter a abruptshiftinitstimetableonin- tious outlook stems from three months away, many Americans lion, down from $8.9 trillion in muted. monsoonaugurswell,especially mestic market at 301,449 units.
year ago, the company said in terest rates. As recently as their months of data that pointed to have expressed discontent with June 2022, when it began reduc- “Once elections are over, I from a rural sales perspective, HeroMotoCorpreporteda33
a regulatory filing. According last meeting on March 20, the chronicinflationpressuresandro- the economy, notably over the ingthem.OnWednesday,theFed think we will be seeing a differ- which has also been accelerated percentgrowthat513,296units,
to the company, the consoli- Fed’spolicymakershadprojected bust consumer spending. pace of price increases. said it would, in June, reduce its ent market,” Maruti Suzuki’s by the rapid development in while mid-sized motorcycle
dated results for the quarter three rate reductions in 2024, Inflation has cooled from a On Wednesday, the Fed also holdings at a slower pace, and al- senior executive officer, market- roadinfrastructureandrisingas- maker Royal Enfield reported a
and the financial year ended likely starting in June. peak of 7.1 per cent, according to said it would slow the pace at low a total of $60 billion of bonds ing & sales Partho Banerjee said. pirationsof theconsumersthere, 9 per cent growth in domestic
March 2024, include the fi- Rate cuts by the Fed would theFed’spreferredmeasure,to2.7 which it’s unwinding one of its to run off each month. Hyundai Motor India chief he added. sales at 75,038 units. FE
nancial results of Sanghi
Industries, which was ac-
quired by the Adani Group
firm last quarter. PTI
FPIs withdraw over `8,600 cr TOTAL INFLOW
Sebi makes Land owned by Power
FOR 2024 SO FAR
nomination consumption
J&Jadvances
$6.48billion
from equities in April `2,222cr `44,908cr
After infusing money for two straight months, foreign
inequities indebtmarket optional for Godrej & Boyce in India rises
settlement
NewYork:Johnson&Johnson
portfolio investors turned net sellers in April by selling
equities worth `8,671 crore, data with depositories showed
`10,949cr:FPIswithdrewfrom
thedebtmarketinApril
joint MFs
New Delhi: The Securities and
has `3-trn potential 11% in April
saidonWednesdayitismov-
Netinvestmentin ■ Outflowwasduetoadjustment Exchange Board of India (Sebi) PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA
ing forward with a $6.48 bil- afterheavyinflowinMarch,a on Wednesday made the nomi- RAGHAVENDRAKAMATH Adi & Nadir NEWDELHI,MAY1

F
lion proposed settlement of
February,March short-termgainprospectinlonger nation optional for jointly-held MUMBAI,MAY1
tens of thousands of lawsuits
`35,098
durationbondinanticipationofa mutual fund accounts in a bid to Godrej family INDIA’S POWER consumption
allegingthatitsbabypowder crore ratecutand‘waitandwatchmode promote ease of doing business. THE LAND holdings owned by
makes open rosearound11percentto144.25

P
and other talc products con- adoptedbyinvestorstillthe Additionally, the market regula- Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing billion units (BU) in April as com-
tainasbestosandcauseovar-
iancancer.Thedealwouldal-
announcementofelectionresults,
saidKislayUpadhyay,smallcase
tor allowed fund houses to have
a single fund manager to over-
Company, part of Jamshyd
Godrej-controlled Godrej
offer for Astec pared to the year-ago period,
mainly due increase in tempera-
low it to resolve the lawsuits managerandfounderofFidelfolio see commodity and foreign in- Enterprises Group (GEG), in Mumbai: The Adi and Nadir tures. In April 2023, the power

I
through a third bankruptcy `1,539 vestments. VikhroliareaofMumbaicangen- Godrejfamilyandtrustshave consumption stood at 130.08 BU,
filing of a subsidiary com-
crore ■ Asurgeincommoditypricesand Thiswouldreducethecostof erate sales of over Rs 3 trillion if it made an open offer to ac- a government data showed.
pany. It will begin a three Feb Mar higherUSinflationdashedhopes managing the fund. goes for residential property de- quire an additional 26 per The highest supply in a day
month voting period in ofanearlyratecutbytheUSFed These came after a working velopment in the area. cent stake in Astec (peakpowerdemand)alsoroseto
hopes of reaching consensus group constituted by Sebi re- Residentialpropertiesaresell- Lifesciences, as part of the 224.18GWinApril2024asagainst
on a settlement of all current Additionally, a surge in commodity prices, especially oil and higher Source: viewed mutual fund regula- ingatupwardsofRs30,000persq family settlement. The open to 215.88 GW in April 2023. The
and future ovarian cancer US retail inflation dashed hopes of an early rate cut by the US Fed Data with tions and recommended meas- ftinGodrej’sprojectsinthevicin- offer for Astec Lifesciences is power ministry has estimated
claims. Thoseclaimsaccount thereby triggering a surge in the US 10-year yield depositories/PTI ures to promote the ease of ity. About 100 million sq ft of real for up to 5.09 million shares around 260 GW of peak demand
for 99% of the talc-related doing business. PTI estate could be developed on the at a price of Rs 1,069.75 per during summer.
lawsuits filed against J&J, in- land owned by Godrej & Boyce, share, totalling Rs 545.47 Experts said the increase in
cluding about 54,000 law- according to estimates of indus- crore. The open offer, on full power consumption as well as
suits that are centralised in a CUSTOMERS LEFT IN THE DARK try experts. Of the 3,400 acres acceptance, will cost Rs 545 growth in demand was mainly
NewJerseyfederalcourtpro- owned by Godrej & Boyce in crore to the Adi/Nadir family, due to increase in temperatures
ceeding.

CCIchecksif
REUTERS
Musk disbands Tesla EV charging team Vikhroli,about1,000acrescanbe
developed while 1,750 acres has
mangroves and cannot be devel-
said a regulatory update. The
offer was triggered from the
Adi/Nadirfamily’splantoac-
andincreasedindustrialactivities
insectorslikesteelandpower.The
demandforpoweraswellascon-
Tinucci,andmostorallofthestaff pants this morning.” oped because of environmental quire 20.84 per cent stake in sumptionwillcontinuetoseero-
Pernodcolluded REUTERS
DETROIT/NEW DELHI, MAY 1
thatoperatedandmaintainedthe
system, according to two former
“Tesla has already been
awarded money under the fed-
concerns. The balance 300 acres
has been encroached upon.
Godrej Industries from the
Jamshyd Godrej/Smita
bust growth with the onset of
summer, they said.
with retailers ELONMUSK’Sabruptdecisionto
employeesandmultiplepostings
on LinkedIn, left officials at au-
eral government’s NEVI pro-
gram,” he said, referring to the
One acre costs between Rs 70
crore and Rs 80 crore in Vikhroli.
Crishna Godrej family. FE The power ministry had esti-
matedthecountry’selectricityde-
New Delhi: The Competition lay off employees who ran tomakersandTeslasuppliersun- National Electric Vehicle Hence, the land value of the mand to touch 229 GW during
Commission of India (CCI) is Tesla’s electric vehicle (EV) certain about the future. Infrastructure formula program Godrej&Boycelandparcelcomes business between patriarch Adi summer in 2023, but it did not
reviewing accusations that chargingbusinessblindsidedau- Tesla did not respond to re- toprovidefundingtostatestode- to Rs 80,000 crore. Godrej and cousin Jamshyd reachtheprojectedlevelinApril-
France’s Pernod Ricard col- tomakers gearing up to equip quests for comment. Musk sub- ploy EV charging networks. The land parcel was acquired Godrej. July due to unseasonal rainfall.
luded with retailers in New newEVsforcustomerstousethe sequently said on X that the car- “There’snowayMr.Muskwould bytheGodrejfamilyinearly1940s Afterthesplitofbusinesseson Peak supply, however, touched a
Delhi to boost market share, Tesla Supercharger network, in- maker still plans to expand the walk away from effectively free from the Bombay High Court re- Tuesday,GodrejBoyceandGodrej newhighof 224.1GWinJunebe-
the latest headache for the dustry officials and analysts said Supercharger network, “just at a money. It may be possible Mr. ceiver. It was originally given by Properties, on Wednesday an- fore dropping to 209.03 GW in
spirits giant in a key market, on Tuesday. slowerpacefornewlocationsand Musk will reconstitute the EV the East India Company to a Parsi nouncedthatthetwocompanies July. Peak demand touched
legal papers seen by Reuters Fornow,GeneralMotors,Ford Elon Musk. Reuters File more focus on 100 per cent up- charger team in bigger, badder, merchant, Framjee Banaji, in the will continue their memoran- 238.82GWinAugust2023,while
show. Pernod has a share of and other automakers which timeandexpansionofexistinglo- more Muskian way.” 1830s and came up for sale in dumsofunderstandingexecuted it was 243.27 GW in September,
17 per cent in a liquor mar- struck deals last year to give cus- cations.” GM and Ford, in separate 1941-42. from time to time, for develop- 222.16GWinOctober,204.77GW
ket it says is its second tomersaccesstothenetworksaid Tesla to get federal subsidies to Andres Pinter, co-CEO of statements, said they are not OnTuesday,theGodrejfamily mentoflandinVikhroliownedby in November, 213.79 GW in
biggest globally by net sales, theyarenotchangingtheirplans. expand the reach of its North Bullet EV Charging Solutions, a changingplanstoequiptheirEVs announcedthefamilysettlement Godrej & Boyce, as and when December 2023, 223.51 GW in
but one where it is em- Tesla’s decision to open its American Charging Standard supplier to the network, said, with connectors that will allow agreementbetweenfamilymem- Godrej & Boyce is desirous of de- January 2024, and 222.72 GW in
broiled in licence, tax and network to rival EV manufactur- (NACS) system. “As contractors for the drivers of Chevrolet, Cadillac or bers and division of assets and veloping the said land. FE February 2024.
antitrust difficulties. PTI erswashailedbyUSPresidentJoe Musk’sdecisiontodismissthe Supercharger network, my team Ford brand EVs to recharge at
Biden, and opened the door for head of the business, Rebecca woke up to a sharp kick in the Tesla stations.

Vedanta to invest $20 billion in

4 years in India: Anil Agarwal
that some of the developed na-
RAJESHKURUP STEELBUSINESSSALE tions have exploited natural re-
MUMBAI,MAY1 sources to become rich. He rued
■ On steel business thatthereareconcernsontheen-
BANKING ON the country’s sale, which was vironmental impact of mining in
growthpotential,VedantaGroup supposed to be happen India.“Wecannotdependonim-
isplanningtoinvest$20billionin by March, Vedanta ports;wehavethebestofgoldand
India in the next four years, said Group chairman Anil diamond here,” he added.
chairman Anil Agarwal. The in- Agarwal said a Meanwhile, when asked
vestments will happen mostly in transaction depends on about the steel business sale,
thetechnology,electronics,semi- getting the right price which was supposed to be hap-
conductors and glass segments, pen by March, Agarwal said a
he added. Agarwalsaidonthesidelinesofan transaction depends on getting
“Investments in electronics, event in Mumbai. the right price. “We are commit-
technology and glass are impor- For its semiconductor busi- ted...ifwegettherightpricetodi-
tant to create a lot of industries ness, Vedanta Group has bought vest it,” he said, adding that if the
and jobs. Semiconductors and landinGujarat,whileitismaking groupdoesn’tgettherightprice,it
glass – used in making smart- progress on the glass business. will choose to continue running
phones and laptops screens – are “Wearealreadymakingglass,but thebusinessbyitself.Ontheclos-
very essential from a future per- now we have to make that in ingofthecoppersmelterinTamil
spective,andforbothwehavefac- India,” he said, adding the group Nadu,Agarwalsaiditwasjust0.3
tories in Taiwan and Korea,” is keen on partnerships. He said per cent of its business. FE
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

14 E EXPLAINED THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

@ieExplained
#ExpressExplained
If there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that you would like
explained, please write to [email protected]

