MONDAY 12 FEBRUARY 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 HUNGARY PRESIDENT RESIGNS OVER CHILD ABUSE CASE PARDON KHARGE SLAMS MODI GOVT ON FARM LAWS P5 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY SKY TOWARDS EVENING/NIGHT. MIST/SHALLOW FOG IN THE MORNING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 25 AND 08 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 100 % Min. 36 % Max: 24.6 °C+1) SUN RISES 7:02 hrs MOON RISES 09:19 hrs Min: 07.0 °C (-3) SUN SETS 18:09 hrs MOON SETS 20:57 hrs TEMPERATURE THUMBNAILS Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar interacts with the Sainik School cadets, at the Gondia Education Society, in Gondia on Sunday. ANI Deja vu for India as Australia lift fourth U19 World Cup title: Australia replicated another World Cup final heartbreak for defending champions India following their 79-run victory to lift their fourth Under-19 World Cup title on Sunday. In a span of three months, India twice went unbeaten to the final of a World Cup, to face Australia in the final and on both occasions, they ended up on the losing side. (Earlier report on Page 12) P9 P4 PM sounds poll bugle in MP Says NDA will cross 400 figure in LS polls & Cong will be completely wiped out in 2024 GAURAV CHANDRA BHOPAL, 11 FEBRUARY A sserting that the BJP alone would win more than 370 seats and the NDA would cross the 400 figure in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the Congress would be completely wiped out in 2024. Sounding the bugle for Lok Sabha polls in Madhya Pradesh while addressing a huge gathering at the ‘Janjatiya Mahasammelan’ near the Gopalpura airstrip in tribal-dominated Jhabua, Mr Modi said he had not come to campaign for elections but to express his gratitude and thank the people for showering so much love and blessings on him and the BJP. The PM was presented with a blue waistcoat with tribal prints and a white traditional turban at the venue. Donning the tribal waistcoat throughout his speech, the PM said: “The development and respect of tribals and poor sections is Modi’s guarantee, and fulfilling the dreams of tribals and their children is Modi’s commitment.” Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Mr Modi said: “Loot aur phoot Prime Minister Narendra Modi being felicitated by Madhya Pradesh BJP Chief VD Sharma during the 'Jan Jatiya Mahasabha', in Jhabua on Sunday.  ANI Congress ke oxygen hain,” (corruption and politics of division are oxygen for Congress). Warning the people against the Congress's tactics, the PM said the Congress would try to divide people on the lines of caste, language, religion, and areas in its lastditch effort to come back to power in the Lok Sabha polls. “But I know that the people of the country have realised the truth about the Congress and they will never let the Congress succeed in its motives,” Mr Modi said. Commenting on the present condition of the MAXWELL KNOCK ’S HELPS AUSSIE CLINCH T20I SERIES 12 FEB CRUCIAL DAY FOR VIJAYAN, DAUGHTER Opposition, especially the Congress, the PM said that no one is ready to take any responsibility there. “The Congress has sunk in its own marsh of sins and is sinking deeper with each attempt to come out of the quagmire,” the PM said. The Prime Minister asserted: "Currently, the Congress and other opposition leaders merely abuse me because I am diligently working for the welfare of the tribals and poor.” “The Congress never did anything for the welfare and respect of tribals during its rule and only treated them as a vote bank,” the PM said. He said that the reality is that “the Congress always hated and still hates villagers, poor and tribals and did nothing for their development”. “The Congress even tried to prevent a tribal woman (Droupadi Murmu) from becoming the President of the country,” the PM said. “On the other hand, the BJP government, under the leadership of late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was the first to launch a dedicated ministry for tribal welfare and provided a separate budget for tribal development works,” he said. The PM said that the present BJP government has launched a ‘Sickle Cell Mission’ for the eradication of sickle cell disease among tribals. He said the number of forest produce on which the government ensures MSP (minimum selling price) has been increased from 10 to around 90 now. Besides, ‘Van Dhan’ centres have also been opened. “More than 1.75 lakh beneficiaries have been provided with ‘Swamitva Patras’ today to protect them from land rightsrelated problems,” he said, adding that the BJP government has restored land rights to tribals. “The PM Jan-Man yojana is also being implemented to benefit the most backward sections and tribals,” he said. “I guarantee that three crore women would be made ‘lakhpati didi’ and drones would be provided to women farmers so that they bring an agricultural revolution by becoming the ‘Namo drone didis’,” the PM said. Speaking about the works of the BJP’s doubleengine government in Madhya Pradesh, the PM said MP was a BIMARU state during the ‘black period’ of the Congress rule in the state. P12 BJP announces candidates for RS Biennial Elections AGENCIES NEW DELHI , 11 FEBRUARY Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday announced candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha Biennial Elections to be held in various states. The BJP has fielded Dharmsheela Gupta and Bhim Singh from Bihar and Raja Devendra Pratap Singh from Chhattisgarh. Subhash Barala will contest from Haryana, Narayana Krishanasa Bhandage from Karnataka, Mahendra Bhatt from Uttarakhand and Samik Bhattacharya from West Bengal. RPN Singh, Sudhanshu Trivedi, Chaudhary Tejveer