THURSDAY 11 JANUARY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR THE INTELLECTUAL CULT IN NEPALI POLITICS TAIWAN’S TRIAL P6 SENSEX 71,657.71271.50 WEATHER Mainly clear sky with Mist/ Fog in the morning Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 26 °C and 16 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY P7 NIFTY 21,618.7073.85 P8 ` vs $ 83.174 PAISE Maha Speaker: Shinde faction real Shiv Sena Min. 58 % Max: 23.8°C (-1) SUN RISES 06:19 hrs MOON RISES 05:7 hrs Min: 16.1°C (+2) SUN SETS 17:9 hrs MOON SETS 15:50 hrs TEMPERATURE THUMBNAILS MUMBAI, 10 JANUARY Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar pronounces the verdict in the Shiv Sena MLAs disqualification case in Mumbai.  ANI AGENCIES MUMBAI, 10 JANUARY Chief minister Mamata Banerjee lays a wreath of red roses on the casket containing the remains of Ustad Rashid Khan at the state funeral at Rabindra Sadan on Wednesday.  BISWAJIT GHOSHAL Review petitions filed in SC on Art 370 verdict: Petitions have been filed in the SC seeking a review of its judgement, which upheld the validity of the Union government's 2019 decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution, which conferred the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Doctor Hussain, president of the J&K People's Movement and Muzzafar Shah, president of the J&K Awami National Conference, told ANI that they have filed review petitions in the apex court. aharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Wednesday rejected the disqualification cross-petitions filed by the rival Shiv Sena groups in a crucial verdict and ruled that the Shinde faction was the real Shiv Sena following the June 2022 split in the party. “All the petitions seeking disqualifications are rejected and no one is disqualified from any faction of Shiv Sena,” the Speaker said. as he read out in the state Assembly a lengthy verdict that went into the Shiv Sena constitution and changes M made to it. Mr Narwekar said the “decision of Paksha Pramukh cannot be taken as the decision of the political party” and the “Shinde faction was (the) real Shiv Sena when rival factions emerged" in June 2022. “In my view, the 2018 leadership structure (submitted with ECI) was not as per the Shiv Sena Constitution. Shiv Sena party chief as per the party Constitution cannot remove anyone from the party...Uddhav Thackeray removed Eknath Shinde or any party leader from the party as per the party Constitution. So the removal of Eknath Shinde by Uddhav Thackeray in June 2022 is not accepted based on the Shiv Sena Constitution," the Speaker said. “Also, the will of the members of the leadership structure of 2018 cannot be the will of the political party, as there are contradictory views and claims about the majority in the leadership structure by both factions,” he added. The Speaker said that given the evidence and records before him, prima facie indicates that no elections were held in the year 2013, as well as in the year 2018. “However, I as the Speaker exercising jurisdiction under the 10th Schedule have limited jurisdiction and cannot go beyond the record of the ECI as available on the website and hence I have not considered CM tells party workers to gear up to end BJP tyranny STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 10 JANUARY Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday urged party workers to bury the hatchet and put up an united fight to end the tyranny of the BJP . Miss Banerjee met party leaders from West Midnapore at her residence in Kalighat this afternoon. Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s national general secretary, was present at the meeting. After the meeting, Trinamul Congress leaders tweeted: “Under the leadership of our Hon’ble Chairperson Smt@ Mamata official and Hon’ble Nat’l General Secretary Shri@abhishekaitc, today a meeting was convened in Kalighat with the district leadership of Paschim Medinipur. We remain committed to the welfare of people and will unitedly fight@BJP4India’s tyranny.” Actor-turned-politician, and the party’s MP from Ghatal, Dipak Adhikary (Deb) was present at the meeting along with 13 MLAs from the district. Miss Banerjee pulled up local leaders who had not been cooperating with Deb. The latter is said to have privately that he would not contest in the Lok Sabha election this time. Miss Banerjee instructed the leaders to cooperate with Deb and he reportedly told her that he would be abide by what she wanted.West Midnapore has two Lok Sabha seats. The Midnapore seat went to Dilip Ghosh of BJP in The ruling of the Maharashtra Speaker that the faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was the "real" Shiv Sena after the vertical split in the party in June 2022 was strongly flayed by SS-UBT leaders including Aditya Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, and other leaders, who described it as “on expected lines” as they had been predicting in the recent past. Aditya Thackeray termed the ruling as a "blatant murder of the Constitution and democracy", and said that the party would challenge it in the Supreme Court. Mr Raut said that "this is a deep conspiracy to finish off the Shiv Sena founded by the late Balasaheb Thackeray", the Shiv Sena cannot be destroyed by the“Gujarati lobby”, and vowed that the SS-UBT would continue the legal battle. AGENCIES MLAs of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, stage a protest against the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker. ANI the 2019 Lok Sabha election. It was learnt that Trinamul Congress will pump in maximum effort to get back the seat. In the Panchayat election the TMC did well in the rural areas that come under the Lok Sabha constituency. It was learnt that Miss Banerjee has made it very clear that the party would not tolerate any kind of highhandedness by any