‘WE WILL SECURE AT LEAST 23 OUT OF 25 SEATS FROM N-E REGION’ 07 APRIL 2024 www.thestatesman.com Twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd Facebook.com/thestatesman A DELICATE SKY’S POTENTIAL BALANCING RETURN TO BOLSTER ACT MI AGAINST FELLOW STRUGGLERS DC PAGE 10 PAGE 6 PAGE 12 India’s National Newspaper since 1818 PAGES 16 | `5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Hot and discomfort weather very likely. Partly cloudy sky with possibility of rain/thundershower likely towards afternoon/evening.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 33°C and 24°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Central agencies planning to arrest TMC booth presidents, says Mamata STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SILIGURI/MIDNAPORE, 6 APRIL Max. 89% Min. 50% Max: 36.7°C (+2) SUN RISES 05:25 hrs MOON RISES 03:38 hrs Min: 28.5°C (+3) SUN SETS 17:54 hrs MOON SETS 15:27 hrs TEMPERATURE NIA harassed women in Bhupatinagar: CM New Moon on 08 April THUMBNAILS A man carries a pedestal fan on his shoulder during a hot summer day in Kolkata.  ANI Buttler’s ton outshines Kohli’s, RR beat RCB. Virat Kohli's blitzkrieg century (113 n.o. off 72 balls) went in vain as Jos Buttler's thunderous hundred (100 n.o. off 58 balls) lit up the Sawai Mansingh Stadium to power Rajasthan Royals (RR) to a 6-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday. ours after an National Investigation Agency (NIA) team faced violent resistance from local residents during a raid at Bhupatinagar village near Contai in East Midnapore, chief minister Mamata Banerjee charged that the NIA team had harrassed women during the raid. Addressing a political meeting at Baghait ground in Balurghat in South Dinajpur, CM Mamata Banerjee today said: “Who attacked? Women did not attack anyone. NIA attacked them.” “If NIA officials raid houses in a village, torture women at midnight, will they sit idle covering their faces?Will they not resist just to save their modesty? Why do they raid at night?” Miss Banerjee asked. She added: “They are planning to arrest allTMC booth presidents and agents. Election Commission of India should do their job impartially. We don’t want BJP-led ECI.” The NIA team, which H had conducted raids in Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore district on Saturday in connection with its investigation into an explosion which took place in December 2022 that left three persons dead, faced heavy resistance from a group of local people, resulting in minor injuries to an NIA official and damage to a vehicle. The NIA had detained twoTrinamul Congress leaders, Balai Charan Maity and Monobrata Jana, accused in the 2022 bomb blast case, during the raid. Miss Banerjee, speaking to reporters in North Dinajpur said: “NIA officials should have informed the police before the raid.” Without naming the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Miss Banerjee said: “The betrayer, fearing defeat in elections, has started raiding houses at midnight.” She also said: “ECI has been transferring officials of the state government. Why are officials of Central agencies not being transferred? If you (Modi) have the power to win election, do so democratically. But don’t arrest our party workers. Don’t try to grab Bengal forcibly. A level playing field is a must. BJP wants to defeat TMC at any cost. If Modi does it forcibly in a democratic country I will be campaigning it across the world.” Further targeting Mr Modi at another public meeting at Hemtabad in North Dinajpur, Miss Banerjee said: “If you (Mr Modi) are confident, why are you arresting my part men? The gaddar (betrayer) has instigated Central agencies to make arrests. He won the Assembly seat against me by creating load shedding (while counting of votes was in progress). A case is pending in the court. Do you (Modi) think people will vote for you? TMC can not be stopped in this way. People will not absolve you.” “BJP is afraid of me. For that BJP is trying to damage the image of Bengal,” she said. Congress long dead, Muslim League, Left dominate the party’s thinking now: Modi MANOJ BHADRA SAHARANPUR, 6 APRIL Alleging that the Muslim League and Leftists are dominating the thinking of the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the party that fought for the country's independence died decades ago. The Congress of today neither has policies in the interest of the country nor does it have a vision of nation-building, he added. The PM was campaigning for BJP candidate at a huge public meeting in Saharanpur on Saturday. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathand and senior BJP leaders were present on the occasion. Fervently appealing to the public to break all records of voting in favour of the BJP candidates, he slammed the Opposition parties for their alleged blasphemous remarks against religious symbols of Hinduism. He said the worship of ‘Shakti’ is part of our natural spiritual journey, but the people of INDIA bloc parties are openly challenging Shakti. “They probably don't Prime Minister Narendra Modi with UP CM Yogi Adityanath during a public rally in Saharanpur on Saturday.  