The challenge and necessity of ‘balance’ in use of fertilisers

Nutrient-based subsidy 10:26:26:0 and 12:32:16:0 NPKS complex The opportunity for India
HARISH DAMODARAN
NEW DELHI, MAY 1
Fertilisers contain nutrients that are nec-
essary for plant growth and grain yields.
ALL-INDIA CONSUMPTION OF FERTILISER PRODUCTS fertilisers,notwithstandingtheirlowerNand
Pcontent.Even20:20:0:13,whichaccounted
India is heavily import-dependent in fer-
tilisers, and high global prices add to both
Balanced fertilisation means supplying pri- for nearly 5.4 mt out of the total 11.1 mt of foreign exchange outgo and the govern-
BALANCEDFERTILISATION—thatis,discour- mary (N, phosphorus-P, potassium-K), sec- Urea DAP MOP* NPKS SSP NPKS complexes consumed in 2023-24, is ment’s subsidy burden.
aging farmers from applying too much urea, ondary (sulphur-S, calcium, magnesium) 2018-19 314.18 92.11 29.57 90.28 35.79 retailing at Rs 1,200-1,225 per bag, only mar- Landed pricesof imported urea,DAP, and
di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) or muriate and micro (iron, zinc, copper, manganese, 2019-20 336.95 101.00 27.87 98.57 44.03 ginally lower than DAP. DAP has, thus, be- MOP have fallen to around $340, $520-525
of potash (MOP), which have only primary boron, molybdenum) nutrients in right pro- come the “new urea”, with farmers inclined and $319 per tonne respectively, from corre-
2020-21 350.43 119.11 34.25 118.11 44.89
nutrients in high concentration — is likely to portions, based on soil type and crop re- to over-apply both. sponding recent records of $900-1,000 (in
be a key policy goal for the new government quirements. 2021-22 341.80 92.72 24.56 114.79 56.81 Ontheotherhand,MOP’sMRPof Rs1,650 Nov-Jan 2021-22), $950-960 (July 2022) and
thattakesoveraftertheconclusionof theLok In April 2010, the UPA government intro- 2022-23 357.25 104.18 16.32 100.74 50.17 perbagincentivizesneitherfarmerstoapply $590 (till March 2023).
Sabha election. duced a nutrient-based sub- 2023-24 357.80 108.12 16.45 110.73 45.44 directly nor companies to incorporate it into Even prices of phosphoric acid, a DAP
Urea consumption hit a sidy (NBS) system, under complexes.Themostwidelyconsumedcom- manufacturing input, are down to $948 per
record 35.8 million tonnes EXPLAINED which a per-kg subsidy was In lakh tonnes. *For direct application, excluding supply to complex plex fertiliser, 20:20:0:13, contains no K. tonne from the $1,715 levels of July-
(mt) in the fiscal ended
March 2024, 16.9% higher
ECONOMICS fixed for N, P, K, and S. The idea
was to wean away farmers
fertiliser units. Source: Fertiliser Association of India. “That isn’t good; potassium boosts im-
munity against pests and diseases as well as
September, 2022.
The cooling of international prices gives
than 30.6 mt in 2013-14, the from urea, DAP (18% N, 46% P uptake of nitrogen,” a source said. some flexibility to the next government to
year before the Narendra Modi government content) and MOP (60% K) in favour of com- cluded urea. With its maximum retail price The last couple of years have seen even Sources said an immediate challenge is rationalise MRPs of fertilisers and promote
came to power. Consumption of this fer- plex fertilisers containing N, P, K, S and other (MRP) being controlled, and raised by a total non-urea fertilisers being brought under to ensure proper “price hierarchy” among balanced plant nutrition. This could involve
tiliser, containing 46% nitrogen (N), fell dur- nutrientsinbalancedproportionswithlower of just 16.5% — from Rs 4,830 to Rs 5,628 per price control, first informally and then for- non-ureafertilisers.Thiswouldmeanpricing bringing urea under NBS and mitigating the
ing 2016-17 and 2017-18 — which was at- concentrations. tonne—posttheintroductionofNBS,ureacon- mally since January 2024. According to in- DAPthehighest,MOPlowest,andcomplexes impact of a significant hike in its MRP by in-
tributed to the mandatory coating of all urea Between 2009-10 and 2011-12, DAP and sumptionincreasedthroughthe10yearseach dustry sources, the restoration of controls in between. creasingthesubsidyratesonothernutrients.
with neem oil from May 2015. MOPconsumptiondeclined,andthatofNPKS of the UPA and Modi governments. has worsened nutrient imbalances. DAP use should be restricted mainly to
But the consumption of urea has only complexes and single super phosphate (SSP: The current MRP of DAP, at Rs 1,350 per rice and wheat. Other crops can meet their LONGER EXPLAINER, MORE DATA
gone up during the last six years (Table). 16%P,11%S)rose.ButNBSfailedbecauseitex- ‘Price hierarchy’ challenge 50-kg bag, is below the Rs 1,470 for the P requirement through complexes and SSP. indianexpress.com/explained

EXPLAINED ECONOMICS EXPLAINED LAW

WHYISCHINAMOREIMPORTANTFOR
TESLATHANINDIA? The question of Article 31C
While hearing a case about private property, SC has asked whether Article 31C, a fundamental right, still
RAVI DUTTA MISHRA
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 exists. What is this article, when was it introduced in the Constitution, what has been its legal journey?
WITHIN A week of postponing his visit to
India, Tesla CEO Elon Musk landed in inMumbaichallengedthe1986amendment
Beijing, underscoring China’s importance AJOY SINHA KARPURAM at the Bombay High Court. But the High
in the global supply chain of the world’s NEW DELHI, MAY 1 Courtupheldtheamendment,citingthepro-
most valuable electric vehicle (EV) maker. tection granted by Article 31C to laws en-
DURING THE ongoing hearing in the acted in furtherance of Article 39(b).
Battery production king Supreme Court to decide whether the gov- This decision was appealed at the SC in
China accounts for over half of the ernmentcanacquireandredistributeprivate December 1992, where the question even-
global EV sales, largely driven by its domi- property, a nine-judge Constitution Bench tually became whether “material resources
nanceinbatteryproduction.Musk’srecent led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y of the community” under Article 39(b) in-
China visit saw him meet Robin Zeng, the Chandrachud asked a question of “radical cluded private resources such as cessed
chairman of Chinese battery giant CATL, In Beijing, Musk reportedly won key constitutional consequence”: Does Article properties.
which accounts for two-thirds of global approvals for Full Self-Driving Reuters 31C still exist?
battery production, and is a supplier for Article 31C of the Constitution protects Arguments in the SC
Tesla and other major automakers like laws that are enacted to ensure that “mate- When the hearing finally began, on the
Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp. month after years of flip-flops. In 2018, rial resources of the community” are distrib- first day (April 23), the nine-judge Bench
the then Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant uted to serve the common good (Article seemed to agree with the Centre’s submis-
Shanghai gigafactory had said that there was no need for an 39(b))andthatwealthandthemeansof pro- sion that the case should be restricted to in-
WhenitcomestoEVproduction,China electric vehicle policy. However, in 2018- duction are not “concentrated” to the “com- terpreting Article 39(b). CJI Chandrachud
has left the US and Europe far behind, and 19,the Centre increased customs duty on mon detriment” (Article 39(c)). said, “It’s very clear that the ambit of the ref-
is now a key engine of growth for Tesla. In completely knocked down imports of Article 39 of the Constitution lists certain erence to nine judges is squarely only on the
2018,theEVmajoropeneditsbiggestman- motor vehicles, motor cars, motorcycles directive principles of state policy, which are content of 39(b),” according to reporting by
ufacturing unit in Shanghai after a new from 10% to 15%. Last month when India meant to be guiding principles for the enact- The Indian Express front page report on the Supreme Court’s judgment in the the Supreme Court Observer.
Chinesepolicyallowedforeigncarmakers finallyreleaseditsEVpolicy,iteasedduty ment of laws, but are not directly enforce- Kesavananda Bharati case. The court ruled that even laws that are protected by However, the very next day, the Bench
toestablishfully-ownedsubsidiariesinthe on completely built-up cars with a min- able in any court of law. Article 31C must pass the basic structure test — even if such laws can bypass stated that the question of whether Article
country.TheShanghaiplantproducesover imum investment limit for manufactur- As per Article 31C, these particular direc- Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution. 31C still lives following the Minerva Mills de-
1 million units of Tesla’s most successful ers at Rs 4,150 crore. tiveprinciples (Articles 39(b)and 39(c))can- cision has to be decided to avoid “constitu-
Model 3 and Model Y cars annually. not be challenged by invoking the right to tional uncertainty”.
Opportunity for India equality (Article 14) or the rights under by a constitutional amendment. v. Union of India, the Supreme Court struck Senior advocate Zal Andhyarujina, ap-
India’s nascent EV push DespiteChina’sdominanceovertheEV Article19(freedomof speech,righttoassem- As a part of this verdict, the court struck downclauses4and5of theamendment.The pearing for the petitioners, argued that the
Aglobalshiftfrominternalcombustion supply chain, its exports are increasingly ble peacefully, etc). down the last portion of Article 31C — the five-judge Bench held that Parliament’s original version of Article 31C was ‘substi-
engine vehicles to EVs presents a massive coming under scrutiny in Europe and the So why is the continued existence of part that states “...and no law containing a power to amend the Constitution was lim- tuted’withtheexpandedversionprovidedin
opportunity, but India’s EV push is still in US — presenting an opportunity for India. Article 31C itself now under question? And declaration that it is for giving effect to such ited; it could not be used to remove these the 42nd Amendment. This, Andhyarujina
itsnascency.Accordingtoa2022NitiAayog The European Commission (EC) in how is this article of the Constitution related policy shall be called in question in any court limitations and grant itself “unlimited” and argued, means the older version of the pro-
report,thebiggestdemandforlithium-ion Octoberlastyearlaunchedananti-subsidy to the question of private property that the on the ground that it does not give effect to “absolute” powers of amendment. vision ceased to exist once the amendment
batteries (LIBs) in India comes from con- investigation into the imports of battery court is considering? such policy”. However, this ruling birthed a conun- came into force. Therefore, when this new
sumerelectronicssuchaslaptopsandmo- electricvehiclesfromChina.“Basedonthe The Kesavanada ruling allowed land re- drum that the apex court must now address. Article 31C was struck down in Minerva
bile phones. The LIB market through EV investigation’s findings, the Commission Introduction of Article 31C forms laws that were under challenge, but By striking down a part of the 25th Mills, the older provision would not auto-
salesinIndiawasonlyabout1GWh,com- will establish whether it is in the EU’s in- Article 31C was introduced by The stated that even laws that are protected by Amendment, did the court strike down matically be revived.
paredto4.5GWhforconsumerelectronics. terest to remedy the effects of the unfair Constitution(Twenty-fifth)AmendmentAct, Article 31C must pass the “basic structure” Article 31C as a whole, or did it restore the On the other hand, Solicitor General
Thereport,however,saidthatIndiaiswell- trade practices found by imposing anti- 1971. The law was essentially framed to test—evenif suchlawscanbypassArticles14 post-Kesavananda Bharati position wherein Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, ar-
positioned to capture a large share of the subsidy duties on imports of battery elec- ringfenceanadversecourtrulingintheBank and 19. Simply put, the court ruled that the Articles 39(b) and (c) remained protected? gued that the doctrine of revival must apply
growing market, and could represent 13% tric vehicles from China,” the EC said. Nationalisation Case of 1970. land reforms did not violate the basic struc- in this case, and the post-Kesavananda
of global battery demand by 2030. Meanwhile, United States Secretary Article 31C says: “...No law giving effect ture of the Constitution, but for all future ex- Ongoing case in top court Bharati position on Article 31C must be re-
of Commerce, Gina Raimondo has also to the policy of the State towards securing aminations, the test would apply. ThecourtishearingachallengetoChapter stored. To explain the doctrine and justify its
Regulatory flip-flops warned that Chinese EVs are a threat to theprinciplesspecifiedinclause(b)orclause In 1976, Parliament enacted The VIII-A of the Maharashtra Housing and Area application, Mehta relied on Justice Kurian
India’s EV policy was released last the US carmakers. (c) of article 39 shall be deemed to be void Constitution (Forty-second) Amendment DevelopmentAct,1976(MHADA).Thischap- Joseph’s observations in the case where the
on the ground that it is inconsistent with, or Act, which expanded the protection under ter,introducedbyanamendmentin1986,al- courtstruckdown TheConstitution(Ninety-
takes away or abridges any of the rights con- Article 31C to “all or any of the principleslaid lows the government to acquire “cessed” ninth) Amendment Act (NJAC Act).
ferred by article 14, article 19 or article 31; down in Part IV of the Constitution”. As a re- properties in Mumbai at the request of the JusticeJoseph heldthatthe old collegium
and no law containing a declaration that it is sult, every single directive principle (Articles occupants,citingtheobligationunderArticle system for appointment of judges would be
for giving effect to such policy shall be called 36-51) wasprotected from challenges under 39(b) of the Constitution to distribute “ma- revived once the 99th Amendment (which
in question in any court on the ground that it Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution. terial resources of the community…to sub- introduced the National Judicial
does not give effect to such policy...” The Statement of Objects of Reasons for serve the common good”. Appointments Commission) was struck
the amendment stated that it was meant to Occupants of cessed properties — old, di- down. He observed, “Once the process of
Journey of Article 31C give precedence to the directive principles lapidated buildings that house poor tenants substitutionandinsertionbywayof aconsti-
The 25th Amendment Act was chal- “over those fundamental rights which have despite becoming increasingly unsafe — are tutional amendment is itself held to be bad
lenged in the seminal Kesavananda Bharati been allowed to be relied upon to frustrate requiredtopayacesstotheMumbaiBuilding and impermissible, the pre-amended provi-
case (1973) in which 13 judges held by a nar- socio-economic reforms for implementing RepairandReconstructionBoardwhichover- sions automatically resurface and revive.
row 7-6 majority that the Constitution has a the directive principles”. sees repair and restoration projects. That alone can be the reasonably inferential
“basicstructure”thatcannotbealtered,even In 1980, in its judgment in Minerva Mills In1991,thePropertyOwners’Association conclusion.”

