THURSDAY 25 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 CONG IS COMPLETELY EXPOSED: SHAH AFTER PITRODA’S REMARKS BATTLE IN KERALA P6 SENSEX 73,852.94114.48 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. STRONG SURFACE WINDS (SPEED 20-30 KMPH) DURING THE DAY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 38 AND 21 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 92 % Min. 28 % Min: 19.0 °C (-4) SUN SETS 18:53 hrs MOON SETS 06:54 hrs THUMBNAILS Students observe the Zero Shadow Day at Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru ANI on Wednesday. Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren moves SC: The former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court challenging his arrest in an alleged money laundering case and informing the court that the State High Court had reserved order on his plea in the last week of February and till date has not pronounced it.Former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chairperson Hemant Soren was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in an alleged land scam (Pg 4) case on 31 January, 2024. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 APRIL C ampaigning in Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday showed he will not soften his attack on the Congress for its “agenda” to give reservation benefit to Muslims and to impose an inheritance tax that will take away half of people’s savings after their death. “The Congress has its evil eyes on your savings and property; the Congress mantra is Congress ki loot, zindagi ke saath bhi loot,zindagi ke baad bhi loot (Congress wants to loot you, during your life and after),” he said. Addressing a large BJP election rally in Sagar, he said the Congress has made up its mind to cut 15 per cent quota of SCs, STs and OBCs and give it to the Muslims all over the country. The party had done this earlier when it came to power in Karnataka, but the BJP government which succeeded it, ended this “attack on Ambedkar’s Constitution.” Once again, the Prime Minister said, the Congress government in the State has “criminally” deprived the OBCs of their rightful share in reservation benefits. In a clever move, the party has brought all castes of Muslims in the OBC quota so that they can be extended the reservation benefit. He said this revelation has numbed every citizen of the country. The Constitution clearly prohibits reservation on religion basis. Constitution architect Babasaheb Ambedkar himself was against this, but the Congress, year after year, tried to do this by different tricks. The Congress “stabbed” Ambedkar and the Constitution in the back in 2004 to give reservation on the basis of religion in Andhra Pradesh. The party’s election manifestoes in 2009 or 2014 promised reservation on the basis of religion. “It is clear the party has made all preparations to cut 15 per cent quota of SC, ST and OBC to implement reservation on the basis of religion,” Mr Modi said. He said the Congress has “snatched” a big part of the OBCs’ share and given it to Muslims. The Congress wants to implement this “formula” all over the country, he said. “I ask you, should this be not stopped, should their plans be not foiled, should not the country be NEW DELHI, 24 APRIL Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shares a light moment with a child during a public meeting in Wayanad on Wednesday.  ANI Bengal, and one each in Tripura, Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur. Polling in 15 Assembly segments in the Outer Manipur parliamentary seat was held in the first phase on 19 April, and 13 Assembly seats will witness voting in the second phase. Altogether 1,210 RBI bans Kotak Mahindra Bank from onboarding new online customers NEW DELHI, 24 APRIL The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday directed Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited to cease and desist from on boarding of new customers through its online and mobile banking channels and issuing fresh credit cards.However, the RBI said the bank shall continue to provide services to its existing customers, including its credit card customers. It said these actions are necessitated based on significant concerns arising out of Reserve Bank’s IT examination of the bank for the years 2022 and 2023 and the continued failure on part of the bank to address these concerns in a comprehensive and timely manner. The Reserve Bank, therefore, has decided to place certain business restrictions on the bank, in the interest of customers and to prevent any possible prolonged outage which may seriously impact not only the bank’s ability to render efficient customer service, but also the financial ecosystem of digital banking and payment systems. The apex bank said serious deficiencies and noncompliances were observed in the areas of IT inventory management, patch and change management, user access management, vendor risk management, data security and data leak prevention strategy, business continuity and disaster recovery rigour and drill. candidates are in the fray in the second phase of voting, according to the Election Commission. Prominent among the candidates are Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Shashi Tharoor. Mr Chandrasekhar is the BJP’s nominee from Thiruvananthapuram seat, while Mr Tharoor is Congress’ candidate from the same seat. Mr Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad, which he currently represents in the House. The campaign in the second phase was marked by a war of words between the BJP and the Congress over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks against the Congress at a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday. The Congress called it objectionable and filed a complaint with the poll panel. The Prime Minister, while addressing the rally, had alleged that "the Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, get information about it, and then distribute that property. They will distribute it to whom - Manmohan Singh's government had said Muslims have the first right on the country's assets." Congress overseas chairman Sam Pitroda’s reported remarks on “inheritance tax in US” also stoked controversy with the Prime Minister tearing into the Congress. The Congress, however, categorically stated that Pitroda’s views do not reflect the position of the party. The first phase of voting took place on 19 April with an estimated 62.37 per cent turnout in 102 constituencies spread over 21 states and Union territories. The third phase of voting is scheduled to take place on 7 May. P12 SILVER 82,900100 Cong giving OBC quota to Muslims, says Modi in MP STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE GOLD 72,650490 ` vs $ 83.37 High-decibel campaign ends for second phase of Lok Sabha polls Campaigning for the second phase of voting in the 18th Lok Sabha election ended on Wednesday, with the BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc leaving no stone unturned to woo voters in 89 constituencies spread over 13 states and Union territories. