FRIDAY 29 MARCH 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 VARUN GANDHI’S EMOTIONAL NOTE TO PILIBHIT THE PESKY STONE IN PAKISTAN’S SHOE P7 SENSEX 73,635.48639.16 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Rain/Thundershower likely to occur in some areas towards afternoon/evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 34 °C and 26 °C respectively. P10 NIFTY 22,326.90203.25 P5 GOLD 67,310380 ` vs $ 83.37 SILVER 77,500300 Max. 91 % STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH Says he was arrested despite no evidence; remand extended to 1 April TEMPERATURE Max: 33.9°C (-1) Min: 26.8°C (+2) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:33 hrs 17:50 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 20:31 hrs 07:6 hrs New Moon on 08 April THUMBNAILS Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and other leaders attend an Iftar party at Park Circus Ground on Thursday.  BISWAJIT GHOSHAL MHA extends AFSPA in parts of Arunachal & Nagaland for 6 more months: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in certain districts of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh for another six months with effect from 1 April, officials said on Thursday. A Nagaland government official, quoting the MHA notification, said that the AFSPA was extended in 8 districts ~ Dimapur, Niuland, Chumoukedima, Mon, Kiphire, Noklak, Phek, and Peren ~ and 21 police station areas in five other districts of Nagaland, which has 16 districts. elhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was produced before a Delhi court on Thursday by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in a PMLA case relating to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, made his submissions on his own and said that he was arrested despite there being no charges against him, and there is no case against him. Mr Kejriwal also said that he was ready to face remand and did not oppose it and requested the court to be allowed to present some facts about the matter, which the ED initially opposed. However, Mr Kejriwal's counsel cited Section 313 of the CrPC to point out that he can give his statement and the court allowed it. The court later extended Mr Kejriwal's custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till 1 April. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj while addressing a Press conference disclosed that Mr Kejriwal in his submission to the court said that the case was going for two years, and he has now been arrested, despite no court declaring him guilty of any- D thing and no case being argued against him and no charges proved against him. Neither was there any evidence against him. Mr Kejriwal further told the court that out of everything presented before the court by the ED and the CBI, only four statements mentioned his name. This includes the statement of Manish Sisodia's PA, C Arvind, who said a document was given by him in his presence, Mr Kejriwal said, adding that a lot of people come to meet him at the CM’s residence and they talk with each other, and questioned whether this was sufficient to arrest him. On the second state- ment which was of Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (MSR), the Delhi CM said that he had met him with regard to establishing his family trust in Delhi. Mr Kejriwal said that Mr Reddy’s son was arrested, and after five months when he broke down and changed statements, the son got bail in the case. Referring to the statement of approver Sarath Chandra Reddy, Mr Kejriwal told the court that searches took place at his place and he was later arrested and at that time he did not say anything against him. He was put behind bars for six months and finally broke down and said that he had gone to meet Mr Kejriwal with one Vijay Nair, the Delhi CM said. “Are four statements enough to arrest a sitting CM? A smokescreen of the Aam Aadmi Party being corrupt has been created in front of the nation,” Mr Bharadwaj quoted Mr Kejriwal as saying. Mr Kejriwal went on to add that he is ready to face ED probe. Delhi HC dismisses PIL asking to remove Kejriwal as CM: Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected a PIL which had sought Remarks on Delhi CM’s arrest, freezing of Congress account: India hits back at US NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH India on Thursday rejected the latest remarks by the United States on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest and the freezing of the bank accounts of the Congress, saying this country is proud of its independent and robust democratic institutions and is committed to protecting them from any form of undue external influences. “Mutual respect and understanding form the foundation of international relations, and states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media SNS briefing. removal of Mr Kejriwal from the position of chief minister after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). While hearing the PIL, the HC has said that there was no scope of judicial interference on this aspect. MEA: Nothing new in Ukraine Foreign Minister Kuleba Trudeau’s statement in Delhi amidst conflict with Russia on Nijjar’s murder STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH India on Thursday said there is nothing new in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement that he is looking to constructively work with New Delhi to get to the bottom of the killing of 'Khalistan' supporter and India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India is ready to investigate the killing but is yet to receive any specific and concrete information regarding it from Canada. Mr Jaiswal said India has also cautioned Canada against giving space to separatist elements on its soil. Earlier in Ottawa, responding to the update on the investigation regarding Nijjar's killing, Mr Trudeau said that they are looking to work constructively with the Indian