SNS know what happened to those who tried to destroy Shakti, it is recorded in history and mythology," he said. Dismissing the Congress manifesto ‘Nyay Patra’, as completely disconnected from the hopes and aspirations of today's India, Mr Modi said it “reflects the same thinking that was prevalent in the Muslim League during the independence movement. The Congress manifesto bears the imprint of the Muslim League and whatever part of it is left of the Leftists has completely dominated the manifesto. Congress is not visible at all in this." In a jibe at the Rahul No one is above the country, but Modi considers himself great: Sonia Gandhi Vistara crisis: Airline aims to stabilise flight ops for rest of April by weekend STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AGENCIES JAIPUR, 6 APRIL Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches and allegations made against her party, Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) Chairperson Mrs Sonia Gandhi said here on Saturday that no one was above the country, but Modi considered himself great. "The country is not the property of a few but belongs to all of us," she asserted, adding that our ancestors watered it with blood. It is the courtyard of our children. Addressing an election rally in support of the party candidates of two parliamentary seats of Jaipur, Mrs Gandhi accused the BJP and its allies of trying to instill fear in the minds of people by violating the basic democratic norms. She further said, "Our great ancestors had searched and found the sun of the country's independence with the strength of their struggle. After so many years, the great light has dimmed. The injustice of darkness has increased all around. Our resolve should be that we will fight against it and find the light of justice." Recounting the Modi government's two terms (2014 and 2019), she said: "Our country has been in the hands of a government which has left no stone unturned in overseeing unemployment at its peak and the worst economic crisis. Whatever the Modi government has done is in front of us." "Through there is frustration, but along with it there is hope. I have full faith in our colleagues in the Congress. They will light the lamp of justice with the fire of their hearts and will move ahead braving the storms of thousands.” “This country is not the property of a few people, it belongs to everyone. Our ancestors have watered it with blood,” she reminded. She alleged conspiracy to destroy the democratic institution by blatant misuse of state machinery against the Opposition parties and their leaders, and the fear of changing the Indian constitution by them (BJP) looming. She appealed to the public to cast their votes in favour of Congress for 'Nyay' (justice) to all. The Chief Executive Officer of Vistara, Vinod Kannan, on Saturday that the airline hopes to stabilise operations for the rest of April 2024 by this weekend, as 98 per cent of pilots have signed the new pay contract. The airline said it has been reaching out to all customers affected by the delays and cancellations to offer relevant refunds and compensation. "With reference to concerns being raised regarding the new pay structure of our pilots, we would like to clarify that over 98 per cent of pilots have signed the new contract. Having said that, we are aware that some pilots have some concerns and queries regarding the contract," the India takes tough stand on AI misuse during elections AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 6 APRIL As Microsoft warned India about China’s alleged plan to create and amplify AI-generated content to “benefit its interests” amid the sevenphase elections starting 19 April, the Centre has warned global digital companies to fix their platforms as part of a new advisory around AI and its potential misuse during polls. With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the USA, “we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests," according With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the USA, we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests CLINT WATTS GENERAL MANAGER, MICROSOFT THREAT ANALYSIS CENTER. The govt has warned global digital companies to fix their platforms as part of a new advisory around AI and its potential misuse during polls to Clint Watts, General Manager, Microsoft Threat Analysis Center. According to exposure management company Ten- able, misinformation spread through AI-generated deepfakes and fake content is the biggest threat to the upcoming polls. “The biggest threats to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are misinformation and disinformation as part of influence operations conducted by malicious actors against the electorate," Satnam Narang, Senior Staff Research Engineer, Tenable, told IANS recently. Alarmed at the potential for misuse of AI, the Centre last month said that social media intermediaries “must not permit any bias or discrimination or threaten the integrity of the electoral process.” A new IT Ministry advisory now specifically deals with AI, which says that digital platforms have to take full accountability and cannot The airline