FRIDAY 05 JANUARY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Mainly clear sky with fog/mist in the morning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 25 °C and 15 °C respectively. TEMPERATURE Max: 24.6°C (-1) SUN RISES 06:17 hrs MOON RISES --- hrs TRIDIB BAPARNASH Says BJP wants him arrested to stop him from campaigning for polls RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % My biggest asset is my 2nd Test vs SA ends inside honesty,says Kejriwal two days; India level series Security tightened outside Delhi CM’s residence Min. 47 % Min: 15.3°C (+1) SUN SETS 17:5 hrs MOON SETS 11:28 hrs AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 4 JANUARY New Moon on 11 January THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 JANUARY lleging that the BJP wants him arrested so that he can’t take part in campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said his biggest strength and asset is his “honesty”. He alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent "false summons" to him. Mr Kejriwal on Wednesday skipped for the third time the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. “These people (BJP) A Dense fog engulfs New Delhi on Thursday.  SUBRATA DUTTA Govt warns of bid to disrupt Indian stock exchanges: The Centre on Thursday urged citizens to beware of malicious incoming calls from international numbers claiming to cause disruption in India’s stock exchanges and trading. In an advisory, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications said such calls are initiated by anti-national elements aimed at creating panic. Legal team working on appeal to be filed in Qatar court, has 60 days: MEA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 JANUARY The government on Thursday said its legal team was working on the appeal to be filed in the case of eight former Indian Navy personnel, whose death sentences have been commuted by an appellate Court in Qatar. “I can confirm that the death penalty of the eight Indians has been commuted. They have been given varying sentences. Our legal team has the court verdict... it’s a confidential document. Sixty days’ time has been given to appeal in the highest court of Qatar,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing. He said the legal team was working on the matter. The government was in touch with the legal team as well as the families of the eight Indians. The Appellate Court in Qatar had on 28 December commuted the death sentence of the eight Indians, who were arrested in August 2022 in an alleged case of espionage. They were handed the death sentence by a court in Qatar in October. India had termed the ruling “deeply shocking”, and an appeal was filed in the case in November. The eight have been identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. India has been pursuing the case with the Qatari authorities. The Qatari authorities have provided at least three consular access to the eight Indians. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai in December. want to malign my image by making false allegations and sending false summons,” he claimed. “In the last two years, all the agencies of BJP have conducted many raids but not a single penny was found. If there is corruption then where is the money? AAP leaders are kept in jail in such fake cases. Now the BJP wants to arrest me. My biggest strength and asset is my honesty," Mr Kejriwal told a Press conference. Questioning the timing of the notice just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Delhi CM said that the BJP wants to stop him from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. Security was tightened outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday morning as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders claimed, citing unnamed inputs, that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to arrest the AAP convener today. These claims come after Mr Kejriwal skipped the third summons issued to him by the ED on Wednesday. The ED issued a third summons to CM Kejriwal on 22 December last year, in connection with the Delhi liquor scam case, asking him to appear before the agency on 3 January. AAP sources on Thursday claimed that the roads leading to Mr Kejriwal's residence were blocked and police personnel deployed at all gates as the ED was "gearing up" to raid and arrest the Delhi chief minister. Delhi police denied this. “My lawyers told me that the summons was illegal, I wrote the question and sent it to ED. Should I obey an unlawful summons? If a legal summons comes, I will comply with it. Why am I being called just before the Lok Sabha elections? Eight months ago I was called by CBI, I went and gave all the answers. Today they want to stop me from campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections," he added. Three varieties of Bengal handloom sarees get GI tag STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 4 JANUARY Three varieties of handloom sarees originating in Bengal have been awarded the GI (Geographical Indications) tag, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday. These include the Tangail variety of Nadia and Purba Bardhaman and Korial and Garad varieties of Murshidabad and Birbhum. Congratulating the artisans, Miss Banerjee tweeted on Thursday: “ Three handloom saree items of West Bengal, namely, Tagail of Nadia and Purba Bardhaman and Korial and Garad of Murshidabad