Booker slavery links: Behind the criticism of the prestigious literary prize
writers all over the world. Every year, the gotFrenchGuiana(stillaFrenchoverseaster- Indentured labour single largest ethnic group in Guyana.
RISHIKA SINGH prize is awarded to a single work of fiction ritory), and the British got what is now The exploitation did not stop with the
NEW DELHI, MAY 1 in the English language. In 2004, a separate known as Guyana. Many entrepreneurial emancipation of the African slaves. Previous criticism
International Booker Prize was instituted Europeans like the Booker brothers headed Plantation owners like the Bookers joined In 1972, philosopher and art critic John
THE BOOKER Prize, one of the most presti- for translated works. to these colonies in search of fortune. in the exploitation of another population — Berger won the Booker Prize for his exper-
gious awards in the literary world, has re- The prize was co-founded by publish- The economy of Guyana was driven by Indian labourers who faced massive debt imental novel G. Protesting the prize’s links
peatedly come under fire for the historical ers Tom Maschler and Graham C Greene, the sugar and (to a lesser degree) cotton in- and unemployment at home, in no small to slavery, he donated half the prize money
links to slavery of its original sponsor, andfrom1969to2001,itwassponsored by, dustries,withAfricanslavesprovidinglabour part due to the agrarian policies of the East to the British Black Panther movement, an
Booker Group. and named after Booker ontheplantations.TheBookerbrotherswere India Company. organisation that fought for the rights of
Last week, a BBC Radio
host reminded the organisa-
EXPLAINED GroupLtd.BookerisaBritish
wholesale foods company
part of this slave-based economy.
According to the Booker website, Josias
“Rather than pay fair wages to free
Africanworkers,Britishplanterssuchasthe
Black people and minorities in the country.
During his acceptance speech, Berger
tion behind the prize that
Booker Group founders
HISTORY that was established in 1835
as a shipping and trading
managed a cotton plantation in northern
Guyana where he enslaved “nearly 200
Bookers convinced the British government
to help finance voyages to collect replace-
said: “Booker McConnell has had extensive
trading interests in the Caribbean for over
George and Josias Booker did company, and which is now people”. Along with his brother, he would ment sugar workers — indentured workers 130 years. The modern poverty of the
not, as the Prize website said, “manage” en- owned by Tesco. Berger, during his 1972 acceptance thengoontoownseveralsugarplantations, from India,” Natalie Hopkinson, a journal- Caribbean is the direct result of this and
slaved people — rather, they turned African In 2002, British investment manage- speech. Youtube screengrab/@TheBookerPrizes which too were operated by slave labour. ism professor whose ancestors were en- similar exploitation... The London-based
peopleintoslaves.Thewebsitethenchanged ment firm Man Group became the sponsor When slavery was abolished in Guyana slaved in Guyana and worked at the Black Panther Movement has arisen out of
the word “managed” to “enslaved”. of the prize, and it thus came to be known in 1834, “the Booker brothers received com- Bookers’ farms, wrote for The New York the bones of what Bookers and other com-
as The Man Booker Prize. After the Man Links to slavery pensationfromthestatefor52emancipated Times in 2017. panies have created in the Caribbean... [The
Prestigious honour Group ended its sponsorship in 2019, the Following the 1815 Congress of Vienna, slaves.TheLegaciesofSlaveOwnershipdata- The system of indentured labour lasted Black Panthers] have links with the strug-
The Booker Prize was founded in 1969, American charity Crankstart took over, and thenortheasterncoastofSouthAmericawas baseatUniversityCollegeLondonrecordsthe until about the 1920s. The scale of the mi- gle in Guyana…in Trinidad and throughout
initially just for writers from the reverted to the award’s original name, dividedamongthreeEuropeanpowers:the totalsumas£2,884,equivalentto£378,000in gration of labourers from India was such the Caribbean: the struggle whose aim is to
Commonwealth, but was later opened to Booker Prize. Dutchgotmodern-daySuriname,theFrench 2020,” the Booker website says. that people of Indian origin are today the expropriate all such enterprises.”
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024 15
CORPORATE BRIEFS
EVENT — RITES MEDICAL CAMP—ICG
The Indian Coast
RITES celebrated its 50th anniversary recently. The month-long
Guard (ICG) with su-
Foundation Day celebrations, ‘Marking The Gold’, carried across
pport of the UT ad-
worksites culminated with a cultural evening. On the occasion,
ministration and in co-
CMD Rahul Mithal launched RITES’ coffee table book – Atulya, a
EVENT—HUDCO llaboration with AIIMS
compilation tracing the organization’s illustrious journey of
To commemorate 54 years of dedicated service to New Delhi, conducted
becoming ‘The Infrastructure People’. In addition, it marked the
the nation, HUDCO organized its Foundation Day at a two-day medical camp in the remote islands of Kavaratti and
unveiling of ‘RITES Dharohar’, a novel initiative.
India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Sanjay Kul- Androth on 29 and 30 Apr 24 respectively.The outreach program
shrestha, CMD HUDCO congratulated & encouraged focused on providing super-specialist medical coverage in the far
MOU — RAILTEL
the employees. He said, “The dedication, expertise flung islands and benefit the local populace through consultation
RailTel has signed a Tripartite MoU with InoviTel LTD & Tsiko Africa
& unwavering commitment of our shared vision with domain experts. Dr M Srinivas, Director, AIIMS, Delhi is heading
Energy and Infrastructure for Tsiko Group to cooperate and
have been the driving force behind our achie- the medical team comprising of 15 specialist doctors from fields of
collaborate on projects to bring Indian technology, innovation and
vements”. On this occasion, awards for outstanding Gynecology, Pediatrics, Neurology, Dermatology, Orthopedic etc.
products to South Africa and the adjoining region & explore
performances were given to stakeholders, agencies as well as HUDCO employees. HUDCO
opportunities in Telecom, Railways and other IT/ICT businesses in
publications, namely, HUDCO Design Awards – 2023-24, SHELTER, HUDCO Darpan, Awaas Dhwani,
South Africa. UCO BANK Business Growth - Bank has shown consistent
Meru Sandesh, Madhya Sandesh, Johaar & several other magazines were released.
growth where total Business grew by 9.50% y-o-y to Rs.450007
MOU — NHPC crore ( 3.34% from Rs. 435456 Crore. q-o-q) on, wherein Gross
NHPC has signed an MOU with M/s Ocean Sun, a Norwegian company operating as a technology provider to the BUSINESS QUIZ WINNER — NTPC Advances increased by 15.62% y-o-y to Rs. 186877 crore (4.29%
floating solar industry. The MOU was signed in Hybrid mode by VR NTPC proudly announces its resounding victory at the prestigious SCOPE Business Quiz Bonanza, held from Rs. 179195 Crore. q-o-q) & Total Deposits grown by 5.53%
Shrivastava, ED (REGH), NHPC & Kristian Tørvold, CEO, Ocean Sun, in the recently at SCOPE Convention Centre, New Delhi as part of the Public Sector Day celebrations. The NTPC y-o-y to Rs.263130 crore (2.68% from Rs. 256261 Crore. q-o-q).
presence of May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India, RK team comprising of K M Prashanth, GM (CC) & Anshuman Srivastava, DGM (CP) emerged as the winner in the Advances in Retail, Agriculture & MSME (RAM) Sectors - RAM
Chaudhary, Dir. (Tech.), NHPC & R Gupta, ED (SBDC), NHPC at Embassy of grand finale, surpassing stiff competition from other esteemed public sector units. The prizes were distributed segment of the Bank increased by 13.88% y-o-y to Rs.97516 crore
Norway in ND & Dr. Acquino Vimal, Ambassador of India to Norway. by Amarendu Prakash, CMD (SAIL), Atul Sobti, DG, SCOPE, Uttam Lal, Director (HR), NHPC and others senior (4.05% from Rs.93720 Crore. q-o-q) backed by 14.62% y-o-y
dignitaries from SCOPE. DK Patel, Director (HR), NTPC congratulated the team members for their excellent growth in Retail advances, 13.16% y-o-y growth in Agriculture
PARADE — CRPF performance. More than 100 teams from various Maharatna, Navaratna and Miniratna PSUs participated in the advances and 13.53% y-o-y growth in MSME advances. Reduction
The Passing Out Parade of the 54th batch of 22 Directly Appointed quiz from across the country. After an initial screening round, followed by two semi-final rounds, the grand finale in NPA – Asset quality improvement is depicted by reduction in
Gazetted Officers of the CRPF took place at the CRPF Academy in had four teams - one team from NTPC and three teams from SAIL. After four rounds of quizzing, NTPC team Gross NPA by 132 bps to 3.46% ( by 39 bps from 3.85% q-o-q) &
Gurugram. The Parade was the culmination of a comprehensive 52- emerged as the winner. The quiz covered questions from management concepts, current business events, Net NPA reduction by 40 bps to 0.89% ( by 9 bps from 0.98% q-o-
week arduous training covering a wide range of subjects. The occasion brands, business personalities and also the history and legacy of Public Sector Companies. q)) as on 31.03.2024.
was graced by Anish Dayal Singh, DG of CRPF, as the chief guest of
the function. The parade was commanded by Vinay Jawla. BUSINESS QUIZ BONANZA — SCOPE Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board successfully
Fostering inter-organisational learning & teamwork, SCOPE organized a four-day National Paragliding Accuracy Competition
MOU — THDCIL hosted a thrilling Business Quiz Bonanza at SCOPE Complex, and Sky Diving Show at Koti Colony on the banks of the Tehri Lake.
THDCIL & SJVN Foundation have inked an MoU to establish THDCIL High- New Delhi. The event was addressed by Amarendu Prakash, 72 paragliders from India’s 15 states participated in the event,
Performance Academy in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Power Complex. Highlighting CMD, SAIL; Atul Sobti DG, SCOPE & Uttam Lal, Program including 8 women and local paragliders from Uttarakhand along
its significance, RK Vishnoi, CMD of THDCIL, said that this MoU underlines Director & Director (Pers.), NHPC. Witnessing an overwh- with a 12-yr-old paraglider, Om Takve. Over a period of 3 days, five
the commitment to not only provide affordable power 24 x7 to the nation but elming response, the event was attended by around 120 teams from 26 PSEs across the country. rounds of competition were organized. Himachal Pradesh
also unleashes the power of sports development in the country in the Enunciating the contributions & achievements of the Public Sector, SCOPE Quiz tested the acumen of dominated the competition with all three awards being bagged by
realization of the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat.’ participants on a wide range of topics, including business, economics & current affairs. Winners of SCOPE Sushant Thakur, Akshay Kumar & Naresh Kumar from Himachal
Business Quiz Bonanza are-Anshuman Srivastava & KM Prasanth, NTPC (Winner); Subhasish Wilfred Pradesh. Prize checks of Rs 1 lakh were distributed to the winner,
Kispotta & Anand Raj, SAIL (Runners-up). Rs 75 thousand to the runner-up, & Rs 50 thousand to the third-
MEETING— HEMKUND SAHIB MANAGEMENT TRUST place winner. Uttarakhand aims to develop Tehri as the hub of
Narinderjit Singh Bindra, the Chairman of the Hemkund Sahib FELICITATION—INDIANOIL paragliding activity & establish it as one of the world’s foremost
Management Trust, met the Governor, Lt Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) and Sukla Mistry, Dir. (Refineries) of IndianOil, visited PRPC to personally paragliding centres.
invited him to the Shri Hemkund Sahib Yatra to see off the first group of felicitate the team members behind the groundbreaking achievement of the
pilgrims being led by the Panj Pyaras from Rishikesh on May 22 for the All-Women Run 3G Ethanol & Butene-1 units. Since their inception in July
auspicious beginning of the Hemkund Sahib Yatra-2024. 2023, these units, under the stewardship of ML Dahriya, ED & Refinery THDCIL UJVNL Energy Company
Head, PRPC, have operated marking a significant milestone in the history Ltd. (TUECO), a Joint Venture of
of the Corporation. Mistry praised the women engineers, emphasizing THDCIL and UJVN Ltd., has inked
EVENT — PNB that their success has redefined excellence in the oil refining industry & highlighted IndianOil's commitment to an MoU with Nagar Nigam Haridwar
On the 130th foundation day of Punjab National Bank, a ceremony & empowering its women workforce. Under the guidance of SM Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil, this initiative not only to establish a Waste to Green
cultural programme were organized at the Zonal Office in Delhi, for senior signifies inclusivity but also underscores the company's dedication to shaping a brighter, more equitable future. Energy Plant worth Rs.140 crs. This
citizen customers. The ceremony commenced with the unveiling of a The 3G Ethanol Plant at Panipat Refinery, utilizing off-gases to produce ethanol, stands as a testament to initiative aims to convert 400 Tons
statue of the bank’s founder, Lala Lajpat Rai, by the Zonal Manager innovation & sustainability. per Day of Municipal Solid Waste
Sameer Bajpai, General Manager Vikramjit Som,and Rajeev Jain, along into 140 Tons of Green Charcoal. RK Vishnoi, CMD, THDCIL informed
with offerings of floral tributes. that the establishment of this plant is poised to address environmental
FINANCIAL RESULTS—REC
The Board of Directors of REC Limited, approved the audited challenges stemming from solid waste while fostering cleaner sur-
AGREEMENT—NDVSU roundings, aligning with the vision of Swachh Bharat. He further added
An agreement was signed between Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, & St. Petersburg State standalone and consolidated financial results for the quarter
& yearended 31 st March 2024. Revenue growth of 25% that representing a landmark for the sacred city of Haridwar, this end-
University of Veterinary Medicine of Russia. Under this agreement, eavour underscores India’s self-reliance ethos through the utilization
the representatives from Russia came on a two-day visit. Vice from operations: Rs.12,613 crore vs. Rs.10,113 crores.
Total income showed a growth of 25% from Rs.10,124 of cutting-edge indigenous technology for solid waste management.
Rector Professor Dr. Nikitin, Dr Lutik & Harsha Pandrangi visited The MoU was formalized between Varun Chaudhary, IAS, Municipal
the College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Jabalpur. crores to Rs.12,643 crore. Net interest income showed a growth of 29% from Rs.4,407 crore to Rs.3,409
crore. Net Profit showed growth 34% from Rs.4,016 crore to Rs.3,001 cr. Total Comprehensive Income Commissioner of Haridwar and Sandeep Kumar, CEO of TUECO Ltd.
During this visit, Vice Chancellor of the University, Dr. Sita Prasad in the presence of officials of TUECO and Nagar Nigam Haridwar.
Tiwari was present along with the representatives from Russia. showed 42% growth from Rs.5,183 crore to Rs.3,645 crore. Yield was 10.03% from 9.65%, up 38 bps.

   
INDO-TIBETAN BORDER POLICE (ITBP)
02 May 2024

Head Constable Constable Dama Ram

Tribhuwan Singh Siyol
Village- New Sera Pata Village- Shri Laxman
Post- Pithoragarh, Nagar
Distt.- Pithoragarh Post- Chadi
State- Uttarakhand. Distt.- Jodhpur
State- Rajasthan.

