FRIDAY 19 APRIL 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 LEFT IN KERALA DOESN’T REQUIRE CONGRESS’ VALIDATION: VIJAYAN NETANYAHU BRUSHES OFF ALLIES’ RESTRAINT CALL P9 SENSEX 72,488.99454.69 WEATHER Mainly Clear sky. Hot and Humid weather condition very likely. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 40 °C and 29 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 87 % TEMPERATURE Max: 39.7°C (+4) Min: 29.4°C (+3) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:14 hrs 17:58 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 13:24 hrs 02:3 hrs Full Moon on 24 April THUMBNAILS A man takes rest under a tree on a hot summer afternoon, in New Delhi on Thursday.  ANI Bengal Governor calls off Cooch Behar tour: West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose on Thursday announced the cancellation of his trip to Cooch Behar, which is going for the polls in the first phase on Friday, saying that he does not want the "dignity of his office to be maligned". The decision comes after the Election Commission of India had sent a communique to him, suggesting he cancel his trip to Cooch Behar trip since that would amount to a violation of the model code of conduct, while the ruling TMC on Thursday filed a complaint with the commission accusing the Governor of interfering in and attempting to influence the (Page 2) election in Cooch Behar. GOLD 73,800330 ` vs $ 83.37 SILVER 86,500 P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 86.930.36 Stage set for first phase of Lok Sabha polls today SANTU DAS ECI issues notification for 4th phase of Lok Sabha polls NEW DELHI, 18 APRIL attle lines are clearly drawn between the ruling NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc as the world's largest electoral exercise gets underway on Friday with the first phase of voting in the 18th Lok Sabha elections in 102 constituencies spread over 21 states and Union territories. The voting is scheduled to commence at 7 a.m. across 1.87 lakh polling stations, manned by more than 18 lakh polling officials, amid tight security to avert any untoward incident and culminate at 6 p.m. More than 16.63 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,625 candidates, including 134 women candidates. The eligible voters include 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women, and 11,371 third-gender electors. The number of first-time voters is 35.67 lakh. Of the 102 Lok Sabha seats going to the polls in the first phase, 39 are in Tamil Nadu, 12 in Rajasthan, eight are in Uttar Pradesh, six are in Madhya Pradesh and four are in Bihar. The north-eastern B STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 APRIL The Election Commission of India on Thursday issued the notification for the fourth phase of voting of the Lok Sabha polls. Filing of nominations began with the issuing of the notification. In the fourth phase, polling will be held in 96 parliamentary constituencies (PCs) spread across 10 states and Union territories states that will go to the polls in the first phase include Assam with five seats, Arunachal Pradesh,Manipur, and Meghalaya with two seats each, and Tripura, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Nagaland with one each. The prominent BJP candidates in the fray include Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Sarbananda Sonow- al, Kiren Rijiu and Jitendra Singh, UP minister Jitin Prasada and the president of Tamil Nadu BJP K Anna, malai. Mr Gadkari is contesting from Maharashtra’s Nagpur, Mr Sonowal from Assam’s Dibrugarh, Mr Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh’s West, Mr Singh from Jammu and Kashmir’s (UTs). The states/UTS included in the fourth phase are Andhra Pra desh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telang ana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir.According to the notification, 25 April is the last date of filing of nominations and the scrutiny of nominations will take place on 26 April. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is 29 April. Udhampur, Mr Prasada from Pilibhit and Mr Annamalai from Coimbatore seat. The heavyweights from Congress who are contesting the polls include its deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, and Nakul Nath, son of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath. The party fielded Mr Gogoi from the Jorhat parliamentary seat in Assam and Nakul from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh. Among other prominent candidates in the poll fray are former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. He is contesting as a Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular candidate from Bihar’s Gaya. Meanwhile, the ECI said it has taken a slew of decisive measures for peaceful and smooth conduct of the elections. “Central forces have been deployed adequately at polling stations to secure the polling process. Webcasting will be done in more than 50 per cent of the polling stations along with deployment of micro observers in all polling stations,” it said. Murshidabad violence planned by BJP: CM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SILIGURI, 18 APRIL NEW DELHI, 18 APRIL Deck cadet Ann Tessa Joseph, one of the 17 Indian crew members on board a cargo ship seized by Iran, returned home on Thursday with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee works not just within the country but also outside. Ms Joseph, who is from Kerala's Thrissur, landed safely at the Cochin International Airport on Thursday afternoon and was received by the Regional Passport Officer. Claiming that her return was made possible due to the concerted efforts made by the Indian Mission in Teheran and the Iranian government, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that New Delhi remains in touch with the authorities in the Iranian capital to ensure the well-being and safe return of remaining crew members of seized container vessel MSC Aries. "Indian Mission in Tehran remains seized of the matter and is in touch with the remaining 16 Indian crew members of the container vessel. The crew members are in good health and in contact with their family members in India. It is also in touch with the Iranian authorities in ensuring the well-being of the remaining crew members of MSC Aries (sic)," the MEA said in a statement. External Affairs Minister had spoken to his Iranian counterpart Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian on the matter earlier this week. @Great work, @India_in_Iran. Glad that Ms. Ann Tessa Joseph has reached home. #ModiKiGuarantee always delivers, at home or abroad," Mr Jaishankar posted on X after Mr Joseph's return on Thursday. Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, has said that the 16 remaining Indian crew members on board the ship have not been detained and will be allowed to leave the country. AGENCIES P7 More than 16.63 cr voters will decide the fate of 1,625 candidates, including 134 women candidates Min. 25 % Indian Aries crew member returns home from Iran P4 NIFTY 21,995.85152.05 ROHIT READY TO PLAY TESTS AGAINST PAK IN NEUTRAL VENUE LIBERAL ARGUMENT AGAINST IDENTITY POLITICS Terming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a 'great liar', Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said that the violence at Rezinagar in Murshidabad on Wednesday was preplanned by the BJP . Addressing a public meeting at Islampur in North Dinajpur, Miss Banerjee said: “The violence that broke out in Murshidabad was preplanned by the BJP in the name of Ram Navami. Ram is not their own property. It is their politics of communal polarisation with attacks on minority communities.” Criticising the role of the Election Commission of India, Miss Banerjee also asked: “Why did the Election Commission transfer the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Murshidabad Range a day before Ram Navami? It was BJP’s conspiracy to stage a drama there. Officer in charge of the police station was seriously injured. That area was so sensitive. The DIG could have tackled the matter efficiently. A BJP MLA was behind the violence. Why shouldn’t the BJP MLA be arrested?” She also expressed unhap- DRDO flight-tests new cruise missile STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE piness over the role of media. “I am sorry to complain against media. One-sided game cannot be (played) at the time of elections when it is in process. I don’t want to spread tension,” she added. Miss Banerjee, a few days ago, opposed the Commission’s decision to transfer the DIG and said: “The Com- NEW DELHI, 18 APRIL The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful flight-test of the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha on Thursday. During the test, all subsystems performed as per expectation. The missile performance was monitored by several Range Sensors like Radar, Electro Optical Tracking System (EOTS) and Telemetry deployed by ITR at different locations to ensure complete coverage of the flight path. The flight of the missile was also monitored from the Su-30 MkI aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The missile followed the desired path using way point navigation and demonstrated very low altitude sea-skimming flight. This successful flight test has also established the reliable performance of the indigenous propulsion system developed by Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), Bengaluru, said a release. The missile is also equipped with advanced avionics and software to ensure better and reliable performance. Bengal will teach you a good lesson.” “Modi Babu is a migratory bird. He comes only before the election with his guarantee. His guarantee means ‘stop funds for employment guarantee scheme’, no fund, no scheme for Bengal. If so, no vote for BJP When the Cen. tral government pays only 25 per cent of funds how can he claim Har Ghar Jal (drinking water connections) when the state bears all other expenses and responsibilities? What you have contributed for the development of Balurghat Airport? We have done it.” “He is lying. Have you got Rs 15 lakh in your bank account, promised by Modi in 2019? Has he reopened a single closed tea gardens? We have reopened 59 tea gardens. He is a great liar, mischievous person,” Miss Banerjee said. FSSAI asked to review sugar content in Nestlé’s Cerelac STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BALASORE, 18 APRIL mission will have to take responsibility if violence breaks out in Malda and Murshidabad.” Miss Banerjee was campaigning at Islampur for her party candidate Kishan Kalyani for Raiganj Lok Sabha seat and attended another public meeting at Harirampur in South Dinajpur for Biplab Mitra, who is contesting from Balurghat Lok Sabha seat. Criticising Prime Minister Modi’s recent statements related to the Central and state government’s schemes, during his political meetings in North and South Dinajpur, Miss Banerjee said: “Modi is a great liar and a mischievous person. How dare you talk about stopping Lakshmi Bhandar scheme in Bengal? Who are you to stop it? It is my scheme for women in Bengal. Mind your language, otherwise women in The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Thursday asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) to make a "comprehensive review" of the sugar content in Nestlé’s baby food products, after a report showed violation of health guidelines. The report, compiled by Switzerland-based group Public Eye, claimed that Swiss multinational Nestlé added sugar to its milk formula brand - Cerelac - intended for infants and children of up to two years. The report said that Nestlé adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products