ROHITH VEMULA’S MOTHER MEETS TELANGANA CM; SEEKS JUSTICE 05 MAY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd Facebook.com/thestatesman PRIYANKA TEARS INTO MODI FOR CALLING RAHUL ‘SHEHZADA’’ PAGE 4 LSG HOPE TO HIT THE RIGHT NOTES AGAINST CONFIDENT KKR PAGE 10 PAGE 12 India’s National Newspaper since 1818 PAGES 16 | `5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Possibility of thundery development towards afternoon/evening.Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 37°C and 29°C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 90% Min. 47% Max: 37.2°C (+1.8) SUN RISES 05:2 hrs MOON RISES 02:12 hrs Min: 29.1°C (+3.0) SUN SETS 18:5 hrs MOON SETS 14:14 hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 08 May THUMBNAILS Members of UNAU Tribal Women's Forum stage a protest over the ethnic violence in Manipur in the Capital on Saturday.  SUBRATA DUTTA Canada arrests mostly due to their internal politics, says EAM: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said what is happening in Canada over the killing of ‘Khalistan’ separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar is mos- tly due to their internal politics and nothing to do with India. He said he is yet to get details on the report that three Indian nationals have been arrested by Canadian police for their alleged links in the killing of Nijjar. “We need more information in such instances, evidence etc. But despite our repeated appeals in earlier instances and allegations, Canada does not (Page 5) share any evidence,” he said. RCB beat Gujarat Titans by four wickets: After an explosive start by skipper Faf Du Plessis and Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) managed to survive a middleover scare of quick wickets to record a fourwicket win against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Saturday. RCB has jumped to the seventh place in the points table, with four wins and seven losses, giving them eight points. CM slams PM for deceit, failure to fulfil promises Sandeshkhali sting video exposes BJP plan to defame Bengal: TMC Mamata Banerjee labels Prime Minister Modi as a ‘liar’ for his alleged falsehoods BISWABRATA GOSWAMI CHAKDAH/BIRNAGAR, 4 MAY n a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused him of deceit and failure to fulfil promises made during the last general elections. Addressing back-toback rallies on Saturday in Chakdah and Birnagar within the Matua community-dominated Ranaghat parliamentary constituency in favour of party candidate Mukutmoni Adhikari, Miss Banerjee launched a verbal assault, labelling PM Modi as a “liar” for his alleged falsehoods. Miss Banerjee reiterated her accusations several times in her speech, using the word “liar” at least six times against PM Modi. “Prime Minister Modi has been telling people of Bengal that he has been giving free rations. This is an outright lie,” she said. “Every year, to provide free rations, the state has I to pay Rs 9,000 crore and the Centre Rs 7,000 crore. In the past two years, the Centre has not given a rupee. Instead, the state has been paying the Centre’s share. A net amount of Rs 32,000 crore from the state coffers was disbursed in the past two years. Now he wants his picture on the rice sacks distributed through PDS. Don’t lie, mislead the masses, Modiji. It is unbecoming of a Prime Minister,” Miss Banerjee said. The chief minister added: "Narendra Modi is telling people that he is giving free gas to the people. Are you getting free gas? This is another falsehood - a gas balloon.” Miss Banerjee specifically targeted the central government’s alleged negligence towards Bengal, citing how promised funds were not delivered. “From 2021-22 to 202324, they have not released even a penny," she said, referring to funds under the Awas Yojana scheme. The Centre's failure to disburse funds had hindered the state's progress in housing development, she said. Continuing her criticism, Miss Banerjee also slammed the BJP-led government for halting funds for the 100-day work scheme. She assured the public that despite the setback, her government would provide employment opportunities and financial support under a new scheme called Karma Shree. Miss Banerjee also raised concerns about the BJP's proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC), warning that its implementation could marginalise vulnerable communities and endanger their rights. She vehemently opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), alleging that it could strip individuals of citizenship rights and lead to deportation. Seeking to consolidate opposition votes, Miss Banerjee urged voters to support the Trinamul Congress (TMC) in Bengal, emphasising that only a strong anti-BJP stance could counter the ruling party's influence. "India has to unite or there will be no India left if BJP comes back to power,” she declared. (See also Page 3) Jolt to Cong: Arvinder Singh Lovely joins BJP STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 MAY In a major setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the national capital, former Delhi Congress president Arvinder Singh Lovely, former city government minister Raj Kumar Chauhan and three former leaders from the grand old party, joined the BJP on Saturday. Mr Lovely, former Congress MLAs Raj Kumar Chauhan, Naseeb Singh and Neeraj Basoya and former Youth Congress president Amit Mallik joined the BJP at the party headquarters here this afternoon in the presence of Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde and Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva. All the former Congress leaders expressed confidence in the BJP’s ideology and the developmental politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr Lovely resigned as the Delhi Congress chief on 28 April and wrote a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stating that he was against the alliance between Congress and AAP in Delhi. Raj Kumar Chauhan, the former Delhi minister and a former member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) resigned from the party last month after Delhi