ITBP salutes its brave hearts Head Constable Tribhuwan

Singh and Constable Dama Ram Siyol of 14th Bn, who made
supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on this day in
Uttarakhand in 2018.
INDO-TIBETAN BORDER POLICE (ITBP)
02 May 2024
ITBP salutes its braveheart Head Constable
Om Prakash of 5th Battalion, who made
supreme sacrifice in the line of duty on this
day in Haryana, during Instructor duty at
BTC, Bhanu in 2008.
Head Constable Resident of : Village & Post.- Chhapar,
Om Prakash
Distt.- CharkhiDadri, State- Haryana.
Sep Bhaskar Shriram Patond
02 May 1996
On 02 May 1996, you made the supreme sacrifice fighting
terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir. We remember your courage
and determination and you continue to be an inspiration to
all of us.
Commanding Officer and all Officers
Brave Aath

WESTERN RAILWAY - VADODARA DIVISION

VARIOUS ENGINEERING WORKS
e-TENDER NOTICE NO.DRM-BRC 034 TO 036 OF 2024-25
Sealed Tenders for and on behalf of the President of India are invited by
Divisional Railway Manager (WA/C), Western Railway, Pratapnagar,
Vadodara-390 004 for the following works.
Sr. Tender No. & Approximate cost Bid Security to be
No. Name of Work of the work (₹) deposited (₹)
01 DRM BRC 034 OF 2024-25 11,56,362.59 23,100.00
Vadodara (P):- Annual Maintenance Contract of under ground
drainage system and manholes under the jurisdiction of Sr.Section
Engineer (Works) BRCP (Re-invite) (R-2)
02 DRM BRC 035 OF 2024-25 13,77,314.87 27,600.00
Vadodara Yard :- Annual Maintenance Contract of under ground ''IMPORTANT''
drainage system and manholes under the jurisdiction of Sr. Section Whilst care is taken prior to acceptance of advertising
Engineer (Works) BRCY
2,00,65,882.42 2,50,300.00 copy, it is not possible to verify its contents. The Indian
03 DRM BRC 036 OF 2024-25
Vadodara Division :- Improvement to road surfacing under Express (P) Limited cannot be held responsible for such
jurisdiction of ADEN-ANAND contents, nor for any loss or damage incurred as a
Date and time for submission of tender and opening of tender: result of transactions with companies, associations or
Tender is to be submitted on 17.05.2024 before 15.00 Hrs, and is to be individuals advertising in its newspapers or Publications.
opened on same date at 15.30 Hrs. Web site particulars and notice for We therefore recommend that readers make
location where complete details can be seen & Address of the office
from where the tender form can be purchased: Divisional Railway
necessary inquiries before sending any monies or
Manager (WA/C) Western Railway, Pratapnagar, Vadodara-1, Website: entering into any agreements with advertisers or
www.ireps.gov.in BRC018
otherwise acting on an advertisement in any manner
Like us on: facebook.com/WesternRly • Follow us on: twittter.com/WesternRly whatsoever.
 16 CLASSIFIEDS & TENDERS I,hitherto known as Vasant I,Nasir Hussain,S/o-Haji Ghulam I,Bhavika,D/O Rajesh Dalal R/O
PUBLIC NOTICE
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024
PUBLIC NOTICE

Classifieds
Kanwar,W/o Nain Singh,R/o- Mustafa DAR, House.no. H.NO H-2/27F/FF/BS,H-2 General Public is hereby informed that
My client Sh. Bhagwan Sahai S/o my client Sh. Roshan Singh son of
3015,Devi Singh Ji ki Haweli Ke 262,third-floor,Village Block,Mahavir Enclave,Palam-
Late Sh.Ram Chander, age about 70 Sh. Hukam Singh & his wife Smt.
Pas, Ward No- Saidulazab,New Delhi- Village Delhi 110045,changed year R/o House no.713 street no.8A, Inderjeet Kaur both Resident of House
50,Jodhpur,Rajasthan- 110030,changed my name to my name to Bhavika Dalal, Mandoli Village Delhi-110093, has No. B-78B Tilak Vihar,Tilak Nagar, New
PERSONAL 342001,have changed my name
and shall hereafter be known
Nasir Hussain DAR. permanently. 0040726443-9 severed/end all their relations from
wife Mrs. Satawati and younger son
Delhi-110018 have severed all relation
with their Son Paramjit Singh his wife
I, PATANGE SHANKAR 0040726479-5 I,Babu Lal S/o Moti Lal Naveen Sahai and his family and Smt. Manjeet Kaur & son Master
as Ichhu Devi. 0040726440-10 Manraaj Singh due to their misbehav-
JAGANNATH, father of, I,NISHTHA W/O-SHIVA Sharma,House no-RZ- debarred them from their movable
ior. My client have disowned and de-
PATANGE RUSHIKESH I,hitherto known as Paramjeet PASRICHA,R/O-A-11 BHAGWAN 195/16,Gali no-16,Tughlakabad and immovable properties due to
barred from their all movable and im-
Singh,S/o, Surinder Singh Extension,New Delhi- their quarrel-some nature and
SHANKAR presently,residing DASS-NAGAR PUNJABI BAGH movable properties. Anybody dealing
cunning in nature and misconduct with them shall do so at their own
at, SOHESHWAR PARK SAYALI, Sayan,R/o,WZ-235,FF,Gali EAST-DELHI-110026,HAVE 110019,have changed my Name
and misbehave with my client risks and responsibilities for the same.
FLAT.NO.6 SOMESHWAR-WADI no.16,Sant-Garh,Delhi- CHANGED MY NAME TO to Babu Lal Sharma, everyday and made life hell of my Praveen Rastogi (Advocate)
PASHAN-PUNE MAHARASHTRA 110018,have changed my name NISHTHA PASRICHA. Permanently. client and they neither following Regn. No. : D/244/06
and shall hereafter be known customs nor giving respect and take RZ-97, Khushi Ram Park, Uttam Nagar.
PIN= 411008, have changed my 0040726442-7
as Paramjeet Singh Sayan. 0040726479-3 care of my client and out of control
name from PATANGE SHANKAR
I,NISHA D/O-ROSHAN I,Ashwani Kumar Arya,S/o of my client.
JAGANNATH to SHANKAR 0040726443-6 PUBLIC NOTICE
JAGANNATH PATANGE, vide- LAL,R/O,HOUSE NUMBER- Sudarshan Kumar agarwalla, If anybody deals with them in any
It is for general information that I, manner then my client shall not be
I,Vijay Vir Singh,S/o-Chhidda 345,UPPER FIRST FLOOR,CHAND Address W-3/33 Wellington Dlf
Affidavit dated-01-MAY-24, at NEERAJ RAJA THAKUR S/O responsible for their any acts and
New delhi. 0040726479-9 Singh,R/o-C-383,Block- NAGAR,TILAK NAGAR,Delhi- City phase 5 gurgaon haryana
SH. SUDHIR PAL R/O H.NO. 61, deed in future.
C,Sector-MU-1,Greater 110018,have Changed my name 122009, 0040726443-1 VASUNDHRA APARTMENT,
I, PATANGE JYOTHI SHANKAR, NOTED:- The eldest son (Praveen
Noida,G.B. Nagar,U.P.- to MEENU. 0040726440-5 ROHINI SECTOR-9, NORTH
I,Anil Kumar Oberai S/o-Bhajan Sahai) and his wife (preeti) used to
mother of, PATANGE 201310,have changed the name WEST DELHI, DELHI-110085 provide food and clothing, as well as
RUSHIKESH SHANKAR I,NAYANA W/O.NARESH Lal Oberai,House.no.B-
of my minor sons from Arnav to declare that name of mine has been medical care of routine life to my
presently, residing at, BHATIA,ADD-RZ-2/230,K- 14,Ground floor,Defence
Arnav Singh for all future wrongly written as NEERAJ client, My client has given all right
SOHESHWAR-PARK SAYALI BLOCK,DAYAL-PARK,WEST colony,New Delhi -110024,have THAKUR in my minor daughter of his property to Praveen sahai and
purposes. 0040726469-3
FLAT NO.6,SOMESHWAR-WADI SAGAR PUR,SOUTH WEST- changed my Name to ANIL MAHIRAA THAKUR aged 17 his wife preeti.
I,Umesh Kumar S/o Durg Pal R/o DELHI-110046,changed my OBERAI,Permanently. years in her 10th class marks-sheet Sd/-
PASHAN PUNE MAHARASHTRA
PIN= 411008 have changed my House no-45,gali no-4 Surksha name to NAINA.For all,Future 0040726442-8
and certificate. The actual name of YOGENDRA KUMAR
Vihar,Vikas Nagar,Uttam mine is NEERAJ RAJA THAKUR, ADVOCATE
name from PATANGE JYOTHI Purposes. 0040726469-9 which may be amended accordingly. Enrl No.-D/1209/16
Nagar,Delhi-110059,have I,Amol Adlakha,S/o Mr RN
SHANKAR to JYOTI SHANKAR Ch. No. G. 713.
changed my name to Umesh. I,NAVEEN KUMAR SHARMA,S/O Adlakha, H.No.1643,Sector-
PATANGE, vide-Affidavit dated- Karkardooma Courts
RAJBIR SINGH R/O- 46,Gurugram -122003 Delhi-110032
01 MAY-24, at New delhi. 0040726442-5
27/39,GALI.NO-9 VISHWAS (Haryana),have changed my
0040726479-10 I,Sumit Mehra S/o Jai Mehra R/o NAGAR SHAHDARA,DELHI- daughter’s name,from Simran
PUBLIC NOTICE
I, Mujahid, S/o Mohd D-92, Sector-49, Noida(U.P) 110032,HAVE CHANGED MY to Simran Adlakha. Be It known to the public at
Achachhan, R/o Z-II/134 have changed my daughter’s NAME TO NAVEEN KUMAR 0040726469-5 large that my client Shyam
Welcome Seelampur, Delhi- name from Sahnvi Mehra to 0040726442-9 Singh S/o Sh. Partap Singh R/o
Sanvi Mehra for all future I,Amol Adlakha,S/o Mr RN Near MCD School, House No.
110053, have changed my name 7, Mukundpur Village, North
purposes. 0040726407-2 I,Rattan Kumar,S/O-Nand Adlakha,R/o.H.No.1643,Sector-
to Mujahid Husain, for all West Delhi, Delhi - 110042 has
Lal,R/O-D-5/111,Sultan 46, Gurugram- disowned/debarred his son
purposes. 0040726440-2 I,Shailesh Gupta,S/o Bhagwan Puri,DELHI-110086,HAVE 122003(Haryana),have namely Sumit Kumar and his
I, Mohammad Khalid s/o Rauf Gupta,R/o A-99,3Rd-floor CHANGED MY Son’s NAME changed my Son’s name from daughter-in-law Laxmi W/o
Ali Nasri r/o 1214, Gali Nasir Ali, Derawal-Nagar,New Delhi Mayank TO Mayank Rajbhar Namish to Namish Adlakha. Sumit Kumar R/o Near MCD
Kalan Mahal, Darya Ganj, Delhi- 110009,Have changed my name FOR ALL FUTURE PURPOSES.
School, House NO. 74,
to Selesh Gupta,for all 0040726469-4 Mukundpur Village, North West
110002 have changed my name 0040726469-2 Delhi, Delhi 110042 from all
to Mohammad KHALID RAUF. purposes. 0040726443-4 I,AWADHA NARAYAN their movable and immovable
I,Santro Devi W/o Bhagmal I,Mohd Salim,S/o Mohd SHUKLA,S/O A.P. Shukla,H.No.V properties and also severed all
0040726434-1 their relation from them with
Sharma R/o BH-684,East Sadeek,R/o-Z-II/217,Gali 32/4 A, Gali No.1,Arvind
their due misconduct/mis-
I, MANISH GUPTA, S/O SATISH Shalimar Bagh Delhi- No.4,Welcome,Seelampur, Nagar,Ghonda, Delhi- behaviour towards my client.
CHAND GUPTA, R/O- I 16, BETA 110088,have changed my name Delhi-110053,have changed my 110053,have changed my name My client has no concerned
2, GREATER NOIDA-UP 201308, to Santro Sharma name to Mohd Saleem. to AVADH NARAYAN SHUKLA. with them. If anybody deals
DECLARE THAT NAME OF MY with them shall do so at
0040726451-5 0040726458-4 0040726479-2 his/her/their own risks and
MOTHER HAS BEEN WRONGLY responsibility. My client shall
WRITTEN AS KAML GUPTA IN I,SHALLY, W/O SANDEEP I,Manu Jain S/o Late Shri Agni I,ANJALI DEVI W/O JITENDER not be responsible for their any
MY PASSPORT NO. E2574972. CHAUDHARY, R/O Kumar Jain R/o Tower-19, Flat- KUMAR R/O-551,3RD.FLOOR act and deed in future.
THE ACTUAL NAME OF MY RAGHUNATHPUR, MEERUT, 604, Lotus Boulevard, Sector- SHAKTI KHAND-4 BRAJESH KUMAR YADAV
100, Noida-201301 have INDIRAPURAM GHAZIABAD Advocate Ch. No. L-3, K.L.
MOTHER IS KAMLESH GUPTA UTTAR PRADESH-250626,have Sharma Block, Tis Hazari
changed my name to SHAILI. changed my daughter’s name U.P.-201014 HAVE CHANGED MY Courts, Delhi - 110054
0040726378-1
from Dhanishta Jain to Preksha NAME TO ANJALI CHAUDHARY
I, JOHN CLINT D’SILVA,son of, 0040726442-1 Jain for all future purposes. 0040726442-10 PUBLIC NOTICE
FRANCIS D’SILVA,residing at, I,SASHMITA 0040726407-1
KATTATH HOUSE,SNDP ROAD, PANDA,W/O.PRAKASH I,AMALESH KUMAR S/O Avadh My client namely Krishan Kumar S/o Late
Shri. Rishpal Singh R/o H-467, Vikaspuri New
SOUTH-CHITTOOR P.O, CHANDRA PANDA,ADD- I,Manoj Kumar R/o-Flat no.3005, Narayan Shukla,H.No.V Delhi-110018 Also, at: R/o 143 B Village
ERANAKULAM DIST, KERALA- FLAT.NO-21-D,DDA SFS FLATS Siena Tower, Mahagun 32/4A,Gali No.1,Arvind Shahpur Jat Delhi 110048, informed me that a
plot bearing no H-467, Vikaspuri New Delhi-
682027, have changed my name POCKET-1,SECTOR- Mezzaria, Sector-78 Noida, UP- Nagar,Ghonda,Delhi- 110018 was allotted to his father namely Late
from JOHN CLINT D’SILVA to 7,DWARKA,SOUTH WEST- 201301 changed my minor 110053,have changed my name Shri Rishpal Singh S/o Late. Shri Dalip Singh,
as alternate plot. My client inform that it's
JOHN CLINT DSILVAvide- DELHI-110075,changed my son’s name from Yuvaan to to AMLESH SHUKLA. came to his knowledge that some person has
Affidavit, dated-01-May-24. name to SASMITA PANDA,for Yuvaan Kumar Sharma for,all 0040726479-1
prepared the forge and fabricated paper of the
plot and trying to sale the said plot in market
all,future purposes purposes. 0040726386-1 and further stated that his father never sold the
0040726479-7 I,AARUSHI D/O ROSHAN LAL,R/O said plot to anyone and my client (Krishan
0040726469-11 I,MEERA SINGH,D/o.Sh.RAM A-141/1,3RD-FLOOR,BLOCK- Kumar) the legal here of Late. Shri Rishpal
I, ISRAT JAHAN,mother of,
SINGH R/o.6/5,FIRST- A,SHASTRI-NAGAR,DELHI-
Singh and in the possession of the said plot. If
SUHEL SABID presently, I,SARIKA MEHTA,W/o AMIT anybody deal with the said plot my client is not
FLOOR,GEETA-COLONY, DELHI- 110052.HAVE CHANGED MY liable for the same.
residing at-150/5, MEHTA,R/o H.NO-518, BLOCK- Sd/-
110031,have changed my name NAME TO ARUSHI GAUTAM.
Dharampur,P.O.- Araghar, B,SUDERSHAN-PARK RAMESH- (KULDEEP SINGH GREWAL)
to MANPREET KAUR,for all ADVOCATE
Dehradun,PIN-248001 NAGAR WEST-DELHI DELHI- 0040726443-3 Enrl.No. D/2294/2014
purposes. 0040726443-8
Uttarakhand, have changed my 110015,have changed my name Chamber No. 873,