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held rallies in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was his party's star campaigner in his home state of Karnataka. Of the 89 Lok Sabha seats involved in the second phase of voting to be held on 26 April, 20 are in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight each in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, seven in Madhya Pradesh, five each in Bihar and Assam, three each in Chhattisgarh and West P4 Modi alleges Congress plans to impose inheritance tax that will take away half of people’s savings TEMPERATURE Max: 37.5 °C(0) SUN RISES 5:45 hrs MOON RISES 20:21 hrs P5 NIFTY 22,402.4034.40 RCB LOOK TO PLAY PARTY-SPOILERS AGAINST RED-HOT SRH BRS GIVING WALKOVER TO BJP FOR KAVITHA’S BAIL: REVANTH REDDY woken up on this,” the Prime Minister said. The Congress is the biggest enemy of the OBCs, as the party has snatched their legal right, he said. The party has “murdered” social justice and hurt the Constitution and insulted Ambedkar, he said. The Congress party is asking why does he talk about “400 paar,” he said. Mr Modi said “you are depriving Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs of their rights and Modi needs 400 seats to protect their rights. I am determined to protect their rights,” he said. The Prime Minister said the Congress does not stop here, the party wants to “snatch your property, do X-rays to find out your hidden money in lockers or homes; searching money in food boxes, jewellery, mangal-sutras, and then snatch all this to redistribute these among others.” “Do you accept this, if you have a house in village and another in a city, one of the two will be taken by the Congress government, one of your two cars also, do you accept this, will you allow this, the party will snatch all this and give it to its vote bank,” the Prime Minister asked. A hidden agenda of the party, inheritance tax, has come to light today, Mr Modi claimed. He said in Indian society, grandparents save money for their grandchildren, for their marriages. They save property, and do not squander it on self-enjoyment. But the Congress says “you cannot give this property to your children, nearly half the property will be looted by the Congress government by imposing a tax. Can you imagine, how far removed is the Congress from social values of the country and family traditions,” Mr Modi said. Elders of families save money for their next generations. “We spend according to need,” he said. The Congress has its evil eyes on your savings and property. He said this plan of the Congress must be spread everywhere. Mr. Modi was apparently referring to a statement made by Indian Overseas Congress chairperson Sam Pitroda in Chicago in the USA about inheritance tax. The Congress party has distanced itself saying that it is not always the case that Mr Pitroda's views reflect the position of the Congress. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 88.140.30 Cong tried to introduce religion-based census in armed forces: Rajnath AGENCIES VISAKHAPATNAM, 24 APRIL Amidst the furore around wealth redistribution, an idea Congress leader Rahul Gandhi allegedly said would be followed up on and implemented if his party was voted to power; Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said previous Congress governments at the Centre tried to create a division in the country's armed forces by recommending a 'religious census'. Addressing an election campaign at Vishakhapatnam on Wednesday, the Union Defence Minister said: "The Sachar Committee, which was formed by the Congress government, recommended a religion-based census in the armed forces in 2006. The Congress, in its manifesto (for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections), has also hinted at a reservation for religious minorities if they are elected. If they introduce reservations for religious minorities and extend the idea to the armed forces, it wouldn't bode well for the country's unity and integrity of the country." "What worries me more is that whatever the Congress has put in its manifesto in the name of minority welfare has echoes of the ideas and recommendations in the Sachar Committee report," the Union Defence Minister said. In a scathing attack on the Congress over its 'appeasement' politics, he said the grand old party was trying to introduce a 'religionbased reservation' through the back door, adding that appeasement shows the 'real face' of the Congress. "The Congress, through its manifesto, was subtly trying to bring back the idea of reservation on grounds of religion into the political and electoral discourse. However, PM Modi exposed their face because of which he is facing such brickbats from the Congress,” Mr Singh added. "The promises that the Congress has made in its manifesto stand to divide our society. Sections 3 and 6, under the Minorities Chapter in their manifesto, bare their real intentions. This is a party that divided the country on religious lines and has appeasement in its DNA," the Union Defence Minister stated further. SC to consider passing directions to strengthen EVM system PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 24 APRIL The Election Commission of India on Wednesday gave clarifications to the queries by the Supreme Court on the constituency wise programming of EVMs and VVPATs for the casting of votes and the printing of VVPAT slips in the order of the candidates in each Lok Sabha constituency. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta queried Elevation Commission officials relating to the functioning of the EVMs, and the VVPATs, including whether the micro controllers used in them are reprogrammable. The bench, among other issues sought clarity from the poll panel officials whether the micro controller is installed in the controlling unit or the VVPAT and the flash memory of the microcontrollers in EVMs cannot be reprogrammed. The poll panel official answered that all three units, ballot units, VVPATs and the chip all have their own micro controllers and these micro controllers are housed in secured unauthorised access detection module and it cannot be accessed. All the micro controllers are one time programmable. It is burned when inserted so can never be changed. For symbol loading we have two manufacturers, one is ECI and Bharat Electronics.” The top court said that it would consider passing directions to strengthen the EVMs system since going back to ballot paper was out of the question. “Let us see what can be done if any safeguards are needed, we will see what is needed to strengthen the current system (EVMs)," said the bench. Earlier in the morning, the bench had said it needs clarification on certain aspects as there was some confusion over the answers given by the ECI to 'frequently asked questions' (FAQs) about EVMs and official to be present in court at 2.00 pm to clear its queries. The petitions sought cross verification by the voters of votes cast by them as "counted as recorded" in the EVMs with VVPAT. Currently, VVPAT slips of five randomly selected EVMs in every Assembly segment are verified. The Supreme Court had on 18 April reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions led by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) seeking 100pc cross verification of the votes exercised through the EVM with that of the printed slips generated by the attached Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), as Election Commission of India (ECI) had defended the integrity of the electronic voting system, and asserting that it was not prone to any external interference or manipulations. Reserving the verdict after a hearing spread over two days (16 and18 April), top court had said that everything cannot be suspected and the good work done by the poll panel should be appreciated. The bench had observed that “Everything can't be suspected. Please also appreciate if they (Election Commission) have done something good. We heard you because we are also concerned. Does everything have to be explained to you?” The bench had further said, “You need not understand every technical element. Voter has to be satisfied with the explanation given by ECI. The Evidence Act also says official acts are normally presumed to be done validly.” JPMorgan’s CEO praises PM for ‘unbelievable job’ in India Electoral Bonds: NGOs Common STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 24 APRIL Chief Executive Officer of US banking giant JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for doing an unbelievable job in India, and said “liberal press in the US beats the hell out of him when he has taken 400 million people out of poverty”. Mr Dimon, in a webinar hosted by The Economic Club of New York, praised Mr Modi's government for alleviating poverty and implementing reforms. He also complimented the PM for being tough and untangling the country's bureaucratic system, adding that "a little bit more of that” is needed in the US. “They (India) have got an unbelievable education system. Unbelievable infrastructure. They are lifting their whole country because this one man (PM Modi) is tough.” He criticised certain US government officials for allegedly imposing their views on how India should be governed, remarking that they are fantasising. "They have 29 states or something like that... and the tax system is complicated.. it's like Europe. It leads to enormous corruption. He is breaking it down.. And so yeah there are these people who have turned things around.. And we need a little bit of that here as well,” he said. The CEO also said that 700 million people have opened bank accounts in the country and the transferred payments are going through. “Every citizen by hand or eyeball or by finger is recognised. They’ve bank account for 700 million people. Their transferred payments are going through,” Mr Dimon said. India's digital programmes like Aadhaar and bank accounts for 700 million people have led to financial inclusion. "Every citizen, by hand or eyeball or by finger, is recognised. They have bank accounts for 700 million people. Their transferred payments are going through," he added. Mr Dimon praised India's education system and infrastructure as remarkable. He indirectly referenced the impact of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in curbing corruption arising from varying state tax systems. The US bank CEO expressed confidence in the performance of the US economy over strong employment and healthy consumer finances. He said the US economic boom is unbelievable and even if the country goes into recession, the consumer's still in good shape. Cause, CPIL allege quid pro quo, seek court-monitored SIT probe PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 24 APRIL The NGOs Common Cause and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) on Wednesday moved Supreme Court seeking the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for an independent and court monitored probe into the alleged instances of quid pro quo involving the funding of a number of political parties through electoral bonds by different corporate entities and the alleged consequential gains accruing to them. The NGOs have said that the alleged scam of the magnitude of crores of rupees involving the electoral bonds can be unravelled only through an independent probe by the SIT, monitored by the Supreme Court. The petition says that the data which has come into public domain after it was disclosed to the Election Commission of India by the SBI on the top court’s direction reveals that the bulk of the bonds appear to have been given by certain corporates to different political parties by way of alleged quid pro quo arrangements, either to secure government contracts or licenses; to secure protection from investigations by CBI, Income Tax Department, ED; and as consideration of favourable policy changes.