and Birbhum, have been registered and recognized as GI products. I congratulate the artisans for their skills and achievements.We are proud of them. Our congratulations to them.” After coming to power in 2011, Miss Banerjee devoted considerable effort for the revival of the West Bengal State Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society Ltd, better known as Tantuja, that had virtually become defunct because of the indifferent attitude of the erstwhile The sarees are Tangail variety of Nadia and East Burdwan and Korial and Garad varieties of Murshidabad and Birbhum. Left Front government. Now Tantuja sarees are available in all the fairs that are organised by the state government across the state. Muslin which was famous during the British across the globe had virtually become defunct. Following the chief minister’s initiative Muslin sarees are now available at Biswa Bangla stores. A senior state government official said after receiving GI tag, these brands will have greater access to the international market. “The Bengali sarees with modern designs are appreciated by women globally. Not only that, various home decorations and costume jewellery have also been appreciated. The artisans are being looked after properly and training is regularly given to them to upgrade their skills by experts,” the official said. Boost to Cong ahead of polls as YS Sharmila joins party STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 JANUARY With the Lok Sabha elections drawing closer, the Congress has received a shot in the arm as YS Sharmila, founder of the YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP), joined the grand old party here on Thursday. Ms Sharmila, who is the daughter of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YSR Reddy and younger sister of incumbent chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, joined the Congress at the party headquarters. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge welcomed her to the the party-fold. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party's general secretary in-charge of organisation KC Venugopal were also present on the occasion. With her joining, Ms Sharmila has merged her party with the Congress. After joining the party, she said: “Today, I am very happy to be merging YSR Telangana Party into the Congress party. It gives me immense joy that the YSR Telangana Party is going to be a part of the Indian National Congress party from today Today, I am very happy to be merging YSR Telangana Party into the Congress party. It gives me immense joy that the YSR Telangana Party is going to be a part of the Indian National Congress party from today onwards YS SHARMILA FOUNDER OF THE YSR TELANGANA PARTY onwards.” “YSR Telangana Party is not going to be separate anymore from the Congress party. It gives me great delight,” Sharmila said. Remembering her father, she said: “Dr YSR Reddy, the legendary leader of the Telugu people not only served the Congress party all his life but also gave his life serving the Congress. Today, it gives him great joy that his daughter following in his footsteps, is going to be a part of the Congress party itself." Ms Sharmila said the Congress is still the largest secular party of the country. “The Congress party has always upheld the true culture of India. The Congress party has built our nation. The Congress party has unwaveringly served all communities, uniting all sections of the people of India,” she said. CMYK NEW DELHI, 4 JANUARY Imagine the kind of outcry 23 wickets falling in one day in Asia would create, leave aside the criticism of the surface. In India’s current tour of South Africa, neither of the two Test matches went the distance, but there have been no words against the curator. Lasting just 642 balls, the second game in Cape Town was the shortest match ever to produce a result in Test history. What mattered for India, though, is the 7-wicket victory, helping them square the series 1-1. On Day 2 of the match, pacer Jasprit Bumrah (photo) produced a sensational sixwicket haul to dismiss the hosts for 176, built mainly around Aiden Markram’s fighting 106, to set up India’s victory before the batters completed the formalities by overhauling the meagre target of 79. It took just six balls for India to strike on the second morning with David Bedingham (11) nicking Bumrah behind to KL Rahul. KyleVerreynne was the next to fall to Bumrah, mistiming his shot for Mohammed Siraj to take the catch at midon. Marco Jansen hung on for a bit, hitting a couple of fours, but was undone by a stunning return catch by Bumrah, leaving the Proteas at103 for 6. At the other end, Markram went about his business, playing some pristine shots on a treacherous surface. Bumrah, meanwhile, kept up the pressure, completing his 9th five-wicket haul in Tests when he had Keshav Maharaj slicing a full delivery to Shreyas Iyer at gully. With Kagiso Rabada at the other end, Markram, who survived a dropped chance on 73, went on the attack, hittting Prasidh Krishna for a couple of fours and sixes. He reached his 7th Test century with back-to-back boundaries off Bumrah, but soon after miscued a short delivery from Siraj for Rohit Sharma to complete the catch at long-off to end his innings with 106 runs off 103 balls. Rabada also fell to Krishna, while Bumrah returned to pack off Lungi Ngidi, leaving India with a target of 79 runs after the lunch break.