name from ISRAT JAHAN to to KUMUD MEHTA,for all,future I,MANU GAUR,S/o MANOJ I, Vivek Chugh, S/o Ved Prakash 8th Floor, Lawyers Building,
Saket District Court, New Delhi
ISHRAT JAHAN, vide- Affidavit, purposes. 0040726443-7 GAUR,R/o A9/27,Vasant Vihar- Chugh, R/o 281/D-1, Ward No.2,
dated-01-MAY-24, at New Delhi. 1,South West Delhi, Delhi- Mehrauli, Delhi-110030, PUBLIC NOTICE
I,Rakesh,S/o Jai Pal Singh,R/o- 110057,have changed my name declares that VIVEK CHUGH It is for general information that my
0040726479-8 H.No-2,E Block,Street No- and VIVEK are the names of client Anita Gupta W/o Late Mr. R.C.
to MANU BHASKAR GAUR, for
I, Bhavya Singh Chouhan, D/O 12,Dayal Pur, Delhi-94,have same person i.e. myself. Gupta R/o C - 2 / 77, Ashok Vihar,
all future purposes. Phase-2, North West, Delhi - 110052.
Randeep Singh Chauhan, R/O- changed my name to Rakesh
0040726440-4 0040726383-1 She is the sole owner of the above
H 32/7, Shankar Vihar, Delhi Kumar 0040726479-4
mentioned property wants to renovate
Cantt, New Delhi 110010 have I,MAMTA KAUSHIK W/O-VED I, TANISHA VATS, D/O PAWAN the entire building with the
I,SAMI ALAVI,S/O.S.A.M
changed my name to Bhavya PARKASH R/O,600/16,CIVIL VATS, R/o WZ-446, Palam Collaboration. General Public is
ALAVI,ADD-G-18/1,HAJI
Singh Chauhan. 0040726443-2 LINES,GURGAON HARYANA- Village, New Delhi-110045 hereby informed that any person
COLONY,GHAFFAR MANZIL- claiming any right, interest, having any
122001,have Changed my name declares that both names
I, Atabul, S/o Phool Hasan, R/o S- EXTN.,JAMIA JAMIA NAGAR, objection for the above mentioned
to MAMTA. 0040726443-5 TANISHA VATS and TANNU
6/D-154, Navjeevan Camp, D- OKHLA,SOUTH EAST,DELHI- property in the name of my above
VATS are of same person and I named client, shall claim his/her their
Block, Govind Puri, Kalkaji, 110025,changed my name to I,Livika T Sumi,D/o Toluvi will be known as TANISHA VATS right shall write/contact me/us within
Delhi- 110019, have chaned my SYED SAMI ALAVI,for all,future Sumi,R/o H.NO-21,A Khel, for all purposes. 30 days from the publication of this
name to Atabul Khan, for all purposes. 0040726469-7 Diphuapar A, Chumukedima, notice, and thereafter no any objection
purposes. 0040726381-1 Nagaland-797115, have 0040726380-1 for the same will be entertained.
I,Roshan Jhana,W/o Gulam Gaus Sd/-
Bharti,R/o-61,Kishan Kunj changed my name to Livika. I, Sushil Kumar S/o Hari Ram PARVEEN KUMAR
I, Amanya Khan D/o Zulfakar (Advocate) Enrl. No. D/1005/2016
Khan R/o B-331/191, 4th- Extension,Near Pahalwan 0040726442-6 R/o-177,1st-Floor,Pocket-5, J-1/105, J. J. Colony Wazirpur, Delhi-52
Floor,Near Asifnawaz- Dairy,Laxmi Nagar, Delhi- Sector-22, Rohini,Delhi-110086,
110092,have changed my name I,KASHMIRI LAL,S/o Bala Ram have changed my name to PUBLIC NOTICE
Apartment, Naibasti, Jamia- Garg, R/o K-354,Dakshin
Nagar, Delhi-110025,have to Roshan Jahan. Sushil, for all future purposes. Be it known to all that my client Shri
Puri,Sector-5,Dr.Ambedkar Surender Singh Kasana S/o Late Shri Jai
changed my name to Amaniya 0040726458-3 Nagar,Delhi-110062,have 0040726379-1 Singh Kasana, Aged-70 years, R/o Kasana
Khan. 0040726476-2 changed my name to
Farm House, DLF Chhatarpur, Delhi has
I,Rinky,W/o Anil,R/o H.No- I, Shikha Sharma W/o Rajeev due to unavoidable circumstances,
I Zulfikar Khan S/O Faiz 90,Village Khanpur,Kasna, KASHMIRI LAL GARG, for all Sharma R/o A-403, Nistads severed all his relations and disowned his
son, Siddharth Kasana, from his
Mohammad R/o B-331/191, 4th- Gautam Budh-Nagar,Noida, future purposes. CGHS, Plot No.2, Sector-18A, movable/immovable properties/assets
Floor, Near Asifnawaz- Uttar Pradesh-201301,have 0040726440-3 Dwarka, New Delhi-110075, with effect from 30.04.2024. Anyone
Apartment, Naibasti, Jamia- changed my name Rinky have changed my name to dealing with the above-named person

Nagar, Delhi-110025,have Bhati,for all purposes. I,Jitender Kumar, H.No.657, Shikha Nautiyal.
shall be doing at his own risks/
consequences and my client shall not be
changed my-name to Zulfakar Khandrai, Sonipat (Haryana), responsible for any of his acts/ liabilities
0040726451-4 have changed my-Minor 0040726476-3 in any manner whatsoever. I hereby also
khan. 0040726476-1
cancel all or any Power of Attorney
I,Rajvinder Devgun,S/o Roshan Daughter name, from Angel to I, Shelly D/o Sh. Ashok Kumar, executed in his favour qua any movable
I Shahida Begum W/O, Abdul Angel Sehrawat. 0040726440-9 holder of Indian Passport No.
Lal Devgun R/o.H.No.562,DDA- or Immovable properties.
Gafoor R/o 422, Shahzada T2785768, R/o H No. B-V-732, Sd/-
Flats,Pocket-1,Sector-A- I,Jitender Kumar,H.No.657,
Bagh, Inderlok, Delhi-110035 Agger Nagger, Maler Kotla,
GARIMA VERMA
6,Narela Delhi-110040,have Khandrai, Sonipat Advocate
have changed my name to Sangrur, Punjab, India have
changed my name to (Haryana),have changed my I-10, 2nd Floor, Jungpura-B,
Shahida. changed my name Shelly and Delhi - 110014
Rajvinder. 0040726469-6 Minor Son name,from Jatin to
0040726374-1 surname Shelly.
I,RASHMEET MEHDIRATTA W/O- Jatin Sehrawat. 0040726440-8
I Raj Babu Gupta S/o. Late Ram 0040726429-1
PUBLIC NOTICE
RANDEEP SINGH R/O-4/216, I,Jasbir Kaur W/o,No. 4548934W “Public at large is hereby informed that my
Swaroop Gupta, R/O: C-267
SUBHASH NAGAR, Delhi- Rank Ex NK Harjit Singh R/o, I, SUNIYA BEGUM, W/o
clients Shri Naresh Kumar S/o Late Sh.
STREET No.-4, Phase 2, Shiv Haridwari Lal and Smt. Krishna Devi W/o
110027,have Changed my name H.No.170.Second-Floor, PKT- SHUJAUDDIN, R/o 364, Bazar Sh. Naresh Kumar both R/o Plot No. 606,
Vihar, Karawal Nagar, Delhi-
RASHMEET KAUR. 25,SECTOR-24, Rohini,Delhi- Matia Mahal, Jama Masjid,
KH. No. 31, Near Arya Samaj, Banker,
110094 have changed my Name North West Delhi, Delhi-110040 have
from Raj Babu to Raj Babu 0040726451-1 110085, have changed my date Delhi-110006, have changed my severed relations with their sons namely
Krishan, Rinku and Amit. They have
Gupta for all future purposes of Birth from. 24.6.1964 to name to SURAIYA BEGUM. disowned and debarred them from all their
I,RADHA DEVI, W/O,TIKENDER 07.07.1964 vide-affidavit movable and immovable properties,
0040726373-1 SINGH,R/O , B- 0040726394-1 whatsoever and wheresoever situated in
dt.01.05.24, before.Delhi. their name due to their quarrelsome,
516,JAHANGIRPURI DELHI I, Phool Hussain, S/o Biri Shah, dis-respective behavior, mis-conduct and
I Abdul Gaffor S/O, Mohd Ayub 0040726442-3
33,HAVE CHANGED MY NAME R/o S-6/D-154, Navjeevan
being out of control of my clients. My
R/o 422, Ph-1, Shahzada Bagh, clients will not be responsible for any act
TO RADHA PERMANENTLY. I,JITENDRA GARG,S/O.HARI Camp, D-Block, Govind Puri, and conduct of the said sons namely
Inderlok, Delhi-110035 have Krishan, Rinku and Amit and if anybody
changed my name to Abdul 0040726451-2 SHANKAR,H.NO-140,NAGLA Kalkaji, Delhi- 110019, have deals with them shall be doing so at their
Gafoor. 0040726375-1 ROAD,HARI CYCLE-WORKS chaned my name to Phool own risks, consequences and
I,Prachi Gupta,D/O-Sandeep SUNDER-COLONY, Hasan, for all purposes.
responsibilities.
Sd/-
I Arun Kumar S/o Late Om Kumar Gupta R/O-C- NIT,FARIDABAD HARYANA- AVIRAL GARG (Advocate)
Prakash R/o Flat No.804, Tower 3/142,Sector-5,Rohini,Delhi- 0040726381-2 Ch. No. 737, W.Wing,
121005,changed my name to
-9, Parshvnath Regelia, 110085,inform that Prachi and I, Sanjog Bhatia S/o Mahinder Tis Hazari Courts, Delhi-54
JITENDER GARG,FOR
G.T.Road, Opposite Surya Farm, Prachi Gupta is the same Pal Singh R/o I-270, Naraina-
ALL,FUTURE PURPOSES.
Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, U.P.- person. 0040726469-1 Village, New Delhi-110028, have
201005 have changed my name 0040726469-10 changed my name to Sanjog
I,Poonam,D/O Bhagwan Das Singh Bhatia.
to Arun Kumar Gupta for all W/O Pawan Kumar Baswal R/O- I,JITENDER CHAUDHARY S/O RAJ
purposes. 0040726376-1 0040726162-5
I-II= 226-227,Madangir Delhi- KUMAR CHAUDHARY R/O-551
3RD.FLOOR SHAKTI KHAND-4 I,Kum. Vandana Siroya alias
I Aayus Agarwal S/O, Anand 110062,have changed my Name Ratna Modi D/o, Kailash Chand
Kumar R/o G-38, First Floor, Poonam to Premvati,for INDIRAPURAM GHAZIABAD
Siroya W/o Shailendra Modi
Phase-1, Ashok Vihar, Delhi- all,future purposes U.P.-201014,HAVE CHANGED MY
R/o,H.No.A-41, Suryanagar,
110052 have changed my name NAME TO JITENDER KUMAR.
0040726458-1 Ghaziabad, U.P.-201011,have
to Ayush Agarwal. 0040726442-11 changed my-name to Ratna
I,Parkash Wati D/o,Sh.Rattan Modi .
0040726123-1 Singh W/o,Sh. Kaptan I,Harman Singh Bhinder Alias
0040725674-5
I,TASNEEM FATEMA,W/O.MOHD Singh,R/o 6128/4,First Harmanpreet Singh Bhinder
NASIR R/O.2213,GROUND- Floor,Sector-D,Pocket-6,Vasant S/o,Harpreet Singh Bhinder
R/o,B-401, 4th-Floor,Media-
FLOOR NAYA MOHALLA QASIM Kunj,Delhi-110070,have
Apartment, Plot-18A,Sector-7,
LOST & FOUND
STREET,CHANDNI changed my,name to PARKASH
CHOWK,DELHI-110006,changed PRIYA SINGH for all,Purposes. Dwarka,New Delhi-110075,have My original property
my name to TASNEEM changed my-name to Harmann documents/ownership
0040726440-7 Singh Bhinder for-all-
NASIR,for all,future purposes. papers/chain of Property No.B-
I,PUNIT KUMAR SHARMA,S/O purposes. 330, Pandav Nagar, Delhi-11008,
0040726469-12 LALITA PRASAD 0040726476-4 has lost. finder contact:
I,NARESH MITTAL S/O-DEEN SHARMA,R/O,A-6/7,RAIL I,Ghulam Ghous Bharti,S/o Ramesh Kumar S/o Ram Kishan
DAYAL,R/O- 12E,PRASHANT- VIHAR,SHIPRA SUN CITY, Siddique Ahmed,R/o-61,Kishan Mobile-No. 7838640190.
VIHAR,OUTER-RING ROAD, INDIRAPURAM,GHAZIABAD,UT PUBLIC NOTICE
Kunj Extension,Near Pahalwan 0040726476-7
ROHINI,,Delhi-110085,have TAR PRADESH-201014,have Dairy,Laxmi Nagar,Delhi-
The general public is hereby informed
that my Clients, Sh Chaman Lal Sharma
Changed my name to NARESH changed my name to PUNIT 110092,have changed my name S/o. Shri Bansi Lal Sharma and his wife,
KUMAR. 0040726442-2
CHAND MITTAL. to Gulam Gaus Bharti. PUBLIC NOTICE Smt. Pooja Rani, both R/o. A-1/197,
Madhu Vihar, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi-
PUBLIC NOTICE
0040726440-6 I,PRERNA BHATIA,D/O.NARESH 110059 have severed/terminated all
My client VIMAL SEDHA, aged 69 years,
0040726458-2 residing at C-8/18, MIG Flats, Keshav Puram,
I Smt Kungi Thanzuava w/o (L) Lt Col BHATIA,ADD-RZ-2/230,K- their relations with their son Sh Ravi New Delhi -110035 INDIA that he is Great Uncle

