SATURDAY 04 MAY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Mainly clear sky becoming partly cloudy towards evening. Hot and humid conditions very likelyMaximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 40 °C and 30 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 89 % TEMPERATURE Why is PM silent on Raj Congress won’t cross 50, TMC 15, Modi predicts Bhawan slur: Mamata Had received complaints earlier, now victim has spoken out, says chief minister One more person planted in Raj Bhavan with sinister intent: Bengal Governor Min. 33 % Max: 39.2°C (+3.8) Min: 29.5°C (+3.4) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:3 hrs 18:4 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 01:33 hrs 13:12 hrs Full Moon on 08 May AGENCIES THUMBNAILS KANCHAN SIDDIQUI BURDWAN, 3 MAY day after a woman staff at the Kolkata Raj Bhavan lodged a complaint against Governor C V Ananda Bose, accusing him of outraging her modesty, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning his silence on the matter. Addressing a public meeting in Madhabdihi in East Burdwan this afternoon, Miss Banerjee, who did not mention the Prime Minister by name, said: “You have said a lot of things about Sandeshkhali where it was a petty land matter that has been sorted out. But why are you so silent about Raj Bhavan where you stayed last A Commuters ply on the road amid heavy rainfall, in Bangalore on Friday.  ANI FM trashes media report on changes in income tax rules after LS polls: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday refuted a media report claiming that major changes in the income tax system would be introduced when the new government assumes office after the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex crashed 1,100 points due to the uncertainty triggered by the media report. Ms Sitharaman reacted to a post on X by a TV news channel claiming that in a sweeping change, the Income Tax Department is planning to impose uniform treatment for all asset classes. West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, a day after a woman worker filed a complaint of sexual harassment against him, claimed on Friday that one more person has been planted at the Kolkata Raj Bhavan with sinister intent. In an audio message released on Friday, the Governor claimed that Raj Bhavan received a confidential report that political forces had planted one more person in the Raj Bhavan with sinister intent. He said the matter was being verified by the concerned agencies and that "these were just election ploys". In the audio message, the Governor also asked the general staff at Raj Bhavan to be cautious. The Governor said that no efforts to malign him with vicious intents will be able to deter him from his determined effort to expose corruption and curb violence. Expressing confidence that the truth will be revealed, the Governor said that he was not afraid of such false allegations. “I will continue with my fight against corruption and violence,” he said. Modi for trying to woo the retrenched teachers and said: "It's a combine of BJP and CPI-M that has eaten up the jobs of these teachers and now he has come to look for them!" She also termed the Election Commission of India as the HMV (His Master's Voice) of the BJP and said: "Nearly 1,500 of our Bengal police personnel have been sent to other states on election duty but they have not been issued postal ballots to their votes. But the Central forces assigned to Bengal are getting postal ballots. Why this discrimination? You've also caused Bengal’s voters inconvenience by scheduling the elections in the state according to the charts worked out by the BJP during this hot summer.” She said: “If the Bengal policemen posted outside are not issued postal ballots soon, we'll bring them back, come what may." KOLKATA, 3 MAY night?" On the allegations against the Governor, Miss Banerjee said: “Earlier I'd received several complaints but remained silent. Now the victim has spoken out strongly. I saw her crying in a heartbreaking video.” Miss Banerjee further slammed Mr Modi on the issue of the over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff who are going to lose their jobs because of a recent Calcutta High Court judgment. Mr Modi, while speaking at a campaign meeting in Burdwan town, had expressed sympathy for the 'Imaandar(honest)' teachers retrenched after the High Court order and said the BJP will stand beside them. In a scathing response, the Chief Minister slammed BISWABRATA GOSWAMI TEHATTA, 3 MAY Addressing a massive crowd at a campaign rally at Shyamnagar in Tehatta under Krishnagar parliamentary constituency in Nadia amidst the scorching heat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched scathing criticisms against the Trinamul Congress (TMC), the Left, and the Congress, labelling their vision as lacking and asserting that the BJP-NDA was the sole contender for government formation in the ongoing elections. “Trinamul Congress will not be able to win more than 15 seats. Congress, despite all its efforts, might not be able to even cross the half-century mark. Everyone knows the condition of the Left parties even in West Bengal now. So in such a situation, the BJP-NDA is the only force that will be able to form a government after the elections,” Mr Modi said. Challenging the opposition, Mr Modi questioned: “Can the TMC, with less than 15 seats, the Congress with less than 50 seats or the Left Front, which has lost its support base, win the elections and form a stable government? The answer is no. PM Narendra Modi poses for a selfie during a public meeting in support of BJP candidate from Krishnanagar seat, Amrita Roy, for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, in Krishnanagar on Friday.  