FRIDAY 26 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 FOCUS ON YOUTH, WOMEN,FARMERS & POOR, SAYS FM WAR CLOUDS OVER KOREAN PENINSULA P7 SENSEX 70,700.67359.64 P8 NIFTY 21,352.60101.35 INDIA IN CHARGE ON DAY 1 OF FIRST TEST ‘BJP NEEDS RAHUL GANDHI DURING ELECTIONS’ P10 GOLD 62,97050 ` vs $ 83.14 P12 SILVER 76,000700 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 80.12 Ram Temple is an expression of people’s faith: President Murmu says the temple is also a testament to people’s enormous trust in judicial process STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 JANUARY WEATHER Partly cloudy sky, with Fog/Mist in the morning. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 21 °C and 14 °C respectively. RAINFALL: .5mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 95 % Min. 52 % Max: 22.8°C (-3) SUN RISES 06:18 hrs MOON RISES 16:58 hrs Min: 14.4°C (0) SUN SETS 17:19 hrs MOON SETS 06:4 hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 25 January Rahul flies back to Delhi, to return to Bengal on Sunday: Just a few hours after Congress' Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered West Bengal from the neighbouring Assam on Thursday morning, party leader Rahul Gandhi decided to fly back to Delhi in the afternoon. xtending greetings to people on the eve of the 75th Republic Day, President Droupadi Murmu said here on Thursday that the Ram Temple in Ayodhya stands as a grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people’s faith but also as a testament to people’s enormous trust in judicial process. The President said earlier this week, the country witnessed the historic consecration ceremony of the idol of Lord Ram in the glorious new temple constructed at his birthplace in Ayodhya. She said when this event will be seen in the wider perspective, future historians will con- E sider it a landmark in India’s continued re-discovery of its civilisational heritage. “The construction of the temple commenced after the due judicial process and the decision of the highest court of the land. Now, it stands as a grand edifice, giving a befitting expression not only of people’s faith but also as a testament to people’s enormous trust in the judicial process," the President said. Making a reference to the contributions of former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur, who was conferred Bharat Ratna earlier this week, Murmu said he was one of the greatest advocates of backward classes who dedicated his life for their wel- fare. “I would like to mention here that the celebration of the birth centenary of a tireless champion of social justice, Shri Karpoori Thakur Ji, concluded yesterday. His life was a message. I pay my tribute to Karpoori Ji for enriching public life through his contributions,” she said. The President also spoke about Amrit Kaal in her address, saying that the period of Amrit Kaal is also going to be the period of unprecedented technological changes. She said technological advances like Artificial Intelligence and machine learning have moved from headlines into "our daily lives at a breathtaking speed". She further said there are numerous areas of concern in the foresee- able future, but there are also exciting opportunities ahead, especially for the youth. "They are exploring new frontiers. We need to do all we can to remove hurdles from their path and let them unleash their full potential. What they want is equality of opportunity. What they want is not the same old rhetoric of equality, but the realisation of our cherished ideal of equality," she added. “This is the time of an epochal transformation.We are given a golden opportunity to take the country to new heights. Contribution from every citizen will be crucial to achieve our goals. For this, I will appeal to all my fellow citizens to abide by our Fundamental Duties enshrined in the Constitution," she added. Macron arrives for talks with Modi, attend R-Day parade as chief guest STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 JANUARY French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the pink city of Jaipur on Thursday as part of his two-day state visit to India during which he will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on Friday. Mr Macron, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation, was received at the Jaipur Airport by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma. “Bienvenue en Inde! President @EmmanuelMacron of France warmly welcomed by Governor @KalrajMishra of Rajasthan, EAM @DrSJaishankar & CM @BhajanlalBjp of Rajasthan as he arrived in the historic city of Jaipur. President Macron is the Chief Guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations,'' Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post on X soon after the French leader's arrival. The French leader was extended an invitation for the Republic Day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after US President Joe Biden expressed his inability to attend the celebrations in New Delhi due to domestic reasons. Mr Macron's visit caps the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the IndiaFrance Strategic Partnership. The pink city has been decked up with posters of PM Modi and the French leader, whose delegation includes top officials and business honchos. Mr Macron began his visit by touring the Amber Fort. Later, in the day, Mr Modi and the French President are scheduled to hold a roadshow in the pink city before going into bilateral talks at the Taj Ramgarh Palace. Notably, a French Armed Forces contingent is participating in the Republic Day parade and flypast alongside Indian troops and aviators. Mr Macron's state visit marks France's sixth participation, the highest of any other nation, as chief guest on India's Republic Day. President Macron's visit will consolidate the ambitious renewal of the France-India Canada to probe Indian ‘interference’ in elections AGENCIES OTTAWA, 25 JANUARY Months after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of having a role in killing of pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist in New Delhi, Ottawa has now announced it intends to investigate alleged meddling by India in country's Federal elections in 2019 and 2021. The Foreign Interference Commission, which was set up last year by the Trudeau government to investigate interference by foreign governments in the last two federal elections in Canada, has said that it will also investigate India's alleged interference in the elections. The commission in a statement has asked the Canadian government to give it all information and documents related to the accusation. Earlier, the main target of the commission's work was alleged interference by China and Russia. Now, India has also been included in its investigation after IndiaCanada relations nosedived in the wake of Mr Trudeau's allegations against New Delhi in Nijjar's killing. The commission's terms of reference, published last year, direct it to assess possible interference by China, Russia, and other foreign states or non-state actors in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Delhi rejects Islamabad’s charge linking it with Pak citizens’ killings STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 25 JANUARY India on Thursday rejected Pakistan's claim that it has “credible evidence” linking Indian agents to the killings of two Pakistani citizens on Pakistani soil, saying this is the neighbouring country's latest attempt at peddling false and malicious antiIndia propaganda. “Pakistan will reap what it sows. To blame others for its own misdeeds can neither be a justification nor a solution,”Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to the charge made by Pakistan Foreign Secretary Syrun Qazi earlier in the day. “As the world knows, Pakistan has long been the epicentre of terrorism, organised crime, and illegal transnational activities. India and many other countries have publicly warned Pakistan cautioning that it would be consumed by its own culture of terror and violence,” the Indian spokesperson said. The Pakistan foreign secretary alleged that the method of assassination of the two Pakistani citizens was similar to attempts in Canada and the United States. CMYK strategic partnership that the two leaders decided on in Paris on July 14 through the "Horizon 2047 Roadmap", the MEA said. ‘Vote to build an India of plurality and humanity’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 25 JANUARY Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday urged people to cast their votes to make an India where development will go hand in hand with plurality and humanity. On the occasion of National Voters’ Day, she wrote on her X handle: “Today, on this National Voters’ Day, I urge upon my fellow citizens of India to rise up to their own strength, to resist every idea of weakness, to respond to the call of the diverse Nation of ours, and help institutionalise humanity above everything else. Development devoid of plurality and humanity is like erecting a castle without smiling faces living inside.” She wrote: “My dear brothers and sisters, your power to vote is what puts some chosen few in power and thus you are more powerful than the few in power. Every vote counts and every vote should be for our motherland, for the idea of plural India.” Miss Banerjee’s tweet is significant in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. She has said over and again that an attempt has been made to demolish the democratic fabric in the country. Institutions have been politicised and used to harass the opposition parties. Even there are people who are intervening into the food and dress habits of others. It is the motto of INDIA alliance of which she is an integral part to restore the country’s democratic fabric.