MONDAY 05 FEBRUARY 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 NAMIBIAN PRESIDENT HAGE GEINGOB DIES NON-VIOLENCE THE BEST PATH FOR PALESTINE P7 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. DENSE FOG IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 22 AND 09 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 98 % Max: 20.3 °C-2) SUN RISES 7:07 hrs MOON RISES 03:51 hrs Min: 11.9 °C (+3) SUN SETS 18:03 hrs MOON SETS 13:04 hrs THUMBNAILS Congress leader Rahul Gandhi waves to the supporters with a young girl as he leads the party's 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', in Bokaro on Sunday.  ANI Robot astronaut: Woman robot astronaut 'Vyommitra' will fly into space ahead of ISRO's ambitious 'Gaganyaan' mission, which will be India’s first human manned Space Flight carrying Indian Astronauts into Space, Union Mi- nister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh info- rmed on Sunday. Disclosing this in New Delhi during an interaction with media, Dr Singh said, the uncrewed "Vyommitra" Mission is scheduled for the third quarter of this year while a manned mission “Gaganyaan” is scheduled to (P3) be launched next year, that is 2025. The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested an Indian embassy worker for alleged anti-national activities. The accused, identified as Satendra Siwal, was arrested from UP’s Meerut. Siwal worked at Indian embassy in Moscow and he is accused of spying for Pakistani intelligence agency ISI. He has been posted at the Indian embassy in Moscow since 2021 as an IBSA (India-Based Security Assistant). News agencies quoted knowledgeable sources as saying that the MEA is aware of the arrest, and continues to work with investigative authorities in the matter. According to the UP ATS, Siwal has been sending strategically crucial information on the Indian Army to Pakistan. “The ATS was receiv- P4 P12 NE will mirror SE Asia Jharkhand: Ruling alliance MLAs returning to Ranchi in development:Modi ahead of today’s floor test STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GUWAHATI, 4 FEBRUARY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE B The MLAs of Jharkhand’s ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance, who have been camping at a Telangana resort since Thursday, are returning to Ranchi ahead of Monday’s crucial floor test of the Champai Soren government. Around 40 MLAs of the ruling JMM-led alliance in Jharkhand, who stayed at a resort in Hyderabad for the past three days, left from the RGI Airport at Shamshabad by a flight to Ranchi on Sunday, Congress sources said. The MLAs were shifted to the Congress-ruled state amidst fears of poaching by the principal Opposition BJP after former Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s resignation and subsequent arrest. The MLAs were accommodated in a luxury resort at Shamirpet on the city outskirts, during the past three days. The Champai Soren government would seek a vote of confidence on Monday in the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, three days after Mr Soren took oath as the Chief Minister. The ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has 47 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand legislative assembly where the majority mark lowing the poll bugle in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the rapid development of the North East region of the country in coming times will mirror the development of South East Asia. Addressing a mammoth public rally in Guwahati, Mr Modi said that the rapid development of the North Eastern region will result in increased trade, cultural connection between the region and the South East Asian countries which will boost the overall economy of the region. Mr Modi during his two-day visit, inaugurated and laid the foundation for projects totalling Rs 11,600 crore. He also said that the Kamakhya Divyalok Pariyojana will give a massive boost to tourism in Assam. The PM said once the project is complete, it will give great pleasure to devotees who throng the temple and it will also offer convenient darshan facilities to the people of Assam. "I recently got to ‘ISI agent’ working at Indian embassy in Russia arrested STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 FEBRUARY P9 PM inaugurated & laid foundation for projects totalling ` 11,600 crore Min. 72 % TEMPERATURE PT USHA HONOURED WITH 'LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD' REVANTH REDDY ATTACKS KCR ON IRRIGATION PROJECTS ing intelligence from various confidential sources that the handlers of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI, through some persons, were luring the employees of the Ministry of External Affairs with money to obtain strategically and strategically important information related to the Indian Army that is likely to pose a huge threat to the internal and external security of India,” the agency said in a statement. The agency said it had