district leader. She reportedly told the leaders that if they want to work for their own interest, there is no place for them in the party. The party works for the people and any one sitting idle will be thrown out, she reportedly said. “The party is no place to make money and if anyone tries to do this, then rest assured the party will take appropriate action against them. Go to the people and behave nicely with them. Arrogance has no role to play. Remember that our motto is to serve the Ma Mati and Manush,” Miss Banerjee said. It was learnt that she asked Dr Manas Bhuniya to give a list of SC and ST leaders in the district. She said the party would leave no stone unturned to put an end to the tyrannical rule of the saffron party. Trinamul leaders and workers will go to the people and make them aware of the step motherly attitude of the BJP . Party leaders will organise meetings in their areas against the tyrannical rule of the BJP and highlight how the saffron party was using the agencies to harass Trinamul leaders. this aspect while determining the relevant leadership structure. GANDHINAGAR, 10 JANUARY Observing that India has become a ray of hope in the world at a time when it is witnessing multiple geopolitical challenges, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday vowed to make the country the third largest global economy in the next few years and a developed nation by 2047. Noting that various global rating agencies are giving their predictions about India and analysing them, he said, ''let experts analyse this but I can guarantee that India will become the third largest economy in the world.'' The PM was inaugurating the tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS) with the ''Gateway to the Future'' as its theme. UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the chief guest at the summit which was Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel attends the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024.  ANI also attended by President of Mozambique Filipe Nyusi, President of Timor Leste José Ramos-Horta, Prime Minister of Czech Republic Petr Fiala apart and top ministers or officials from nearly 100 countries. Multiple industry captains also addressed the summit. They included Chairman of ArcelorMittal Lakshmi Mittal, Mr Toshihiro Suzuki, President of Suzuki Motor Corporation Toshihiro Suzu- ki, Japan, Mr Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Group, Mr Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technologies, USA and Mr Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group. The VGGS, conceptualised in 2003 when Mr Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, has evolved as one of the most reputed global forums for business collaboration, knowledge sharing and strategic partnerships for inclu- sive growth and sustainable development. Addressing the gathering at the Mahatma Mandir Convention and Exhibition Centre, PM Modi said the next 25 years of ‘Amrit Kaal’ will be the time for new dreams, new resolutions and continuous accomplishments for the country. India, the PM said, is moving forward in the role of a ‘Vishwa Mitra’ in a fast-changing world. Today India has given the world confidence in achieving common collective goals. India’s commitment, efforts and hard work for global welfare are making the world safer and prosperous. ''The World looks at India as an important pillar of stability. A friend who can be trusted, a partner who believes in people-centric development, a voice that believes in global good, an engine of growth in the global economy, a technology hub for finding solutions, a Cong leaders Kharge, Sonia, Adhir not to attend Ram temple ceremony on 22 Jan Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the party’s Leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, will not attend the upcoming consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in UP’s Ayodhya on 22 January, the party announced onWednesday. The grand old party also accused the government of inaugurating the “incomplete” temple for “electoral gain”, in an apparent reference to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge of communication Jairam Ramesh said: “Last month, the Congress president and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury received an invitation to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to be held on 22nd January. “While abiding by the The grand old party also accused the government of inaugurating the “incomplete” temple for “electoral gain”, in an apparent reference to the upcoming LS elections. 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation to what is clearly an RSS and BJP event.” Asserting that Lord Ram is worshipped by millions across the country, he said: “Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS and BJP have long made a political project of the temple in Ayodhya.” Mr Ramesh, who is also a Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha said: “The inauguration of the incomplete temple by the leaders of the BJP and the RSS has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain.” The statement comes days after Mr Kharge said he had received the invitation of the consecration ceremony and would take a decision on it at the earliest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the consecration ceremony along with Union Ministers, state chief ministers, VVIPs, leaders from several political parties and celebrities among others. Last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a programme informed that the Prime Minister will visit Ayodhya on 22 January and perform the consecration of Ram Lala in the presence of sants. Manipur government gives permission to flag off truncated ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ from Imphal AGENCIES IMPHAL, 10 JANUARY A few