said it has been reaching out to all customers affected by the delays and cancellations to offer relevant refunds and compensation. NEW DELHI, 6 APRIL escape by saying that these AI models are in the “undertesting phase.” "It is reiterated that noncompliance to the provisions of the IT Act and/or IT Rules would result in potential penal consequences to the intermediaries or platforms or its users when identified, including but not limited to prosecution under IT Act and several other statutes of the criminal code," according to the advisory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a conversation with Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gates late last month, also expressed concerns about deepfakes in a democratic country like ours. CEO said in a statement. A significant number ofVistara pilots had taken sick leave following the announcement of new salary rules, which coincided with the merger with Air India. The pilot shortage issue stemmed from pay cuts implemented after new flying hours regulations came into effect recently. Due to crew shortages earlier this week, the carrier experienced severe operational disruptions and numerous flights were cancelled. The Vistara CEO said that the airline is engaging with pilots to clarify and resolve their concerns. He said that the issue has not caused any visible spike in attrition amongst pilots. Vistara has apologised to the public after the airline cancelled a significant number of flights during the past few days, which it attributed to "various operational reasons" and "high utilisation of resources." Over 200 Vistara flights were affected ~ cancelled or delayed ~ over the past two weeks. On Tuesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation askedVistara Airlines to submit daily reports about flight operations and follow the Civil Aviation Regulations. Ladakh: Wangchuk calls off Sunday border march STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 6 APRIL Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has called off his Sunday’s border march from Leh in view of the mounting tension due to the curbs imposed on the protest by the Ladakh administration. MrWangchuk said that the ongoing peaceful fast will however continue. The purpose of the march seems to have already fulfilled even before the it began due to the suppression attempts and overreaction of the Government with the imposition of Section 144, curtailment of internet and restrictions on movement by turning Leh into a war-like zone. “Under these circumstances chances of violence are very high, which could then be used to label this peaceful movement antinational”, he wrote on X. “People of Ladakh have been fasting in protest for the last 32 days. These have happened in the most peaceful ways through prayers & fasts. The purpose of the Pashmina March was to highlight the plight of the Changpa nomadic tribes who are losing thousands of sq kms of their land due to Chinese incursion in the north and our own corporates in the south”, he wrote. (Earlier report on Pg 10) Gandhi- Akhilesh Yadav combine for challenging the NDA in UP PM Modi , said: “You must remember, here in UP these peo, ple have re-released the film of two boys that had flopped last time in 2017 assembly polls. I don't understand how many times the Opposition alliance will offer this wooden pot." "We want to make India a developed nation but the opponents are desperate to get power," Mr Modi said. Saturday being the foundation day of BJP he recount, ed how in a very few decades, the party won the trust of the people with a record number of countrymen joining it over the years. DRI seizes about 5 kg of foreign-origin gold mid-sea STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 6 APRIL In a joint operation with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Customs Preventive Unit (CPU), Ramanathapuram, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 4.9 Kg of foreign-origin gold at sea off the Vedhalai coast, Mandapam, on the intervening night of 3-4 April. A press release on Saturday said specific intelligence was developed by DRI that foreign origin gold is being smuggled into India from Sri Lanka through the Vedhalai coast in Ramanathapuram district by a gang using fishing boats. Subsequently, officers of DRI and ICG mounted surveillance on the movement of suspected fishing boats in the Vedhalai coastal area near Mandapam. In the early hours of 4 April, the officers identified a suspected boat at sea and chased it in an ICG vessel and intercepted it. Just before the interception, an item was thrown in the sea by someone on board the boat. On interrogating the threeperson crew on the boat, they admitted that the consignment thrown into the sea consisted of gold smuggled from theislandnation.OfficersofCPU Ramanathapuram also joined in a boat and the location where the gold was thrown into the sea was secured and a search operation was carried out. On 5 April, the gold was retrieved from the sea bed after an extensive search. The retrieved consignment was found to be made up of crude gold bars of different sizes weighing 4.9 kg and valued at Rs 3.43 crores.