Singh, Sadhna Singh, Amarpal Maurya, Sangita Balwant and Navin Jain will fight from Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, a total of 58 Rajya Sabha members-including eight Central Ministers, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national President JP Nadda-will retire by the first week of May this year. Mansukh Mandaviya, Bhupender Yadav, Parshottam Rupala, Dharmendra Pradhan, V Murleedharan, Narayan Rane, Rajeev Chandrashekhar and Ashwini Vaishnaw are the eight ministers who will retire by April The BJP has fielded Dharmsheela Gupta and Bhim Singh from Bihar and Raja Devendra Pratap Singh from Chhattisgarh 2-3, along with 47 other MPs, including Manmohan Singh and Nadda. Among those retiring are 28 MPs from the BJP, 11 from Congress, four from Trinamool Congress, four from Bharat Rashtra Samithi, two each from Biju Janata Dal, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Janata Dal (United), and one each from YSRCP, Shiv Sena, NCP, Telugu Desam Party, and Sikkim Democratic Front. Samajwadi Party's Jaya Bachchan, BJP's Anil Baluni and Prakash Javadekar, and BJD's Amar Patnaik are among those leaders retiring from the Rajya Sabha. The retirement of these MPs and the outcome of the upcoming general elections will impact the representation each party will have in the Upper House during the next Lok Sabha term. Presently, the BJP has 93 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, 30 MPs in Congress, 13 in the Trinamool Congress, and six nominated members, among others, in a house of 239 with six vacancies. 1st time: CAPFs constable Pakistan: Imran -backed independents lead with 93 seats in final poll count exam to be conducted in 13 regional languages Punjab-Haryana borders sealed ahead of Feb 13 protest by farmers STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE CHANDIGARH, 11 FEBRUARY AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 11 FEBRUARY For the first time, the Constable (General Duty) examination for recruitment of constables in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will be conducted in 13 regional languages in addition to Hindi and English. The examination will be conducted from 20 February to 7 March for around 48 lakh candidates in 128 cities across the country. This historic decision has been taken on the initiative of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah to increase the participation of local youth in the Central Armed Police Forces and to promote regional languages. Question papers will now be prepared in the following 13 regional languages in addition to Hindi and English: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, ISLAMABAD, 11 FEBRUARY The examination will be conducted from 20 February to 7 March for around 48 lakh candidates in 128 cities across the country. Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Urdu, Punjabi, Manipuri and Konkani. The Constable GD Examination is one of the flagship examinations conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) attracting lakhs of youths from across the country. The decision will allow lakhs of youth to take part in the examination in their mother tongue/regional language and improve their selection prospects. As a result, the reach of this examination will increase among the candidates in the entire country and everyone will get an equal opportunity for employment. The final results of Pakistan’s national election put Independents, backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in the lead with 93 of 264 seats as voters returned a hung Parliament. The party of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was second with 75 seats after Thursday's vote, lacking a clear majority but it was the largest single party in parliament as Khan's independents ran as individuals. The three main political parties in Pakistan on Sunday intensified their efforts for the formation of a coalition government, but it was not clear who would form a government. The final tally of votes was published by the election commission more than 60 hours after voting ended, raising questions over the delay. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday published the results of 264 out of 265 contested seats in the 266-member National Assembly. The result of one constituency was withheld by the ECP due to complaints of fraud. Election to one seat was postponed after the death of a candidate. Independent candidates, a vast majority of them backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), won 101 seats in the National Assembly. They were followed by three-time former Sharif's Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) with 75 seats, which technically is the single largest party in Parliament. The Pakistan Peoples Party of Bilawal Zardari Bhutto got 54 seats, and the Karachibased Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP) got 17 seats. Other smaller parties won the rest of the 12 seats. A prime ministeri- al candidate has to show a simple majority of 169 seats in the National Assembly when the house is called in the coming days. This will be determined by coalition talks and whether Khan-backed candidates are able to join a smaller party in parliament to form a single bloc to gain reserve seats. A spokeswoman for Nawaz Sharif's party said that he had met with representatives of the minority regional Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party and they had agreed to "in principle work jointly in the larger interest of the country." An MQM leader confirmed the meeting but said no formal coalition agreement had been made. The election commission previously flagged that results for two seats could