hours after the Congress leaders announced Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s decision to turn down the Opposition party’s request to use the Hapta Kangjeibung Palace compound ground in Imphal for launching the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ led by former Congress party President Rahul Gandhi on 14 January, the state Home Department asked the District Magistrate of Imphal East to give limited permission to the Congress to initiate the event. The Imphal East district administration in an order said: “...considering the prevailing law and order situation and circumstances, only flagging off of the yatra with a limited number of participants, is hereby allowed on January, 14, 2024 to prevent PM vows to make India a developed nation by 2047 ASHOK TUTEJA BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 76.790.020 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 10 JANUARY Will challenge Speaker’s verdict in SC: SS-UBT New Moon on 11 January P12 SILVER 76,600600 GOLD 62,950 Speaker Rahul Narwekar rejects all disqualification petitions Max. 93 % ROHIT BACK AS T20I CAPTAIN AGAINST AFGHANISTAN ‘INDIA TO BECOME WORLD’S 3RD LARGEST ECONOMY BY 2027-28’ powerhouse of talented youth and a democracy that delivers ,” he said. Mr Modi said the priorities and aspirations of India’s 1.4 billion citizens and their belief in human-centric development coupled with the government’s commitment to inclusivity and equality is a major aspect of world prosperity and development. The PM elaborated on the government’s focus on structural reforms as the basis of the Indian economy’s resilience and momentum as these reforms have enhanced the country's capacity, capability, and competitiveness. He said the transformations taking place in India are improving Ease of Living and empowering people. He mentioned that in the last 5 years, more than 13.5 crore people have come out of poverty while the average income of the middle class has been constantly on the rise. CMYK Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal release the road map and pamphlet of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra during a press conference, in New Delhi on Wednesday.  ANI any untoward incident and disturbance in law and order. The number and names of the participants shall be provided in advance to this office to enable this office to take all necessary precautionary measures.” Earlier, after meeting the Chief Minister, state Congress president Keisham Meghachandra Singh said that the party was now considering three other alternative venues to launch the yatra. “The BJP government's refusal to (allow the use of) the public ground for a nonpolitical purpose is very unfortunate and undemocratic. We are now looking for three alternative venues of private lands to launch the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra through a big rally,” Meghachandra Singh told the media. Terming the Manipur Government’s decision as murder of democracy and violation of peoples’ right, the Congress leader said that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will be launched as scheduled by the AICC. He said that on 14 January several leaders of the party, including party President Mallikarjun Kharge, Chief Ministers and MPs from across the country will gather in Manipur for a peaceful rally. On Monday, Congress leaders led by Meghachandra Singh met Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi and requested him to provide permission to hold the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra launching meeting at the Hapta Kangjeibung ground. Our govt must make stronger statement to repair ties with India : Maldives Opp leader AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 10 JANUARY Amidst the ongoing row between India and the Maldives, opposition leader and the chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party, Fayyaz Ismail, has called for a “tougher stand” by the government, saying that the racist comments against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were just isolated individual opinions of these people who were unfortunately given positions in the government. He underlined how the entire matter has reached a lot of Indians as well as Maldivians, due to easy accessibility of social media. “I personally believe the government should take a tougher stand on that because this goes beyond government to government. Now, because of the easy accessibility of social media, this has reached to a lot of Indi- ans and to a lot of Maldivians. And as arguments take over from both side, there has been lot of insults coming back and forth. So the government needs to show that there was no intention on the part of the government. These were just isolated individual opinions of these people who, unfortunately, were given positions in the government. So that needs to be clearly shown to the Indians, to the Maldivians, and to the entire world at large," he said. On being asked if the ongoing spat between the two countries is going to have an impact on the India-Maldives ties, as well the revenue that Indian tourists have generated for the island nation over the years, the Maldivian leader, who was also the former Minister of Economic Development of Maldives, asserted that it is much more than economics or revenue. “This relationship between India and Maldives has been nurtured and fostered over a long period of time by very mature leaders, past leaders of our country and yours as well. So just one or two tweets derailing this entire relationship is very sad,” the minister said.“So, for me, the main problem is that this has gone beyond governments. Governments will always have spats; obviously, with the change of political parties, whether it's in India or Maldives, there will be differences of opinion,” he added.