MONDAY 08 APRIL 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR CM: BJP, Modi using NIA to frighten TMC leaders Mamata urges poll panel to look into NIA’s sudden spurt of activity on old cases DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY FIR lodged against NIA HURA ( PURULIA), 7 APRIL hief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday stepped up her attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP accusing them of using the , NIA to intimidate Trinamul Congress leaders. Addressing an election rally in Hura in Purulia district, Miss Banerjee said: “The BJP is sending NIA at night to disturb our party supporters, create fear amongst the women and arrest our block leaders before polls. I salute the Election Commission and hope that EC will definitely look into the NIA’s sudden activity about old cases in West Bengal.” Miss Banerjee also advised the TMC candidate of Purulia Lok Sabha seat, Shantiram Mahato today to hold a peace rally on the day of Ram Navami. “Remain alert otherwise if a firecracker is burst during Ram Navami, then the BJP will send the NIA to investigate. I have been told that in Purulia the NIA is asking hotel owners who are staying in the rooms. Is it your job NIA? NIA, ED and Income Tax department have virtually turned into BJP’s vote box,” she said. Miss Banerjee urged the people to shun the BJP as they will implement CAA in the country. “We have fought C STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE MIDNAPORE, 7 APRIL Mamata Banerjee at Hura, Purulia on Sunday ahead of LS elections. SNS against the BJP You have cho. sen BJP in the last Lok Sabha polls, what development works have you seen so far? My photographs have been removed throughout the state but the rice bags supplied by the Centre have the image of PM Narendra Modi. Never before has such a thing happened in India where the picture of the PM was used on food packets,” Miss Banerjee alleged. She said that the TMC leaders don’t stay in government accommodations during polls and also do not use any offi- WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Rain or thundershower accompanied with gusty wind very likely. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30 °C and 24 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.5mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87 % TEMPERATURE Min. 61 % Max: 30.0°C (-5) Min: 27.6°C (+2) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:24 hrs 17:54 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 04:18 hrs 16:31 hrs New Moon on 08 April THUMBNAILS A view of Howrah Bridge on a cloudy day in Kolkata on Sunday. MOUL MONDAL cial chopper, attacking PM Narendra Modi without naming him. Over two crore five lakh women have received funds from Lakshmi Bhandar, nine crores people received government social benefits. Providing jobs under the 100 days jobs scheme is the guarantee of the TMC government, Miss Banerjee said. There is still much work to be done in Purulia, though today Purulia is one of the top most tourism destinations of the state. Homestays have been set up and peace has been Hours after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) team conducting an investigation into the 2022 blast case faced a violent assault at Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore, the district police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the NIA team, accusing them of molestation, adding a new layer of controversy to the already volatile situation. According to reports, the East Midnapore police registered an FIR against the NIA team and CRPF officials based on a complaint from a woman who alleged assault and outrage to her modesty by the officers. (PG3) restored, she said. The weather was inclement, resulting in Miss Banerjee travelling by road from Durgapur to Hura for over three hours instead of by helicopter, but despite her late arrival, CM set the tone of her attack upon the BJP and PM Narendra Modi in a louder pitch, and, indicating towards the sky, said that the winds of change is blowing . ‘India will hunt down its enemies within and outside its borders’ AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 7 APRIL Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in no uncertain terms, stated the country’s position on those engaging in terror activities on Sunday. He said that the ‘new Bharat’ will not take terror incidents lying down and will hunt down its enemies within and outside the country’s frontier. Rajnath Singh said that India has become a world superpower today. He said that during earlier regimes, many states including Jammu and Kashmir grappled with terrorism insurgency but that is no longer the case in ‘New India’. “We will kill the nation’s enemies on this side of the border, and if required, we will go and kill them on the other side Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Pilani, in Jhunjhunu on Sunday.ANI of the border. This is the strength of new India,” Rajnath Singh said. The Defence Minister said this while addressing an election rally in Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu on Sunday. He participated in a public rally and sought public support for Shubhkaran Chaudhary, the BJP nominee from Pilani. The minister also targeted Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge over his remarks on Article 370 and also questioned the Congress party over its questioning of the Indian Army’s valour. “He (Kharge) questioned how Article 370 would affect Rajasthan. We had said the day we get a full majority in both houses of Parliament, no one will be able to stop us from abolishing Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. We did it and today Jammu and Kashmir has the same status as any other state in the country. Congress President asks how Article 370 will affect Rajasthan, how will these people run the country?” Rajnath Singh thundered at the poll rally. Modi in Jalpaiguri, condemns attack on NIA in Bhupatinagar CDS to chair Tri-Service Conference STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 7 APRIL SILIGURI, 7 APRIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi today condemned the attack on the National Investigation Agency (NIA) during a raid on Saturday at Bhupatinagar in East Midnapore. Addressing an election rally at Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri, Narendra Modi slammed the Trinamul Congress (TMC) on many issues and said: “TMC wants its extortionists and corrupt leaders to ensure a free license for terrorism.” “When NIA officials conducted a raid, TMC attacked them led by women. TMC is a party that disobeys the law and the constitution,” the Prime Minister said, adding, “The whole country has come to know about the Sandeshkhali horror where women have been harassed and tortured. TMC’s ‘syndicate raj’ continues here unabated. The situation is such that people here have to bear the torture. The court had to finally interfere in all cases to ensure justice.” “Should the culprits of Sandeshkhali be punished, should they be sentenced for life imprisonment, should Prime Minister Narendra Modi being garlanded by Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar and others during a public rally for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, in Jalpaiguri on Sunday. ANI the TMC leaders involved in ration and teachers’ recruitment scam be punished?” Mr Modi asked the audience. Mr Modi also said: “Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already attached properties of Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 crore belonging to the TMC leaders, who have collected money from the people in the name of services in school and government offices. I am planning to return money to the people, who gave money to them. I am consulting the matter with legal advisors. It is Modi’s guarantee.” “The Congress, Left and TMC parties are same. They have formed the INDIA bloc to save corruption and corrupt leaders. It is my guarantee after 4 June 2024 more action will be taken against corruption,” he said. Mr Modi, addressing the public meeting at Dhupguri, an Assembly segment in Jalpaiguri LS constituency, expressed his sympathies to the storm-hit people and loss of life and properties. Terming the TMC as ‘antiSchedule Caste and antiSchedule Tribe party’, PM claimed that the state government here has prevented all the welfare schemes of the Central Government meant for poor people from being implemented. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan will, on Monday, chair a day-long “Parivartan Chintan” here, a pioneering Tri-Service Conference aimed at generating new and fresh ideas, initiatives and reforms to propel jointness and integration efforts, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday. With the Indian armed forces having embarked on a major transformative change in their quest to be ready for the envisaged future wars, initiatives are being undertaken to promote integration as structures are modified to enable Tri-Service multi-domain operations. The ‘Chintan’ will be the first-ever conference of the Heads of all Tri-Services Institutions, the Department of Military Affairs, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and the three Services, with officers from varied service brackets, through their diverse understanding and experience, recommending measures to achieve the desired “Joint and Integrated” end state with celerity. CMYK Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman
The Statesman is one of India's oldest English newspapers. It was founded in Kolkata in 1875 and is directly descended from The Friend of India (founded 1818). The Englishman (founded 1821) was merged with The Statesman in 1934. The Delhi edition of The Statesman began publication in 1931. The Statesman Weekly is a compendium of news and views from the Kolkata and Delhi editions. Printed on airmail paper, it is popular with readers outside India. The Statesman (average weekday circulation approximately 180,000) is a leading English newspaper in West Bengal. The Sunday Statesman has a circulation of 230,000.
