WEDNESDAY 17 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 mist / fog in the morning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 22 °C and 14 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % TEMPERATURE Max: 20.2°C (-5) SUN RISES 06:19 hrs MOON RISES 10:2 hrs Min. 59 % Min: 13.6°C (-1) SUN SETS 17:13 hrs MOON SETS 22:24 hrs Full Moon on 25 January THUMBNAILS Army personnel take part in rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade 2024, near Kartavya Path on Tuesday.  ANI Parliament security breach case: The Delhi Police on Tuesday opposed the bail plea of accused Neelam Azad, arrested in the Parliament Security Breach case and stated that the material, evidence and other documentary evidence show her complicity in the offence and thus, disentitle her to be released on bail. CM to lead a harmony rally on 22 January ‘On the same day, my party members will hold a rally in every block, in every dist at 3pm’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 16 JANUARY hief minister Mamata Banerjee will visit Kalighat temple and offer puja on Monday, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. “I will do a rally on 22 January. It will begin from Kali Mandir, where only I will visit to offer prayers to Maa Kaali. Following that, we will hold an interfaith rally from Hazra to Park Circus Maidan and hold a meeting there. We will cover mosques, temples, churches, and gurdwaras along the way. Everybody is welcome to join the rally. People of all faiths will be there at the rally,” she said from Nabanna, the state secretariat. She then went on to add, “Many people have been asking me about various temples but I have nothing to say. I have always said ‘Dhorma Jaar Jaar, Utsob Shobaar’ (religion CM turns down Metro’s proposal C STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 16 JANUARY is a personal, while festivals are for everyone). She is calling her march as “Sampriti Rally”, adding, “On the same day, my party members will hold a rally in every block, in every district at 3pm.” Hindu seers, like the Shankaracharyas of Puri and Uttarakhand have distanced themselves from the event at Ayodhya, saying that the manner it is being conducted is not in proper order. “The pran-pratishtha should be performed by religious leaders, the saints. I have heard what they have to say on the issue. I respect their views,” she said. Mamata later said, “From 20 January till Feb 12, we will hold camps in every polling station where three of our officers will be present. People can give CMYK Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is opposed to Metro rail’s proposal to dismantle a portion of the Dakshineswar skywalk or any sort of relocation as part of its expansion of the Metro route. The livid chief minister today not only binned the Metro rail’s alleged proposal of dismantling a portion of the Dakshineswar skywalk but announced that the state government would in no way allow it to dismantle the skywalk at Dakshineswar. (PG3) their names if they haven't been able to avail of our welfare schemes. This will be under the banner of Jono Sanjog programme.” ‘Attacks on ships in India’s vicinity a matter of concern’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 JANUARY External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed grave concern over the attacks on ships in the vicinity of India, saying such threats have a direct bearing on the country's energy and economic interest. “There has recently been a perceptible increase in threats to the safety of maritime commercial traffic in this important part of the Indian Ocean. This situation does not benefit anybody,” he said at a joint press statement with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian after wideranging talks between them in Tehran. He emphasised that it was important that this issue was "speedily addressed", in an apparent reference to the targeting of merchant vessels in the Red Sea by Iranian-backed Yemen's Houthi rebels. Mr Jaishankar, who was in Iran on a two-day visit as part of the ongoing highlevel exchanges between the two countries, also said that both India and Iran External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets Iranian Foriegn Minister H. Amirabdollahian, in Tehran.  ANI were concerned about recent events in West Asia and emphasised the importance of preventing further escalation of violence and hostilities in the region. He reiterated India's position for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue. “On the issue of Palestine, let me reiterate India's long-standing support for a two-state solution where the Palestine people are able to live freely in an independent country with secure borders.'' On the Chabahar Port in Iran, Mr Jaishankar said he has assured the Iranian leadership of India's full commitment to the strategic port project. Iranian media said Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, during his meeting with Mr Jaishankar, emphasised the need for speeding up implementation of IranIndia agreements, including the Chabahar Port Development Plan, and the need to compensate for the delay in the implementation of commitments. Mr Raisi also referred to the deep-rooted relations between Iran and India, and the efforts to fulfil the will of the high officials of the two countries in order to develop and improve the level of relations in political, economic, science and technology, transportation & energy sectors.