called Siwal for interrogation at its Meerut office and he failed to provide satisfactory answers to their questions. When pressed further, he confessed spying for the Pakistani intelligence agency. He allegedly shared documents of the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence and gave details of military establishment to his ISI handlers. NEW DELHI, 4 FEBRUARY visit various Teertha places across the country. We got to see the major inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. After Ayodhya, I have come to the doors of Maa Kamakhya. I will lay the foundation of the Kamakhya Divyalok Pariyojana project today. Once this project is complete, it will give a lot of happiness to devotees, and a lot more devotees will turn up each year," said PM Modi. Mr Modi also said those who were at the helm at the Centre for long since independence did not understand the significance of places of worship and “made a trend out of the practice of being ashamed of one's own culture and past for political gains”. The Kamakhya Divyalok Pariyojana is an ambitious project with an estimated cost of Rs 498 crore. Mr Modi also said that peace accords and removal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from various places of Assam have ushered in a new era of development “More than 10 peace accords have been signed in the last few years which have ushered in a new era of development. More than 7,000 misguided youths from the region have abjured violence and joined the mainstream.” Mr Modi said. He added that the area which earlier witnessed widespread violence, was now fulfilling their dreams and hope while the government was extending its full support towards their aspirations. The prime minister added that a country cannot progress with a small target. “Previous governments could not maintain big targets nor fulfill their promises. We have now changed the mindset of the previous governments as well,” said Mr Modi. JMM and Congress MLAs on the way to Ranchi for the floor test of the new government of Jharkhand likely to be held in the Assembly on 5 February, on Sunday. ANI is 41. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has 29 seats, its ally Congress has 17 and the RJD and the CPI (ML) have one seat each. The Champai Soren government has given the Governor a letter of support from 43 MLAs. Meanwhile, Congress leader Pranav Jha has alleged that BJP was still trying to break the party in Jharkhand. “CM has been allowed to vote. We have sufficient numbers quite in fact more than the majority. We came because the BJP was still trying to break us... The threat of ED, CBI, and IT was there. They’re trying to break every opposition state,” Pranav Jha told reporters in Hyderabad. Hemant Soren was arrested The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has 29 seats, its ally Congress has 17 and the RJD and the CPI (ML) have one seat each. The Champai Soren govt has given the Governor a letter of support from 43 MLAs. on Wednesday night by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) after six hours of questioning in the money laundering case linked to the alleged land scam. The probe pertains to huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by forging official records by showing 'fake sellers' and purchasers in the guise of forged or bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores. After Kejriwal, Delhi Police notice to Atishi TRIBAL FESTIVAL Delhi Education Minister Atishi addresses a Press conference regarding the notice issued to her and CM Arvind Kejriwal by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Sunday. SUBRATA DUTTA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 FEBRUARY Artists perform during the 31st Tribal Festival in New Delhi YMCA, organised by the Department of Programme Cultural and TribSUBRATA DUTTA al Affairs, in the Capital on Sunday. A team of the Delhi Police Crime Branch on Sunday served a notice on Delhi Finance and Education Minister Atishi in connection with the allegations that the BJP was trying to "buy" Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs. The Crime Branch team visited Atishi’s residence earlier in the day to serve the notice in response to the AAP"s claims that the BJP was trying to entice its MLAs with substantial financial offers as part of 'Operation Lotus 2.0'.According to sources, Atishi instructed officials at her camp office to receive the notice in her absence. Later, addressing a Press conference here, the AAP leader dubbed the notices served to her and the Delhi CM as plain letters as they did not mention any section of the IPC, CrPC, PMLA, or the Prevention of Corruption Act. As regards the allegation against the BJP of an attempt to buy MLAs, the AAP leader asserted that these are the people who in July 2019 had won over 14 Congress MLAs in Goa to their side after approaching 17 MLAs. Without naming anyone, she said those who approached the AAP legislators were those