BLOCK ,DAYAL-PARK, WEST I,DINESH SINGHAL S/O SATYA PUBLIC NOTICE Kant Sharma as he has acted against and legal guardian of NIRBHAY SEDHA, son of
''IMPORTANT''
L Thanzuava r/o Windyridge Lower MY CLIENT SAMUNDRI DEVI & their wishes and is no longer residing Smt. Lata Sedha, who resides at C-6/125, Keshav

Pohkseh Shillong hereby declare SAGAR PUR,SOUTH- NARAYAN GUPTA R/O 198- CHANDRESHWAR DAS BOTH R/O with them.
Puram, New Delhi-110035, INDIA. That

199,POCKET-21,SECTOR-
NIRBHAY SEDHA has been under care of my Whilst care is taken prior to acceptance of advertising
that K Thanzuava and Kungi WEST,DELHI-110046,changed H.NO.E-110, JAHANGIRPURI DELHI- Both of my above named clients have client both financially and physically, since his

my name to PRERNA,for 24,ROHINI,DELHI-110085.HAVE 110033 HAS SEVERED ALL RELATIONS also disinherited, disowned and debarred birth. That as the legal guardian, my client have copy, it is not possible to verify its contents. The Indian
Thanzuava are one and the same DEBAR AND DISOWN THEIR SON
their said son from their lives as well as
provided for NIRBHAY SEDHA's welfare and

person vide affidavit at Shillong dtd all,future purposes. CHANGED MY NAME TO DINESH MOHAN KUMAR AND MANTU KUMAR
from their movable and immovable
have been responsible for his upbringing, taking Express (P) Limited cannot be held responsible for such
AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW MS.ASHA care of his educational, medical, and general
09/04/2024. 0130041814-1 KUMAR. FROM THEIR ALL MOVABLE AND properties. Anybody dealing with Sh. well-being. That my client undertake to continue contents, nor for any loss or damage incurred as a
0040726469-8 0040726440-1 IMMOVABLE PROPERTIES DUE TO Ravi Kant Sharma will do so at providing financial and emotional support to

I.BABLU,S/O RAJARAM, R/O,T- THEIR MISBEHAVIOUR, MISCONDUCT his/her/their own risks, costs and NIRBHAY SEDHA for his higher education and result of transactions with companies, associations or
I,Neelanjana Chakravaty,W/o I,Chitra D/o Sanjay R/o C- AND ADAMANCY. ANY ONE DEALING consequences and my Clients will not be
other needs. my client commit to supporting his
HUT-158, BLOCK- Ranjit Chakravorty,R/o H.No.B- WITH THEM SHALL BE AT THEIR OWN responsible for any act, deed or dealing
pursuit of master's studies in Australia and any individuals advertising in its newspapers or Publications.
EE,JAHANGIRPURI DELHI- 6/193,Sultan Puri North West RISK AND PERIL. done by Sh. Ravi Kant Sharma in future.
other needs that may arise during the course
We therefore recommend that readers make
7,Sushant Lok Phase- Delhi-110086 have changed my Sd/-
of his studies.
Sd/-
33,HAVE CHANGED MY NAME Sd/-
1,Gurugram (Haryana)- name to Chitra Tanwar
SRIKRISHAN MITTAL
Prachi Vashisht
Dhananjay Kr. Mishra necessary inquiries before sending any monies or
TO BABLU KUMAR 122009,have changed my name Advocate
Advocate
(Advocate)
Enrol No. D/515/08 entering into any agreements with advertisers or
Ch. No. P-19, P.O. Lane
PERMANENTLY. to Neelanjana Chakraborty. 0040726451-6 Tis Hazari Colurt Enrol No. D-1233/2001 Ch. No. 1004, 10th Floor,
Delhi-110054 A-4, Defence Colony, Lawyer's Chamber Block,
District Court Ronini
otherwise acting on an advertisement in any manner
0040726451-3 0040726442-4 New Delhi-110024 Delhi-110085 whatsoever.
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

17 SPORT
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024
PLAYING TODAY
IPL: SRH vs RR, 7.30pm;
Live on: Star Sports Network &
streaming on Jio Cinema

EMOTIONAL
Deep Impact IPL SNIPPETS
STANDINGS
M W L T Pts NRR

ROLLERCOASTER The innovation has seen scoring rates go through the roof, but hampered the development of all-rounders
RR
KKR 9
9 8
6
1
3
0
0
16
12
0.694
1.096
Hot heads, calm minds and LSG 10 6 4 0 12 0.094
everything in between LALITHKALIDAS&TANISHQVADDI CSK 10 5 5 0 10 0.627
MAY1 SRH 9 5 4 0 10 0.075
Dhoni plays to Flatsurfacesandanincreasedrelianceonun-
DC 11 5 6 0 10 -0.442
PK 10 4 6 0 8 -0.062
the gallery proven bowlers across a 10-team pool are
amongthereasonsfortheunprecedentedand GT 10 4 6 0 8 -1.113
consistenthugetotalsandsix-feststhisIndian
MI 10 3 7 0 6 -0.272
Premier League season. But nobody can deny
that the Impact Player rule has also played a RCB 10 3 7 0 6 -0.415
big role by allowing an extra batsman and
more freedom to go on an all-out offensive
throughouttheinnings.Therule,introducedin
the2023edition,hasbeenanincreasinglypo- Gujarat’slosscould
larisinginnovationinthisevolution,withsev-
eral bowlers following Indian captain Rohit bePakistan’sgain
Sharma condemning the practicality of the
rule. It has also hurt the development of all- GaryKirsten,Pakistan'snewhead
rounders, a rare commodity in Indian cricket. coachinthewhite-ballformats,
Whendoesheroworshipturnintodis- couldjointhenationalsquad
respect for lesser mortals? When does The major protagonists directlyinIrelandif hisIPLteam
turning down runs, that to in the final While the Impact Player has indeed up- GujaratTitansdoesnotqualifyfor
over with a specialist batsman and scaled scoring rates throughout the 20 overs, thePlay-offsstage. APCBofficial
bonafidesix-hitterattheotherend,be- batting in the Powerplay and death overs has saidKirsten,whilesigningthe
comesanissuefortheteam'sfans?Not seen the biggest spike from the previous edi- contract,hadmadehis
inChennaionWednesday.It'snosecret tion. Among the mavericks are three teams commitmentwiththeIPLfranchise
thatthehomecrowd'schiefmotivation who were among the bottom four in 2023 - for thisseasonveryclear.Kirstenis
for coming through the turnstiles at Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad associatedwithGTasbattingcoach
Chepaukwashavinganaudiencewith and Delhi Capitals, who have rejigged their andmentor.Theofficialaddedthat
theirbelovedThala.MSDhonicameout combinations. incaseGujaratmaketheIPL
with a little more than two overs left, KKR’s charge has been led by the unlikely playoffs,thenKirstenwilljointhe
andmanagedtoscore14off11ballsbe- opening pair of Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. teaminEnglandforthelasttwo
fore getting run out off the final ball of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have games."If Gujaratdon'tqualifyfor
the innings, the first time he has been formed a potent concoction up top for SRH. theplay-offswhichwillbecome
dismissedthisseason.Hehitafourand Aussie sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk has clearbyaroundMay16or17,or
a six but didn't manage to do much formed the core of Delhi’s early charge. perhapsbeforethatKirstenwill
else. But what wasn't a good look was Evenatthedeath,wheretheaverageruns thenjointhePakistanteamdirectly
Dhoni hitting a ball to long-off and per over this season stands at a mindblowing inIrelandbeforeseriesagainst
Daryl Mitchell running two runs by 12.05,rookieorout-of-favourIndianbatsmen England,"theofficialsaid. PTI
himself without any addition to the lead the charts along with overseas stars.
scoreasDhonididn'tbudgefromhispo- Among the leading run-scorers at the death,
sition. The Kiwi is known to find the
stands himself. Maybe, Dhoni thought
Delhi’sTristanStubbsstandstallwitha292.30
strike rate. Among Indians, Dinesh Karthik,
Shivam Dube, who bowls military medium, has hardly turned his arm over for Chennai this season. Sportzpics for BCCI Leecallsforbetter
Arshdeep’sleft-armanglewouldbedi-
ficult for Mitchell. Or he just remem-
wholastplayedforIndiaatthe2022T20World
Cup, leads with a strike rate of 231.42. Powerplay strike rate which still reels under
injurymanagement
beredthefirstruleofmassmedia:Give
the public what they want! Pics:PTI
InternationallyretiredMSDhoniandaslewof
uncapped batters like Rahul Tewatia, Riyan
130 since 2023.
The likes of Phil Salt-Will Jacks (England),
How the bat has ruled the roost FormerAustraliafastbowlerBrett
LeefeelsLucknowSuperGiantsdid
Parag, Abdul Samad, Shashank Singh and Travis Head-Jake Fraser-McGurk (Australia), notmanageMayankYadav'sinjury
Ashutosh Sharma also feature in the list. andFinnAllen-DevonConway(NewZealand), The top five IPL teams based on scoring rates well,suggestingthattheyoung
Wide of the season Amajorfactorinthisupsurgehasbeenthe who are the probable openers at the show- Power Play Middle Overs Death Overs tearawaypacerwasbroughtbackto
impactofoverseasbatsmenandtherelatively piece event, would come all guns blazing in IPLactionprematurelyafterbeing
2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024
This season has been restorative for youngerIndianswhohaveboughtintotheat- the first six overs. India would be optimistic sidelineddue toabdominal
Harshal Patel. The key was he began tacking approach more than senior Indian thatRohitandYashasviJaiswal/ShubmanGill 1 9.40 (RR) 12.14 (SRH) 9.25 (MI) 10.05 (KKR) 12.17 (GT) 13.40 (KKR) soreness."Asidestrainorwhatever
to use his slower blower judiciously players. The average strike rate of the tourna- would match the other pairings. 2 9.35 (CSK) 11.18 (KKR) 8.80 (KKR) 9.53 (MI) 11.82 (RR) 12.69 (SRH) they'recallingit,normallytakesat
and at the same time rediscovered his ment currently stands at an all-time high, a 3 9.25 (RCB) 10.41 (DC) 8.75 (RCB) 9.36 (SRH) 11.70 (PK) 12.62 (RR) leastfourtosixweekstoevencome
mastery of length, the polestar of his shade above 152, a hike of more than 10 runs Pitfall of Impact Player rule right.We don't knowthedepthsof
success in the past editions. But his from the 2023 season (141.71). Apartfromstrikerates,theothermajoris- 4 9.23 (MI) 10.14 (MI) 8.67 (GT) 9.20 (RCB) 11.52 (CSK) 12.29 (DC) howbigastrainitwasbutfor
first ball against CSK was a throwback suetheIndianteamisfacingisthelackofbats- 5 8.70 (GT) 9.48 (RCB) 8.63 (CSK) 9.14 (DC) 10.94 (MI) 12.28 (CSK) somebodywhoispushingthelimits
to his scattergun days. He simply
What does this mean for India ? men who can chip in with a couple of overs. of hisbodybybowling150kmph,
missed thedirectionandthemoment When India made 168 batting first in the “GuyslikeWashingtonSundarandShivam that'snotgoodmanagementatall,"
it left his palms, everyone knew its 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide, Dube are not getting to bowl, which for us is India batting record since India’s batting record at LeesaidinaJioCinemarelease."His
destination, the fence-cushion, to the they would have been cautiously optimistic. not a good thing,” Sharma recently said on a Impact Player’s inception T20 World Cup 2022 firstgamecomingbackandgetting
left of the fine-leg fielder. It started on However,whatfollowedwastheharshestles- podcast. Dube, who bowls military medium, injured,hastodirectlybeonthe
leg-stump, then swung away further, son Rohit Sharma and Indian cricket had to couldbequiteahandfulonstickyWestIndian ■ Stike Rate *No. of innings ■ Stike Rate *No. of innings leadershipandthemedicalstaff of
and the further, missing Ruturaj’s leg- learn in the format. The way Jos Buttler and wickets. However, Chennai Super Kings theLucknowSuperGiants." PTI
glance, slid past the wide-line and the Alex Hales ruthlessly punished the Indian haven’t needed his services so far. Mumbai 184.58 192.46
lunging ’keeper and sped to the fence. bowlers indicated the modern mindset of IndiansyoungsterTilakVarmahasnotbowled
128.68 146.09 131.17
Harshal smiled. His captain Sam batsmen in the format. mucheither.Butthebiggestvictimof therule
(25*) (25*)
(22*)
100.46 (6*)
(6*)
Irfanquestions
Curran threw a stink eye. Sharma and KL Rahul were severely criti- has arguably been Sunrisers Hyderabad all- (6*)
cised for their pedestrian batting style in the rounderWashingtonSundar.The24-year-old Hardik’scommitment
Powerplay throughout the tournament. The burstontothesceneasareliable4-overbowler
The long wait onlyplayerconformingtothemodernwayof andahandybatdowntheorder.However,the
Power Play Middle Overs Death Overs Power Play Middle Overs Death Overs
Hardik Pandya's commitment
T20 cricket was Suryakumar Yadav. Hyderabad franchise could not find a role for towards Indian cricket has been
As many as 871 sixes were struck in However, the introduction of the Impact him in the last couple of years which has questionable over the years with
48gamesthisseason,wherebatsmen Player rule has improved the batting strike dented his growth as a player. someone like Jasprit Bumrah being
have made litttle fuss about clearing ratesofIndianbatsmen.Sincethe2022World “Everyteamislookingtoplayeitherapure
IPL SRs of top 10 India batsmen since last T20 World Cup more capable of playing the role of
the ropes. Yet, a match comes revers- Cup, Sharma has been trying to lead from the batsmanorapurebowlerastheImpactPlayer, Rohit’s deputy in the upcoming T20
IPL ’24 (innings) T20I SR since Oct 2022 (innings)
ing the trend. For 16.1 overs, CSK’s frontasstrikeratestakeprecedenceoveraver- and all-rounders are not being used,” Delhi World Cup , reckoned Irfan Pathan.
batsmenstruggledtothudtheballbe- ages. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya have also Capitalsall-rounderAxarPatelwouldobserve. Rohit Sharma 160.30 (9) 127.27 (11) Post T20 World Cup, there was a
yond the ropes. Finally, a waist-high attempted to adapt to the new demands but TheImpactPlayerwasintroducedthrough Virat Kohli 145.76 (9) 142.74 (9) new plan; they aimed for a younger
no-ball, upon review, granted the op- haven't managed to do so on a consistent ba- thedomesticSyedMushtaqAliTrophy,which team with Pandya and Surya as
Suryakumar Yadav 171.13 (6) 170.07 (27)
portunity for Gaikwad to have a go of sis. However, the Impact Player rule has defi- has also seen changes in how part-time spin- potential captains. Yet, questions
the ensuing free-hit. And so he did, nitelybenefitedupcomingIndianyoungbats- ners have been utilised over the last couple of Yashasvi Jaiswal 157.34 (9) 161.93 (16) arise regarding Pandya's
clumping the ball into the stands. One men who have been able to unlock their seasons.RiyanParagstandsasanoutlierinthe Ruturaj Gaikwad 142.44 (8) 147.17 (9) performance consistency and
six brought more, likestate-run buses range-hittingpotentialandimaginationtoplay domestic game, having bowled consistently commitment to Indian cricket,"
Hardik Pandya 151.53 (9) 120.46 (17)
(of most states), and Gaikwad some cheeky scoops, which have not been in despitetherule.However,hehashardlyrolled Pathan opined on Star Sports Press
wrapped up the over with another the traditional Indian coaching manual. hisarmforRoyalsoverthelastcoupleofovers. Rinku Singh 157.74 (7) 176.23 (11) Room Show, Ticket to World Cup.
maximum. Two balls later, Bairstow Sincetheinceptionoftherule,themodern The waning relevance of multi-dimen- Tilak Varma 158.49 (9) 139.41 (15) Pandya hasn't played any domestic
helped his English mate Moeen with wayhasalsopercolatedintothewayIndiahas sional cricketers will only wear down India's cricket for Baroda close to five years
Shubman Gill 146.15 (9) 147.57 (14)
another,whentheballleaptoutof his beenplayingT20Internationalsaswell.Oflate, progressintheformat,forcingthemtoscram- now and Pathan isn't amused by
hands past the ropes. Indiahaskeptattackingthroughthe20overs. ble hard to achieve balance in their XI for in- Ishan Kishan 165.62 (9) 111.94 (13) his absence. PTI
However, they would want to boost their ternational games.