in several countries, a violation of international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases. Nestlé, in a statement, said that it “has reduced by 11 per Findings showed that in India, all 15 Cerelac baby products contain an average of nearly 3 grams of sugar per serving. The same product is being sold with no added sugar in Germany and the UK, while in Ethiopia and Thailand, it contains nearly 6 grams. cent the total amount of added sugars in infant cereal portfolio worldwide over the past decade and that it will further reduce the level of added sugars without compromising on quality, safety and taste”. Findings showed that in India, all 15 Cerelac baby products contain an average of nearly 3 grams of sugar per se- CMYK rving. The same product is sold with no added sugar in Germany and the UK, while in Ethiopia and Thailand, it contains nearly 6 grams. “While Nestlé prominently highlights the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients contained in its products using idealizing imagery, it's not transparent when it comes to added sugar," the report said. Notably, in India, the sales of the product surpassed USD 250 million in 2022. "In light of these concerns it is requested that FSSAI undertake a comprehensive review of the sugar content in baby food products manufactured and marketed by Nestlé and other companies," said NCPCR chief Priyank Kanoongo, in a letter to the food regulator. As a repercussion of the report, Nestlé India shares plunged nearly 4 per cent in the stock markets on Thursday. EVMs give extra votes to ‘lotus’ during mock polls in Kerala: LDF, UDF The ECI informed the Supreme Court that the allegations of EVM showing one extra vote in favour of BJP during a mock poll in Kasaragod were false. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/NEW DELHI, 18 APRIL The CPI(M)-led LDF and Congress-led UDF have alleged that at least four electronic voting machines (EVM) erroneously registered votes in favour of the BJP’s lotus during mock polling in Kerala’s Kasaragod on Wednesday. Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency' LDF candidate and CPI-M leader M V Balakrishnan filed a complaint with the District Collector, designated as the District Election Officer, to look into the errors. UDF candidate Rajmohan Unnithan's agent Muhammed Nasar Cherkalam said BJP's lotus was getting extra votes during the mock polling for the polling stations in Kasaragod Assembly Constituency. He also pointed out that the Congress's 'hand' symbol was smaller than other symbols on the voting machine. The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to examine and probe the allegations about four EVMs having erroneously logged votes in favour of BJP during mock polls held in Kasaragod. The apex court gave the direction while considering the plea seeking verification of all VVPAT slips. The matter was brought to the attention of the Supreme VVPAT issue: SC reserves verdict STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 APRIL The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions led by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) seeking 100 per cent cross verification of the votes exercised through the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) with that of the printed slips generated by the attached Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), as ECI defended the integrity of the electronic voting system, and asserting that it was not prone to any external interference or manipulations. (Page 4) Court by senior advocate Prashant Bhushan. Mr Bhushan said the four EVMs had reportedly malfunctioned in the mock polls held at Kasaragod district in Kerala on Wednesday. The Election Commission informed the Supreme Court that the allegations of EVM showing one extra vote in favour of BJP during a mock poll in Kerala's Kasaragod were false. “These news reports are false. We have verified the allegation from the district collector and it appears that they are false. We will submit a detailed report to the court," Nitesh Kumar Vyas, deputy election commissioner told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. Mr Vyas was present in the courtroom to apprise the bench about the functioning of EVMs. Kejriwal eating sweets to create grounds for medical bail: ED to court STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 APRIL The Directorate of Enforcement claimed before a court that Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is eating foods high in sugar like mangoes and sweets on a regular basis despite being a type 2 diabetic, in a bid to create grounds for medical bail. The probe agency's claim was made before the special judge for the Central agency’s cases as the chief minister had moved the court requesting permission to consult his doctor through video conferencing citing fluctuating sugar levels. The special judge directed the Tihar Jail administration to file a report on the matter, which should include a diet chart followed for Mr Kejriwal. Talking to a news agency, Mr Kejriwal’s counsel denied The ED on Thursday night took AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan into custody in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Waqf Board. the claim, saying whatever he is eating is according to the diet prescribed by doctors. Since the matter is sub-judice, they did not want to say anything more. The Delhi court on Thursday was hearing the plea of Mr Kejriwal asking for monitoring of his sugar levels and to allow him to consult his doctor. In the application, it is reportedly said that his sugar levels have been fluctuating and for that reason, he needs to consult his doctor thrice a week via video conferencing. AAP leaders had earlier claimed that the sugar levels of Mr Kejriwal, who is a diabetic, have been fluctuating since his arrest.