ANI Only the BJP-led NDA can win the polls and form a stable government." "The only question that remains now is whether NDA will cross the 400 mark this time or not,” he added. Continuing his assault, PM Modi targeted the Congress, asserting that their parliamentary tally would plummet to an all-time low. "Let the Congress try as much as it wants, but the party won't be able to cross the half-century mark this time. They would struggle to get even 50 seats," he remarked. Mr Modi outlined his vision for a Viksit Bharat while warning the audience of what he said was the opposition's agenda of looting and dividing the SC to consider granting interim bail to Kejriwal 4th phase: 1,717 candidates in fray PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 3 MAY The Supreme Court on Friday said that it may consider giving interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha election and asked the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to address the court on this count. A bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta said this as the arguments by the Directorate of Enforcement opposing Mr Kejriwal’s plea against his arrest and subsequent remand in the Delhi excise policy case, are likely to take some time. “We will post it on Tuesday morning itself. Mr Raju one more thing. If it is going to take time, it does appear it may take time (for the arguments to conclude), we may Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal greets the gathering during a roadshow in support of the AAP's Bhavnagar Lok Sabha candidate, Umesh Makwana, in Botad on Thursday.  ANI then consider the question of interim bail, because of the elections. We may hear on that part because of elections,” Justice Khanna heading the bench told Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, who is appearing for the ED. However, the bench also made it clear that it has not decided anything finally and that it was only informing all counsel that such a form of interim relief may be considered as the hearing is unlikely to conclude soon. The bench said this as ASG Raju appeared to resist the suggestion of giving interim bail to Mr Kejriwal. He said that the petitioner (Mr Kejriwal) has not filed an appli- WhatsApp banned 70 mn accounts in India in January-November 2023 STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 MAY The instant messaging app, WhatsApp, said it has banned some 70 million accounts in India between January and November 2023. In its monthly report, the Meta-owned platform also said that for the Lok Sabha election, it is actively investigating all reports of fraud and illicit telemarketing to comply with Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021). Between 1 and 31 March this year, WhatsApp took action against 7.9 million accounts. In January 2023, WhatsApp banned 2.9 million accounts, followed by 4.5 million accounts in February, 4.7 million in March, 7.4 million in April, 6.5 million in May, 6.6 million in June, 7.2 million in July, 7.4 million in August, 7.1 million in September, 7.5 million in October, and 7.1 million in November. With the imminent release of another report featuring December data, it is expected that this figure will surpass the 70 million mark. Additionally,WhatsApp highlighted that over 20 million of these accounts were proactively banned before any reports from users were received. WhatsApp said that the "reports are published in accordance with Rule 4(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021). These reports contain information on actions taken by WhatsApp in response to: Grievances received from users in India via the grievance mechanisms of WhatsApp; Accounts actioned in India through our prevention and detection methods for violating the laws of India orWhatsApp’s Terms of Service." "The data shared highlights the number of Indian accounts banned by WhatsApp…using the aforementioned abuse detection approach, which also includes action taken in furtherance to negative feedback received from users," it said. According to the monthly reports, WhatsApp received over 79,000 grievances from users between January and November last year, covering account support, ban appeals, other support, product support, and safety concerns. In response, the platform took action against 2,398 accounts. cation for bail. In the course of the hearing, the bench also asked about the dates of Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. “We are not saying anything (on whether bail will be granted or not), we would like to consider grant of interim bail because of elections…. We may or may not grant. We are going to hear you. We must be open to you, because neither side should be taken by surprise,” the bench told ASG Raju and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is appearing for Mr Kejriwal. Another issue flagged by the bench was whether Mr Kejriwal should be signing official files because of his present position. “One thing more. Please also take instructions. Because of the position he holds, whether he should be signing official files,” Justice Khanna told the ASG. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 MAY The Election Commission on Friday said 1,717 candidates are in the fray for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held on 13 May. In a statement, it said: “A total of 1,717 candidates from 10 states/Union territories (UTs) to contest in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha election.” According to the Election Commission (EC), a total of 4,264 nominations were filed for 96 parliamentary constituencies across 10 states/UTs going for polls in the fourth phase. After the scrutiny of all nominations filed, 1,970 nominations were found to be valid, it said. “In the fourth phase, Telangana has a maximum of 1,488 nomination forms from 17 PCs, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 1,103 nomina- nation. He assured the people that those responsible for looting the nation would be held to account. “I am incredibly blessed, beyond what I could have imagined. If my aim was merely to hold the position of Prime Minister, to enjoy its perks, I could have achieved that in just one month. But I am here with a singular resolve ~ to serve you, to serve our nation,” PM Modi said. “My life's purpose is to fulfil your dreams. I am here to serve each and every one of you, every citizen of our country. Your children are not just your future, they are the future of our nation, and I am committed to shaping that future, together with you,” Mr Modi said. (See also Pg 3) India revises travel advisory for Iran, Israel STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 3 MAY tions from 25 PCs. Malkajgiri parliamentary seat in Telangana received a maximum of 177 nomination forms fol- lowed by Nalgonda and Bhongir in the same state with 114 nomination forms each,” it said. Revising its travel advisory for Iran and Israel, the government on Friday advised Indian nationals to remain vigilant while travelling to these countries and remain in touch with the Indian embassies there. “We continue to closely monitor the situation in the region. We have also noted that Iran and Israel have opened their airspace for several days now,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The government had issued a travel advisory on 12 April, urging Indian citizens to not travel to Israel and Iran against the backdrop of escalating military tensions between the two West Asian rivals. Rahul files nomination from Rae Bareli, KL Sharma from Amethi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE RAE BARELI/AMETHI, 3 MAY Ending the suspense, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday filed his nomination from Rae Bareli, while party loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma filed his papers from Amethi in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Both the leaders filed their papers on the last day of filing nominations for the polls. Taking forward the legacy of his grandmother Indira Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi, Rahul will face BJP candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh from Rae Bareli on 20 May in the fifth phase of the general election. Rahul is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala, the seat he currently represents in the Lower House of Parliament. Polling in Wayanad was held in the second phase on 26 April. Rahul was accompanied by his mother Sonia, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, brother-in-law Robert Vadra and Congress president Mallikar- Nomination from Rae Bareli was an emotional moment for me. My mother (Sonia Gandhi) has handed over the family's work to me with great trust and has given me the opportunity to serve it.... In the ongoing war of justice against injustice, I seek the love and blessings of my loved ones.I am confident that you all are standing with me in this fight to save the Constitution and democracy. RAHUL GANDHI CONGRESS LEADER jun Kharge. They attended a 'havan puja' (prayers) before leaving for the Collectorate to file the nomination papers. The leaders got a rousing welcome from party workers who raised slogans of "Rahul Gandhi Zindabad' and 'Congress Zindabad". CMYK Priyanka, who accompanied her party candidates in Amethi and Rae Bareli, would be leading the campaign in both constituencies from 6 May. Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Pratap Singh will take on Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli. He also filed his nomination on Friday. Singh will face the Gandhi family for the second consecutive time in the high profile seat. In 2019, the former Congress leader had contested the election against Sonia, but lost by 1.64 lakh votes. With his nomination from the Rae Bareli seat on Friday, Rahul represents the third generation of the NehruGandhi family to contest elections here. Firoz Gandhi, Rahul’s grandfather, first contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1952 from Rae Bareli and won. He won the election in 1958 too. After his death, Indira Gandhi started her political innings by filing her nomination from this seat in the 1967 elections. In 2004, Indira Gandhi's daughter-in-law Sonia Gandhi was elected from the constituency and went on to win four more times. Before being elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, Sonia Gand- hi had written an emotional letter to the people of Rae Bareli that went viral on social media. Since then, speculation had been rife that someone from the Gandhi family will contest the elections from Rae Bareli. In the Amethi seat, it is being said that KL Sharma has received a reward for his loyalty from the Gandhi family. He is originally from Ludhiana, Punjab. In 1983, Rajiv Gandhi brought him to Amethi for the first time. Since then he stayed here. Even when the Gandhi family stopped contesting elections from here after the death of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, Sharma continued working for the Congress Party. After Sonia Gandhi was elected MP from Rae Bareli, he worked as her representative. With Sonia Gandhi not contesting the elections, Kishori was considered a contender from Rae Bareli, but the party has made him a candidate from Amethi instead of Rae Bareli.