KINGS TRUMP SUPER KINGS

Chahar, Brar strangle Chennai before Punjab coast home as dew sets in
Rossouw injected the impetus that Punjab Chennai’s innings, there was already con- figures of 4-0-16-2, while Brar ended with
SYNOPSIS sought. Apart from providing stability, they siderable dew on the outfield. This should 4-0-17-2.
ensured pressure was firmly on Chennai at With every passing home have woken them up. However, openers Despite watching spinners taking con-
Despite getting a pitch to their all times, more so after they lost Deepak match, the road ahead is Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane went into a trol, Chennai chose to send Jadeja at No.4, a
liking at Chepauk, Chennai Super Chahar, who limped off after bowling just beginning to get challenging shell and only came out of it in the final two batsman who doesn’t have a favourable
Kings slip up against Punjab Kings, two deliveries. overs of the Powerplay, which took Chennai match-up against them. Three quick wickets
lose by seven wickets. Havingalreadyused theImpactSub with for Chennai. to 55/0. and Chennai used their Impact Sub –
the bat, Chennai were a bowler short. For Sameer Rizvi – in the 10th over with the run
them to stay in the game and bring their Strangle by spin rate at 7.1. From there on, for Chennai to be
spinners into the equation, they needed fluence in pitch preparation, they stumbled Three successive boundaries by Rahane in the game, they needed an extraordinary
VENKATA KRISHNA B wickets in the Powerplay. on a track that was a throwback to the old offeredawindowof hopeforChennai.Butlit- effort, but the harder they tried, the more
CHENNAI, MAY 1 But Bairstow and Rossouw didn’t give an days of home dominance, when spinners tledidtheyknowthattheywouldgo55deliv- they struggled.
inch for a Chennai comeback. With dew found purchase. eries without a boundary off the bat as And having watched their spinners suc-
making it even more difficult – the two- However, their batsmen failed to show Punjab’sspinnersstrangledChennai.Left-arm ceed, even Punjab Kings pacers were now
Fortress breached again
paced nature giving way to the ball quicken- the intent required on the surface. As Ruturaj spinner Harpreet Brar and leg-spinner Rahul beginning to take pace off the ball. It didn’t
PUNJAB KINGS are making this a habit. For ing off the pitch – Chennai’s attack struggled Gaikwad ended up losing another toss – the Chahar,whowasdroppedforearliermatches, matter that the boundary size was short on
the second successive season, they aced without Tushar Deshpande and Matheesha ninth this season – Chennai knew their job made the most out of the conditions. one side of a fresh pitch – used for the first
Chennai in the chase, this time pulling off a Pathirana. Their only hope was Ravindra was only going to get harder, especially with Attacking the stumps, they varied their timethisseason.Chennai’sbattingstruggled
comprehensivewinonachallengingsurface. Jadeja and Moeen Ali, but the two returned dew expected. pace and trajectory, as they bowled seven tofindfluency.BarringMoeenAli,whomade
They have now won five matches in a row wicketless in their seven overs. Though Though it hasn’t been a big influence at straight overs, conceding just 30 runs and 15 off 9 deliveries coming in at No.6, the rest
against Chennai dating back to 2021. Bairstow and Rossouw fell in their 40s, other venues this season, it has been a com- accounting for the wickets of Rahane (22), who got starts went at a strike rate less than
Having played on similar two-paced Shashank Singh and Sam Curran saw Punjab plete contrast at Chepauk. CSK had already Shivam Dube (0) and Ravindra Jadeja (2) as 130. It meant Chennai managed only 162/7,
pitches at Mullanpur, Punjab found the con- Kings home. sufferedbecauseof itagainstLucknowSuper Chennai were caught napping at their own at least 30 runs short of a par score.
ditions totally to their liking. With just 163 Giants a week ago and after successfully game. And the contest was settled in one
to chase, all it needed was a couple of good The intent goes missing overcoming it against Sunrisers Hyderabad match-up. Chennai needed Dube to take Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 162/7
contributions from the top order to set the With every passing home match, the on Sunday, they slipped against Punjab. care of the spinners, but he was dismissed in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 62; Rahul
tone.AnddespitePrabhsimranSinghdepart- road ahead is beginning to get challenging Rahul Chahar rejoices after dismissing This wasn’t a case of the conditions off the second ball he faced. Chahar 2/16, Harpreet Brar 2/17) lost to
ing after hitting a boundary and a six in his for Chennai. Just a day after their head coach Moeen Ali. Sportzpics changing drastically in the second half of the The two spinners didn’t concede a Punjab Kings 163/3 in 17.5 overs (Jonny
10-ball stay, Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Stephen Flemingpleaded to have a larger in- innings. As early as the fourth over of boundary in their entire quota. Rahul had Bairstow 46, Rilee Rossouw 43) by 7 wickets
 18 SPORT WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024