who had taken away incumbent Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, along with Shiv Sena MLAs. (Details on Page 2) UK PM Sunak speaks on racism, says parents India has much to offer to the world on wanted him to speak without an accent to 'fit in' int’l issues in justice delivery: Murmu AGENCIES LONDON, 4 FEBRUARY UK's first Indian-origin PM Rishi Sunak shared his experiences of facing racism as a child, saying his parents sent him for extra drama lessons so that he could "speak properly" without an accent to fit into society. In an interview with Anushka Asthana of ITV News, Sunak recalled the pain of hearing slurs directed at his younger siblings, adding that racism "stings" and "hurts in a way that other things don't", The Guardian reported. “You are conscious of being different... It's hard not to be, right, and obviously, I experienced racism as a kid," he told Asthana who detailed her encounter with the Prime Minister in The Times. The PM also spoke about the "sting" of racism in July last year when he made a special appearance at the England versus Australia Ashes Test match at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. Born in Southampton in a Hindu Punjabi family that had migrated from East Africa, the 43-year-old leader said his parents, his mother in particular, were keen for him and his siblings to "fit in and not for it to be, in any way, shape or form, a barrier". “One of the things my mum was obsessed with was that we didn't speak with accents and we would speak properly,” he said. “So she was keen for us to try to do some extra drama.” Calling any form of racism “simply unacceptable”, he also mentioned Britain's reputation among global leaders as a model for racial harmony and equality. Addressing his first Conservative Party conference as party leader in Manchester in October 2023, Mr Sunak, using his example as proof, said that the UK is not a racist country and that his skin colour is not a "big deal" in the country. Mr Sunak admitted while speaking to Asthana that he never expected to see an indi- vidual from the ethnic minority community becoming Britain's prime minister one day "because you didn't have role models like that... hadn't happened yet". From lighting diyas on the steps of 10 Downing Street on Diwali to praying at Hindu temples, the Southamptonborn leader has shown that he is proud of his Indian roots and Hindu faith, which he says "guides him in every aspect of his life". Attending a 'Ram Katha' ceremony at the University of Cambridge's Jesus College last year, Mr Sunak said: "Being Prime Minister is a great honour, but it is not an easy job. There are difficult decisions to make, hard choices to confront and our faith gives me courage, strength, and resilience to do the best that I can for our country". STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 FEBRUARY President Droupadi Murmu said here on Sunday that India has emerged as a key stakeholder in the global discourse. India, she said, has much to offer when it comes to international issues in justice delivery. ''India is not only the biggest democracy, but history shows that it is also the oldest democracy. With that rich and long democratic heritage, we can offer our learning in justice delivery in modern times,” she added. The President was addressing the valedictory function of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) – Commonwealth Attorneys and Solicitors General Conference (CASGC) 2024 in New Delhi. Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke at the function. (Photo) President Murmu said what is right and just is also logically sound. These three qualities combine to define the moral order of a society. That is why the representatives of the legal profession and the judiciary, are the ones who help in upholding the order. If that order is challenged, they are the ones who, as lawyers or judges, law students or teachers, strive most to set it right again, she added. The President said that the Preamble to the Constitution speaks of “Justice, social, economic and political”. “Therefore, when we speak of ‘justice delivery’, we should keep in mind all aspects of it, including social justice.” She stated that in recent times, as the world faces the threat of climate change, environmental justice should also be added to these varied aspects of the concept of justice. As it happens, the issues of environmental justice often pose cross-border challenges. They form the key area of what this conference is about, namely, ‘Cross-Border Challenges in Justice Delivery’. She was happy to note that CLEA has taken the responsibility to chart a roadmap to a common future that transcends borders and underlines the fundamental principles of natural justice based on equality and dignity. She expressed confidence that the Commonwealth, with its diversity and legacy, can show the rest of the world the way to address the common concerns in a spirit of cooperation.