Congress’ disciplinary committee objected to his ‘dissent’ from the party line. HD Revanna arrested from ex-PM Deve Gowda’s residence AGENCIES BENGALURU, 4 MAY The Karnataka Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sex video scandal involving JD-S MP Prajwal Revann on Saturday arrested his father and JD-S MLA H.D. Revanna after his anticipatory bail plea in a victim kidnapping case was rejected by a court in Bengaluru. Sources said that H.D. Revanna has been taken into custody from the residence of his father and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in Bengaluru's Padmanabhanagar locality. He has been taken to the SIT office on the premises of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). H.D. Revanna opened the door himself and walked out with the SIT officers towards their vehicle. He did not make any remark at the time of his arrest. The SIT officers reached the former PM's residence soon after the court turned down his anticipatory bail plea in a case related to the kidnapping of a woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by his son Prajwal Revanna, the sources said. Earlier on Saturday, the SIT traced the kidnapped woman to the farmhouse of Rajashekar, the personal assistant to H D Revanna, at Kalenahalli village in Mysuru district. The woman, who had gone missing on 29 April, was found locked up in the farmhouse when the SIT officers reached there following a tip-off. Sources said Rajashekar is absconding Revanna was arrested after his anticipatory bail plea in a victim kidnapping case was rejected by a court in Bengaluru. ever since the SIT traced the missing woman to his farmhouse. The woman is being brought to Bengaluru where her statement will be recorded. On Friday, Karnataka Police registered an FIR against H D Revanna in connection with the kidnapping of the woman, believed to be one of the victims of the sex video scandal involving his son Prajwal Revanna. The woman's son had registered a missing complaint naming H D Revanna as the prime accused in the case. His relative Satish Babu was named as the second accused in the FIR, whom the police arrested from Mysuru district on Friday. The woman's son alleged that his mother went missing after the surfacing of a purported sex video in which Prajwal Revanna is seen sexually assaulting her. He also alleged that his mother was locked up in an undisclosed location, as he pleaded with police to take action against H D Revanna and Satish Babu. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 4 MAY Flagging a ‘sting video’ now doing the rounds on social media, the Trinamul Congress on Saturday charged that the Sandeshkhali unrest was the result of a conspiracy by the BJP to defame Bengal and the TMC ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. In the ‘sting video’, an individual said to be a local BJP leader named Gangadhar Koyal is heard saying that the Sandeshkhali agitation was a scripted one. The allegations of mass rapes in Sandeshkhali, in North 24-Parganas were false, the individual also claims, adding that the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari was behind the whole conspiracy. The man says in the video that Mr Adhikari had asked him and other BJP leaders of the area to "instigate three-four local women to level allegations of rape against three TMC leaders, including Shajahan Sheikh". The Statesman has not verified the authenticity of the video footage. Koyal subsequently also put out a video stating that his words have been tampered with in the viral video and calling for a CBI investigation into the matter. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee posted about the alleged sting video on her X handle, stating: “The shocking Sandeshkhali sting shows how deep the rot is within the BJP In their hat. red for Bengal's progressive thought & culture, the Bangla-Birodhis orchestrated a conspiracy to defame our state on every possible level. Never before in the history of India has a ruling party in Delhi tried to malign an entire state and its people. History will witness how Bengal will rise in rage against Delhi's conspiratorial regime & ensure their Bishorjon." The Trinamul Congress leadership condemned the BJP for allegedly masterminding the script of alleged 'mass rape' and 'arms seizure'.“A viral video exposed The shocking Sandeshkhali sting shows how deep the rot is within the BJP. In their hatred for Bengal's progressive thought & culture, the Bangla-Birodhis orchestrated a conspiracy to defame our state on every possible level... History will witness how Bengal will rise in rage against Delhi's conspiratorial regime & ensure their Bishorjon. MAMATA BANERJEE BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER how the BJP left no stone unturned to malign Bengal. From 'mass rape' to 'arms seizure' Sandeshkhali, every claim was BOUGHT and STAGED by none other than @SuvenduWB," the party stated on X. “I am shocked beyond words to see the Sandeshkhali sting video. Every citizen must witness BANGLA BIRODHI @BJP4India's ORCHESTRATED attempt to DEFAME AND MALIGN for their petty political ends (sic)," Abhishek Banerjee, all India general secretary of the Trinamul Congress, said on the microblogging site. Sukanta Majumder, Bengal BJP president, told media: “We have to check whether Trinamul Congress has faked the video to tarnish our party. We are looking into it." IAF personnel killed, 5 injured in J&K ambush STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE JAMMU, 4 MAY An Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel was killed and five others were injured when their convoy were on Saturday ambushed by terrorists in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Reports said that the vehicles came under heavy fire while they were passing through Mendhar near the Line of Control in the Surankote sector of Jammu divi- sion. The injured personnel have been shifted to the military hospital at Udhampur. This is the first major attack on the armed forces this year in the border region that saw several casualties in terror attacks last year.