Fraser-McGurk,
BRIEFLY
Smith left out of
Indonesia defeat sets up China test
Aus T20WC squad Prannoy’s win will boost
Melbourne: Australia selectors have
dropped veteran campaigner Steve confidence, but 1-4 team Unlucky 13
Smith for the T20 World Cup and ig-
nored calls to include Jake Fraser- loss means India will NOT ONE, not
McGurk in their squad despite the
young batsman's sensational form in
face formidable hosts in two,noteven10...
Satwiksairaj
theIndianPremierLeague(IPL).Smith,
amemberof Australia'stitle-winning
Thomas Cup quarters Rankireddy and
Chirag Shetty
squad at the 2021 tournament in the saved as many as
United Arab Emirates, played T20s SHIVANI NAIK 12 match points
against New Zealand in February but MAY 1 against
was unable to push his claims further Muhammad
after missing out on an IPL contract. A FEW wands to swish 'n trick in a win. A Shohibul Fikri - Bagas Maulana in the
Selectors chief George Bailey said few wounds to lick after a loss. It's the best ThomasCupgroup-stageclashagainst
there was no room for Smith in a set- mix of mindsets for India's Thomas Cup Indonesia. Eventually, it was unlucky
tledtoporderfeaturingDavidWarner, team, before they run into China for a 13fortheIndiansastheirrecentneme-
Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, who straight knockout on Thursday in the quar- sisprevailed–nowafourthwinintheir
was confirmed as captain. REUTERS terfinals. last five meetings. Satwik-Chirag
SQUAD: David Warner, Travis Head, India'slastgroupgameagainstIndonesia, were a game and 14-20 down. At that
Mitchell Marsh (captain), Glenn arematchof the2022titlefinal,endedasa4- point, it seemed as if the match was as
Maxwell, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, 1 defeat for the defending champions on good as over.
Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Pat Wednesday. While 'Thomas Cup defending But on Satwik's serve, the Indians
Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh champions India' still draws a few disbeliev- started to claw their way back. They
Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Ashton Agar, ingdoubletakes-sosurrealwastheworldti- have done this before, just earlier this
Cameron Green, and Nathan Ellis. tle two summers ago - life has moved on to year. But those were not match points,
throwamassivechallengeintheformof host butgamepointsattheMalaysiaOpen.
Nadalbidsemotional team China in Chengdu next up in the quar-
terfinals. India had to draw the toughest one
Buthere,everyoneofthosepointswere
potentialmatch-enders.ButtheIndians
farewelltoMadrid to play within 24 hours of the Indonesia re-
verse,withtheotherpossibilitiesbeingJapan
reeled off 6 straight points, targeting
mostlyMaulana.Thenfrom20-20,they
Madrid:Twenty-twotimeGrandSlam and Denmark. saved two more to force a decider.
champion Rafa Nadal fell 7-5 6-4 to Yet, HS Prannoy's singular win on InGame3,theytrailed15-20.Surely
Czech Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round Wednesday, and Lakshya Sen and not again? Once again on Satwik's
of theMadridOpenonTuesday,mark- Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty's serve,theygotto19-20.Butwhatcould
ing his final appearance at a tourna- close losses in three sets, could be the per- have been the greatest heist in Indian
ment he has won five times. In just fect fuel to fire themselves up ahead of the HS Prannoy’s 13-21 21-12 21-12 win over Anthony Ginting came in a losing cause as India were defeated 1-4 by Indonesia badmintonhistoryfelljustshortwhen
over two hours, a feisty Lehecka massive faceoff. Prannoy can dip into the in a repeat of the 2022 final on Wednesday. BWF Badminton Photo Fikri, fittingly, closed it out.
thwartedNadal'shopesof reachinghis confidence, and the other three can repack-
100th Masters 1000 quarter-final af- age their pricked pride after their respec-
ter a fairytale run in only his second tive losses into a point to prove. would charge the net, and defang Ginting's shots of his own. Prannoy broke away at 8- kind of players. In men's singles average ing 21-18, 16-21, 21-17.
tournament since January as the India lost the Asian Games team gold 3-2 speed with power game from up close to 8 in the second set, and 7-7 in the third, and age of top players is 23, 2. And someone like An unusually pumped-up Christie
Spaniard struggled with injury. Nadal toChinainHangzhou,andthat'sanotherscore push and pin him into a retreat. never allowed Ginting an entry back into 31, 32 will struggle a bit with speed initially. played aggressively in pushing Sen away
has said he expects to retire after the to settle. But for India's golden generation, He devised excellent lifts - deep and the contest. Only thing I can do is use all my experience from the net early on, but the Indian
2024 season. "I'm happy. It was a very things don't get bigger than taking on China high - from unbalanced positions and he Prannoy would later tell BWF about over the years, against all the players I've bounced from being 8-16 down to level 18-
special week for me, very positive in in China for the most prestigious team title. had truly hit his stride when he made how he approaches these comebacks from played. And keep pushing that those kind all in the opener. He would take charge of
every way. I was able to play again on The 31-year-old Prannoy would start Ginting twist and turn with pinpoint shots a set down. "Somebody like Ginting will of strategies will work. No other choice but the net once he found his length, and then
a court that has given me a lot, also on slowly, falling back 4-13, before getting a along both flanks. Prannoy's wide reper- come hard. So you just hang in there. He to trust strategy at this level," he added af- dip into overhead deceptions with half
an emotional level," the 37-year-old hang of drift conditions and assessing toire of strokes was summoned to rush the was really quick at the start. These condi- ter winning 13-21, 21-12, 21-12. smashes to trouble Christie.
Nadalsaidinanon-courtinterviewin length judgments that's so crucial to his speediest runner on the circuit. But it was tions suit him. But I have to trust my game It has helped him beat Viktor Axelsen But in both sets he lost, Sen couldn't
front of an emotional crowd. "It has game. It's in the manner of how he plotted that exquisite skill of accurately under- and believe it will work. I had to be patient at World Championships for a hard-earned close out against the All England champion
been unforgettable, and I can only say the comeback in the second set after trail- standing how the shuttle moves in the drift in the second half where I couldn't give him medal. And it's what he will need to sum- and was in disarray as the Indonesian broke
'thank you'. It has been an incredible ing 21-12 that showed his class as a top that helped him go for the backline. any chance to run through me. Focus was mon against China’s best, Shi Yuqi. China away. Rallies got punishing as Christie em-
journey.” REUTERS player. When Prannoy's defense kicks in, on second game. I knew third game would didn't play on Wednesday and will enjoy a ployed the high tosses, and eventually kept
and he's parrying off body shots, a switch is Prannoy's self-awareness be a dogfight. I always have an edge in third better turnaround time for recovery. But Sen tangled in defense and dazed with a
FourIndianboxers about to be flicked.
Ginting got even faster than usual, try-
Earlier, Prannoy had made himself look
ominous at the net with a few pointed
game because of strategy I use and trust,"
he explained.
Prannoy knows he will have to beat the
best names, to take India forward.
hazy endgame plan. While Satwik-Chirag
and Kidambi Srikanth / Priyanshu Rajawat
marchintosemis ing to crowd Prannoy at the start of first.
But Prannoy would aggressively counter by
sharp winners. What this did was leave
Ginting with no choice but to try and push
Prannoy's self-awareness has ensured
he prepares adequately for opponents with
India's chances will heavily hinge on
Lakshya Sen, who will need to hit the
might need to get the tricky wins, Lakshya
Sen will be the pivot in the third match of
Astana: Indian pugilists Aryan, uprooting the Indonesian from midcourt him back. But the Indonesian kept over- faster feet. "To be honest, age is catching groove faster against possibly Li Shifeng, the China tie. India will bank of its Paris-
Yashwardhan Singh, Priyanshu and from where he was sending bazookas. shooting as the shuttle went long, while up. And first set is always starting trouble. after he came close to beating Jonatan bound Four to take the attack to China on
Sahil marched into the semi-finals Adopting an aggressive approach, Prannoy the Indian had great control over the lofted Takes time to get used to the pace of these Christie but was shabby at the finish, los- Thursday.
withconfidentwinsattheASBCAsian
U-22 & Youth Boxing Championships
here on Wednesday. Aryan gave India
a perfect start with a 5-0 unanimous
decision win against Uzbekistan's
JuraevShakarboyinthe51kgcategory.
Skeet shooter Chauhan turns summer hobby into Paris 2024 berth
His win was followed by a good show about spending time with the family at their the impressions of each station with the high gunandconnectwithitinfrontofmeandthen
byYashwardhan(63.5kg),whomadea NITIN SHARMA farmlands in Siana. and low houses each single day of practice is gowiththeleadandshoot.Yes,itdidgetlonely
remarkable comeback after going CHANDIGARH, MAY 1 Chauhan would be accompanied by her what helped me.” in Italy with the language barrier but then I
down in the first round to grab a 4-1 grandfather Ganpat Singh, father Pradeep wouldspend5-6hoursattherangeandwould
victory over Iran's Mirahmadi MAHESHWARI CHAUHAN was 12 when she Singh and brother Daksheshwar Singh. Breakthrough in 2017 be so tired at the end of the day with nothing
Babaheidari. Priyanshu (71kg) and pickeduptheBeretta682,oneoftheshotguns Chauhaninitiallytriedherhandsintrapshoot- A top-20 finish in the ISSF World Cup in to think about and just sleep.”
Sahil(80kg)didn'tbreaksweatasthey thatadornedhergun-enthusiastgrandfather’s ingbutayearlater,sheshiftedtoskeet,amore Mexicoin2013wasfollowedbyatop-tenfin- While Filipelli made her re-learn some
wrappedtheboutwithrefereestopthe vast collection. complex and technical event as compared to ish in the Asian Championship in 2016 for techniques, he underlined the need for
contest(RSC)decisionagainstChinese What began as a summer vacation hobby the trap and double trap. Chauhan.Butitwasabronzeinthe2017Asian Chauhanto‘havefun.’Orashesays,‘theItalian
Taipei'sWuYuEnandTurkmenistan's while visiting her family’s shooting range at “One thing that made shooting natural to Championships that saw Chauhan emerging Way, the fun way’. “The first thing for me was
YklymovAbdyrahmarespectively. PTI theirvillage,Siana,inRajasthan,hasnowtrans- me was that I did not have any pressure. I just as a serious talent on the national scene. The tomakeherfeelateaseandtomakeherunder-
formedintosomethingalotmoreserious.Last saw shotgun shooting as something to relax shooter would be part of the Indian teams for standthatatthebaseofskeet,thereshouldbe
Neweytostepdown week, the 27-year-old Chauhan won a Paris
OlympicsquotaforIndiaafterfinishingsecond
and saw it as fun. Yes, it took some time to ad-
just to the physical side of the sport with the
theWorldCupsandWorldChampionshipsbe-
fore she won a bronze in this year’s Asian
fun.Weworkedalotonthemovement,onthe
face of the stock and a targeted approach. But
fromRedBullin2025 inthefinalOlympicqualificationtournament
in Doha.
gunrecoilandimpactasa12-year-oldbutthen
Iwouldonlytrainfor2-3monthsduringschool
Championships in Kuwait, where Raiza
Dhillon won India’s first skeet quota for the
then the underlying approach has been to
shoottheItalianway,thefunway,”Filipellitells
Formula One's most sought after de- Her quota meant that for the first time at vacations,” Chauhan says. Paris Games.Even though time was running TheIndianExpress.Whensheenteredthecom-
signer Adrian Newey will leave Red the Olympics, India could have two women Once she got the hang of the shotgun, she out for her to win a quota, Chauhan says she petition in Doha, not just Filipelli’s but even
Bull in the first quarter of 2025, after competing in skeet shooting. It also extended trained under then national skeet champion remainedcalmandtrustedthehardworkshe Dhillon’s words were ringing in Chauhan’s
19yearsattheF1team,RedBullsaidin India’srecordasthecountrywillnowhave21 Amardeep Rai and later with national coach had put in while training under Italian coach ears. “At Doha, Raiza told me that when she
a statement on Wednesday. The BBC shootersaimingforgloryattheGames,which and Olympic champion Ennio Falco, ‘who Riccardo Filipelli in Aritzo, where Tokyo got the quota in Kuwait, she had shot without
andGermany'sAutoMotorund Sport will be held from July 26 to August 11. helped me with the technicalities of skeet,’ Maheshwari Chauhan won a quota for Olympics silver medallist Diana Bocosi and thinkingaboutthequotaplace.Itgavemebe-
reported last month that the Briton The silver medal at the qualifying tourna- adds Chauhan. India after finishing second in Olympic 2022WorldCupFinalsilvermedallistMartina lief to shoot according to my strengths,”
had told Red Bull he wanted to move ment in Doha has seen Chauhan rising to the Unliketrapordoubletrap,whichseeshoot- qualification tournament. Express Bartolomei also practise. Chauhan says.
on following allegations about team jointtopspotwith11pointsalongwithDhillon, ers shooting targets shot from fixed angle “ThebiggestthingIlearntinItalywashow When she returned with a medal and a
principalChristianHorner.Hornerwas followedbyGanematSekhonatthethirdspot houses, shooters in skeet have targets flying the Italian shooters shot with a relaxed mind. quota, she was reminded of her grandfather,
clearedinFebruaryof allegedmiscon- with nine points in the federation’s selection from two opposing towers at varying angles skeet which Chauhan had to overcome. “I am Theydon’tgettooworkedupandkeepthefo- whopassedawayin2012.“To seemewinthe
ducttowardsafemaleemployee,who merit list for Paris. andheight.Itmakestheflightofthetargetun- a diminutive shooter so it takes time for a lot cus going while having the fun in the sport,” quota for India and to make sure that two
has lodged an appeal against the out- When she began, however, these records predictableandtoughercomparedtotheother ofpeopletobelievethatIcanhandletheshot- Chauhan says. “The change for me was how I Indianwomenskeetshooterswillbe goingto
come. REUTERS and numbers were far from Chauhan’s mind. shotgun events. gun,” she laughs. “But then spending time at mountthegun.Earlier,Iwouldconnectinfront the Paris Olympics is something which he
For her, a day at the shooting range was all But that wasn’t the only tough part about the stations at the village range and making of the target with the lead. Now I mount the would have been proud of.”

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIS

Efficient Real Madrid making an art form of scoring when least expected
wideopenaheadofthereturnsemifinalmatch also what makes this challenge exciting."
AP/REUTERS
MUNICH,MAY1
in Madrid next week.
“We had that last season too against Paris
FINAL SCORELINE Ancelotti unhappy with attitude
withNeymarand(Kylian)Mbappé,they'rejust Bayern 2 Real 2 Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti was
REAL MADRID has made an art form of strik- players with unbelievable quality,” Goretzka Sane 53' disappointedwithhisplayers'attitude,calling
ViníciusJúnior
ing when least expected. said. “It's extremely dangerous when they're Kane 57'(P) them "soft" for defending too deep in their 2-
24',83'(P)
Bayern Munich was so dominant in the upfront.Youalwayshavetohaveatopdefense 2 draw at Bayern Munich in the Champions
ChampionsLeaguesemifinalonTuesdaythat andofcourseyoucan'tmarchforwardblindly, League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday.
itseemedonlyamatteroftimebeforeitscored. no question.” Madrid should arguably have Ancelotti was critical of his team's commit-
But Madrid pounced instead. gone on to score more after Vinícius opened score twice with two chances. We are not the mentafterViniciusJr'sfirst-halfgoalgavethem
Vinícius Júnior ran onto a brilliant Toni thescoringasBayern'sconfidencetookablow first team to suffer that. They have the finish, theleadasBayernstrucktwiceinfourminutes
Kroos pass and fired the visitors ahead in the and the home team no longer dominated. they have the quality to do that. "We had a early in the second half to turn the game
24th minute with their first chance. Manuel Neuer made a fine save to deny strong start then we lost a bit our rhythm. We around before Vinicius equalised from the
“I know that Viní prefers the ball in space Kroos and Madrid was in the ascendancy shouldhavescoredathirdbutwewerenotef- penalty spot.
than at his feet,” Kroos said. “Then he makes whenLeroySanéequalizedwithafiercestrike ficientenough,notcoldenoughtoaddathird. "Theresultisgoodbutonalevelofplaywe
hismove.Hemakesthepasseasyformewith insidetherightpostandHarryKaneconverted Then we gifted them a penalty." Bayern en- could have done better. Bayern showed their
his run.” Madrid's knack for scoring goals out a penalty for Bayern. joyed a strong start and also had chances to bestversionandwedidn't.Wehavetoimprove
of nothing is a trait that plays on rivals' minds Vinícius scored again after coolly convert- score again after going 2-1 up. They will now fornextweek,"anintrospectiveAncelottitold
asBayernmidfielderLeonGoretzkaacknowl- ing a late penalty to level the match. need to win against Real, who are chasing a Movistar Plus+. "In the first half we defended
edged after the teams' 2-2 draw. “Real Madrid always makes moves,” Despite Bayern’s domination at times, Vinicius Jr (R) scored twice on Wednesday 15th European Cup, in Madrid next but with little intensity, in the second half
“We let Vinícius out our eye for a bit and Viníciussaid.“Nowwehavetobeconcentrated to keep the tie alive going into the second leg in Madrid. Reuters Wednesday if they are to advance to the final when they took the lead we started to press a
then there was a huge hole,” Goretzka said. for the 90 minutes, or 120 if needed, at the at Wembley. bit more, but not enough.
“There wasn't the feeling that something Bernabéu.” The winner will play Borussia "The situation is now very clear," Tuchel "Thefeelingwasthatwewerecomfortable,
dangerous could happen but that's the qual- Dortmund or Paris Saint-Germain in the final Ready for second leg: Tuchel spending any time thinking about it," Tuchel, added."WegotoMadridandthewinnertakes but we lacked intensity. We gave them too
ityofRealandyouneedtobereadyforitallthe inLondononJune1.DortmundandPSGwere Bayern Munich were victims of Real whowillleaveBayernattheendoftheseason it all. We are ready to fight. It is important to manychancestotakecontrolofthegame.We
time.”Bayerndominatedpossessionandgoal to play the first leg of their semifinal in Madrid's lethal efficiency on Tuesday afteradisappointingdomesticcampaign,told believe that. "It is still possible. It is 50-50. It is didn'twanttoplayinalowblockandwewent
attempts(14-8)butthetwo-legseriesremains Dortmund on Wednesday. "The result is what it is and it's not worth apressconference."Realhavedoneitbefore,to one of the toughest places to win but that is on doing that. We were soft."

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