government to get to the bottom of the matter. He was asked: "How is P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 86.481.07 Ready to face probe, ECI issues notification for 2nd phase of LS polls Kejriwal tells court RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 54 % RCB, KKR EYE 2ND WIN TO ADD MOMENTUM IN CAMPAIGN ‘GOVT OPEN TO TWEAKING AGNIVEER SCHEME IF NEEDED’ India's cooperation shaping up on the assassination investigations of Canadian citizen Nijjar when Canada has credible allegations and India expects Canada to complete its own investigation first?" The Canadian PM said, "The killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is something that we all should take extremely seriously." "The credible allegations that agents of the Indian government were involved in--that is something that we did not declare lightly, but our responsibility to protect all Canadians from illegal actions by foreign governments is something that, as a country grounded in diversity, we need to take very seriously," he added. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived in New Delhi on Thursday on a two-day visit to brief the Indian leadership on the latest developments in the RussiaUkraine conflict and the 'Peace Summit' proposed to be hosted by Switzerland. Mr Kuleba (Photo)was received by senior Indian officials at the airport on his first-ever visit to India. This is the first high-level visit from Ukraine to India since the hostilities erupted in Europe in February 2022. “I began my visit to New Delhi upon @DrSJaishankar's invitation. Ukrainian-Indian cooperation is important and we will be reinvigorating ties," the visiting minister said in a social media post on X. “Building on the dialogue between @ZelenskyyUa and @NarendraModi, we will pay specific attention to the Peace Formula,” he added. During the visit, he is slat- ed to meet External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Deputy National Security Advisor Vikram Misri to discuss matters pertaining to the bilateral partnership and cooperation on regional and global issues of mutual interest. The visit comes days after Prime Minister Modi spoke to Ukraine President Voldimyr Zelenskyy on the phone and reiterated that diplomacy and dialogue be given a chance to resolve the conflict. Modi assured the Ukrainian leader that India would continue to send humanitarian assistance to the embattled nation. At his weekly media brief- ing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “The visit of the Ukrainian foreign minister is happening on the invitation of EAM. He will be here on a two-day visit. He will have a bilateral engagement with EAM where they will review the intergovernmental commission that was held earlier. They will also discuss global and regional issues of common concern and several other engagements are lined up for the Ukrainian foreign minister.” He said India continues to encourage peaceful conflict resolution through dialogue and diplomacy. Addressing an online briefing ahead of the visit on Wednesday, Mr Kuleba said: "I have already announced I would be visiting New Delhi on the invitation of my New Delhi counterpart, S Jaishankar. This would be my first visit to India and the first visit by a Ukrainian Foreign Minister to the country in seven years. The aim is to strengthen India-Ukraine relationship." The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday issued the notification for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled to be held on 26 April. The filing of nominations for the second phase of voting began with the issuing of the notification. In the notification, the poll panel said 4 April will be the last date for filing nominations for constituencies going to the polls in Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. According to the Election Commission’s notification, 5 April is fixed for scrutiny of nominations for Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and 6 April for Jammu and Kashmir. The last date for withdrawal of candidatures for Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir is 8 April. As per the poll panel, the CAMPAIGNING GAINS MOMENTUM (Clock-wise)  BJP supporters take part in a rally in Agartala on Wednesday.  TMC candidate Mahua Moitra during an election campaign, in Nadia on Thursday. Congress rally in Nagpur.  ANI Scrutiny of nominations will take place o 5 April for Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tripura, UP, Bengal and 6 April for Jammu and Kashmir. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is 8 April voting in 88 parliamentary constituencies spread across these States/ Union Territories along with one part of the Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency in Manipur will take place on 26 April. Altogether 88 Lok Sabha seats - 20 in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight seats each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharash- Border issues: Beijing talks see no progress STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 MARCH India and China failed to make headway in resolving their protracted military stand-off at eastern Ladakh at the 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) held in Beijing on Wednesday. The Indian team was led by the Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the Ministry of External Affairs while the Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed the Chinese delegation. “The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. In the interim, both sides agreed to maintain regular tra, five seats each in Bihar and Assam, three in Chhattisgarh, seven in Madhya Pradesh, three in West Bengal , one each in Tripura and Jammu & Kashmir - will go to the polls in the second phase. The general elections will be held in seven phases between 19 April and 1 June. Counting will take place on 4 June. Mukhtar Ansari dead following heart attack STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Reiterating that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable part of India”, an MEA spokesperson said China may repeat its "baseless claims"on the state as many times as they want. but that will not change the position. contact through diplomatic and military channels and on the need to uphold peace and tranquility on the ground in the border areas in accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols. India and China have held umpteen rounds of talks both at the diplomatic and military levels but the border stalemate, which started in April-May 2020, has not ended. The border row has resulted in the bilateral relationship between the two countries plummeting to a new low. On the issue of the Chinese claims on Arunachal Pradesh, an MEA spokesperson reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable part of India”. BANDA, 28 MARCH Jailed gangster and politician Mukhtar Ansari died in UP's Banda on Thursday, following a heart attack. Ansari, 60, suffered a massive heart attack in Banda jail on Thursday evening and he fell unconscious. He was taken to the Banda Medical College where he died. Earlier on Tuesday, Ansari’s health had deteriorated and he was admitted to the ICU at Banda Medical College. However, he was discharged the same day after doctors declared him fit. Ansari had earlier told a court that he was being given food laced with poison in jail, after which the court had sought a report from the authorities. After Ansari’s death, an alert has been issued in various sensitive districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Ghazipur and Mau. As a precautionary measure, a large number of forces were deployed in sensitive areas. (Details on Page 10) Swami Smaranananda a pioneer of India’s spiritual consciousness NARENDRA MODI Amidst the hustle and bustle of the grand festival of Lok Sabha elections, the news of the demise of Srimat Swami Smaranananda Ji Maharaj brought my mind to a standstill for a few moments. Srimat Swami Smaranananda Ji Maharaj was a pioneer of India's spiritual consciousness and his demise is like a personal loss. A few years ago, the demise of Swami Atmasthananda Ji and now the departure of Swami Smaranananda Ji on his eternal journey has left many people bereaved. My heart, like that of crores of devotees, saints and followers of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, is deeply saddened. During my visit to Kolkata earlier this month, I had gone to the hospital to enquire about Swami Smaranananda Ji's health. Just like Swami Atmasthananda Ji, Swami Smaranananda Ji too dedicated his entire life for spreading the ideas of Acharya Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Mata Sharada Devi and SwamiVivekananda across the world.While writing this article, the memories of meetings and conversations with him are getting refreshed in my mind. In January 2020, during my stay at Belur Math, I meditated in the room of Swami Vivekananda. During that visit, I had a long conversation about Swami Atmasthananda Ji with Swami Smaranananda Ji. It is widely known that I had a close relationship with Ramakrishna Mission and Belur Math. As a seeker of spirituality, I have met different saints and mahatmas and been to many places over the period of more than five decades. Even in Ramakrishna Math, I got to know about the saints who dedicated their lives to spirituality, among whom personalities like Swami Atmasthananda Ji and Swami Smaranananda Ji were promi- nent. Their sacred thoughts and knowledge provided contentment to my mind. In the most important period of my life, such saints taught me the true principle of Jan Seva hi Prabhu Seva. The lives of Swami Atmasthananda Ji and Swami Smaranananda Ji are an indelible example of the motto of Ramakrishna Mission 'Atmano Mokshaartham Jagaddhitaaya Cha'. We all are inspired by the work being done by Ramakrishna Mission for the promotion of education and rural CMYK development. Ramakrishna Mission is working on India's spiritual enlightenment, educational empowerment and humanitarian service. In 1978, when the disastrous flood struck Bengal, Ramakrishna Mission won the hearts of everyone with its selfless service. I remember, when an earthquake ravaged Kutch in 2001, Swami Atmasthananda Ji was among the first people to call me and offer all possible assistance for disaster management on behalf of the Ramakrishna Mission. Under his direction, Ramakrishna Mission helped many people who were affected by the earthquake. Over the past years, while holding various positions, Swami Atmasthananda Ji and Swami Smaranananda Ji laid great emphasis on social empowerment. Those who know the lives of these great personalities will definitely remember how serious these saints were towards modern education, skilling and women empowerment. Among his many inspiring traits, one thing that impressed me the most was Swami Atmasthananda Ji's love and respect for every culture and every tradition. The reason for this was that he used to travel continuously and had spent a long time in different parts of India. He learned to speak Gujarati while living in Gujarat. He used to even speak with me in the language and I loved listening to his Gujarati! At different points in India's development journey, our motherland has been blessed by many saints and seers like Swami Atmasthananda Ji, Swami Smaranananda Ji who have ignited the spark of societal change. They have motivated us to work with a collective spirit and address all the challenges our society faces. These principles are eternal and will act as our source of strength as we embark on developing a Viksit Bharat during the Amrit Kaal. Once again, on behalf of the entire nation, I pay homage to such saintly souls. I am confident that all the people associated with the Ramakrishna Mission will further move ahead on the path shown by them. Om Shanti.