not yet be included, one in which a candidate was killed, requiring the postponement of polling, and another in which polling would be completed later this month. AGENCIES Ahead of farmers' plan to head towards the national capital to stage protests, the Haryana government has sealed the state's border with Punjab in Ambala and also ordered suspension of mobile Internet and bulk SMS services in seven districts, an official said on Sunday. To prevent any disturbance in the law and order situation, the mobile Internet services will be suspended in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa districts till 11.59 p.m. on February 13. The government has advised commuters not to take the Delhi-Chandigarh highway. A huge concrete wall was erected on the highway at Shambhu border in Ambala. Authorities have also placed barricades to close the Punjab-Haryana borders BSF personnel stand guard at Ambala-Kaithal bypass after security was tightened on Sunday, ahead of the farmers' march to Delhi on 13th ANI February. in Jind and Fatehabad districts. Haryana Police have released a traffic advisory, suggesting people to restrict their travel on the main roads of the state to only essential reasons on February 13 due to possible traffic disturbances on key routes from Haryana to Punjab. Over 200 farmers' unions The government has advised commuters not to take the DelhiChandigarh highway. A huge concrete wall was erected on the highway at Shambhu border in Ambala. will march to the national capital on February 13 to press the Centre for accepting their demands, including enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Union minister Puri flags off 57th Edition of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally NIKHIL VYAS/ SANTU DAS NEW DELHI, 11 FEBRUARY Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday fagged off the much-awaited 57th Edition of The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally in the national capital. “The Maharanis of Yesteryears” were flagged off from The Statesman House at Barakhamba Road in Delhi at a glittering ceremony, in the presence of Chairman of The Statesman Group, Mr R P Gupta, Israeli Ambassador to India Naor Gilon, British Deputy High Commissioner to India Christina Scott, Director (Planning and Business Development/HR) of Indian Oil Sujoy Choudhury and CMD of NBCC KP Mahadevaswamy. The other dignitaries present on the occasion included officials from the SBI, LIC of India, BHEL, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), and KairaliThe Ayurvedic Healing Village. Before flagging off the car rally, Mr Puri, accompanied by Mr Gupta, had a look at the classic beauties and also posed for photographs with their proud owners. Later, in a post on X, the minister said: “Vintage marvels of automobile engineering bring the Sunday morning alive with their vibrant colours, whirring engines and the passion of their proud own- ers! Delighted to flag off the 57th edition of the Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally today morning.” Noting that these cars were like history books rolling on four wheels, Mr Puri said, “I suggested to the owner of a hundred year old Rolls Royce to convert the engine to run on ethanol! Once this is done it’ll be a glowing example of a marvel from the past running on the fuel of the future.” He further said: “It will become a perfect tribute to India’s quest for energy selfsufficiency and green energy transition under the visionary leadership of PM Naren- dra Modi.” Soon after the flag-off ceremony, the participating vintage and classic cars headed to JP Hospital, Greater Noida via Mahamaya Underbridge before taking a U-turn to reach the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium near India Gate.More than 150 vehicles participated in the rally. The cars were assessed for originality and performance on the road section. Several Rolls Royce and Bentleys, an iconic 1914 John Morris fire engine owned by the Rail Museum, smaller vintage and classic cars, and outstation cars were among the key highlights of this year’s event. Prior to the prize distribution ceremony, a live music programme enthralled the participants as well as those who were present to catch the glimpse of the old cars. Peo- ple who attended the event along with their families clicked photos of the rare cars.The prize distribution ceremony was held at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. Meanwhile, in a post on X, Director (Planning and Business Development/HR) of Indian Oil Choudhury termed the rally as an “unforgettable experience”. “Exciting day at the 57th Statesman Vintage & Classic Car rally as Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri , flagged off the event at Statesman House today! It's a journey back in time as iconic automobiles like Rolls-Royce, Bentleys, Morris Major, Armstrong, and Mercedes grace Delhi's roads. Proud to be a part of this unforgettable experience! #VintageCars #ClassicCarRally,” he said. The Statesman Vintage & Classic Car Rally is an annual event that takes place in Delhi and Kolkata. It’s one of the oldest continuously run events in India and the subcontinent. The sponsors of the rally were Indian Oil Corporation, LIC of India, Power Grid Corporation of India Limited, BHEL, Bhasin Service Station, Power Finance Corporation Limited, NTPC Limited, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri, HW Bhatnagar, JK Tyre and Industries Ltd, HPCL, NIXI, National Book Trust of India, NBCC (India) Limited, Kairali Ayurveda, UP Tourism, Taiwan Embassy, NHPC Limited, Oil India Limited, SBI, GAIL India Limited, Bal Bharati Public School, PPG Asian Paints, Ekvee and M Ram.