TUESDAY 07 MAY 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 E-RUPEE HAS TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL P8 SENSEX 73,895.54 P9 NIFTY 22,442.70 WEATHER Cloudy sky. Rain/Thundershower with gusty surface wind (speed 40-50 kmph) very likely. Maximum & Minimum Temperature most likely be around 34°C & 27°C respectively. Max. 81% P10 ` vs $ 83.49 GOLD 73,935.00 Max: 35.4°C (-0.3) SUN RISES 05:11 hrs MOON RISES 03:27 hrs Min: 29.8°C (+3.0) SUN SETS 18:00 hrs MOON SETS 16:19 hrs Full Moon on 08 May THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BIRBHUM, 6 MAY A peacock sits under a tree during a hot afternoon, in New Delhi on Monday. ANI ICC terror threat: With less than a month to go for the ICC T20 World Cup, the showpiece event has hit a block with reports of terror attacks threatening to hamper it. The reports gained momentum after Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley confirmed that security agencies in the West Indies were monitoring a possible terror threat to (P12) the event. SILVER 84,000 he incident of Sandeshkhali was a blueprint prepared by the BJP to win the polls in West Bengal, alleged chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Birbhum today, a day before the third phase of election in the state. Speaking at an election rally in favour of Birbhum TMC candidate Shatabdi Roy, the TMC chief said that one day the truth will be definitely exposed, but can the BJP return the amount of social loss- T es these women have suffered since the past few months. The truth will be exposed, pointing at the viral audio and video of Sandeshkhali a few days ago, she said. “They had planned to defame the sisters and mothers of Sandeshkhali. For them money has never been a big factor but the real factor for them has always been social respect,” the chief minister added. Pointing fingers at both the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah, she asked what will be the future of those 26,000 teachers. “Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are brothers in arms. Tell me why you don’t say anything about the Vyapam scandal, which had occurred in your BJP-ruled state of Madhya Pradesh. Many persons who were related to that Vyapam scam have been murdered,” the TMC chief said. She has urged the voters not to vote for the BJP in this Lok Sabha polls otherwise they will implement CAA, NRC and uniform civil code in the country. “As long as I am the chief minister of the state, I will not allow the Centre to implement CAA, NRC or uniform civil code in the country. I will give my life but will never surrender before the BJP Miss ,” Mamata Banerjee said. Since the last three years the funds of 100 days’ NREGA have been stopped by the Centre, but her government has brought a Karmashree scheme to provide jobs for at least 50 days, the CM said. At her election rally in Durgapur the chief minister reiterated that the BJP will not cross 200-mark in the Lok Sabha polls. Few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in an election campaign in Bengal that Trinamul Congress will get 15 seats and the Congress 50 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 83.61 Amit Shah talks of infiltration, minority appeasement in Durgapur DURGAPUR, 6 MAY During his campaign for BJP candidate Dilip Ghosh in Durgapur, Union home minister Amit Shah stressed on minority appeasement and infiltrations in the state but did not mention anything on Sandeshkhali sting operation though he named Sheikh Sahajahan at Tilak Maidan here today. Shah also spoke about Modi government's triumph in abrogating Article 370 from Kashmir, the steel plant’s expansion, alleged extortion by the trade union leaders here, CAA, minority appeasement, Sheikh Shahjahan and Sandeshkhali. Shah asked the steel workers to elect his party candidate Dilip Ghosh saying: "I heard you suffer the brunt of TMC's extortion. Just elect Dilip, he'll stop all these, I promise." Shah also held a road show, traversed through the streets of Krishnagar for BJP candidate Amrita Roy, the scion of the Krishnagar SNS Royal family. PM attacks Patnaik govt for Odisha’s poverty Stage set for 3rd phase of LS election STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE ‘Daydreaming about forming govt in Odisha’ BHUBANESWAR, 6 MAY BHUBANESWAR, 6 MAY was clear when he asked SGP staff to collect paintings and art work held by youth and students in the crowd. “I will write reply letters to you in Odia , unlike your Chief Minister”, he quipped. A local Odia speaking leader can connect, interact with you, understanding your problems and resolve them. An outsider cannot, he said. “There will be a double engine government in Odisha for the first time. Odisha BJP unit has chalked out a visionary manifesto for the State’s all round development touching all sections of people right from women, farmers, youth to elders”, he said. "For long they ( BJP) have been day dreaming", was the succinct reaction of CM Naveen Patnaik to PM Modi’s assertion that the BJP will form the government in Odisha. The response of the CM was circulated by way of a video clip shot inside a helicopter today when Patnaik was hopping from one campaign meeting to another. His second in command Kartik Pandian was dismissive of the BJP’s claim and said on 9 June between 11 to 1.30 pm, Naveen Patnaik will be sworn in as CM for a record sixth term. The manifesto of the BJP is regressive, if implemented, it will take Odisha back by 20 years, remarked SNS Pandian. NEW DELHI, 6 MAY The stage is set for voting in the third phase of the 18th Lok Sabha election on Tuesday in 93 constituencies spread over 11 states and Union territories. The voting is scheduled to commence at 7 am in all the polling stations amid tight security to avert any untoward incident, and culminate at 6 pm. Of the 93 Lok Sabha seats going to polls in the third phase, 25 are from Gujarat, 14 from Karnataka, 11 from Maharashtra, 10 from Uttar Pradesh, nine from Madhya Pradesh, seven from Chhattisgarh, five from Bihar, four each f ro m We s t Be n g a l a n d Assam, two each from Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. More than 1,300 candi- dates are in the fray whose fates would be decided by the voters. Prominent among the candidates from the BJP are Union ministers--Amit Sh a h a n d Jyo t i ra d i t y a Scindia and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, while ED raids J’khand minister's PA, recovers `25 crore from house help's home STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 6 MAY The Enforcement Directorate on Monday seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 25 crore following raids at multiple locations in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi in connection with a money laundering case. The probe agency reportedly recovered a huge amount of cash from the residence of the house help of Sanjiv Lal, the secretary to Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam. The raids, conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), targeted approximately half a dozen locations linked to Virendra Ram, the former chief engineer at the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, and his inner circle. Ram was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in February 2023 in connection with the money laundering case. P12 Sandeshkhali agitation was BJP’s ploy to win: CM Min. 66% Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a scathing attack on the 24-year-old BJD Government in Odisha, accusing it of presiding over poverty despite the state’s abundance of resources. Addressing election meetings at Berhampur and Nabarangpur parliamentary constituencies, the PM predicted the imminent downfall of the Naveen Patnaik led BJD government saying it will pay a price for its ‘sin’. Simultaneous elections are being held in the state, ( both assembly and parliament, and the BJDs’ tenure will expire on 4 June. On 10 June, a home grown Odia speaking, BJP chief minister will be swornin for the first time at Bhubaneswar, declared the PM. The implicit jibe at ‘outsiders’ and non-Odia speaking persons running the state DC TO FACE ROYALS IN MUST-WIN MATCH She has urged the voters not to vote for the BJP in this Lok Sabha polls RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY TEMPERATURE ‘INDIA ON WAY TO REGAIN ITS PAST GLORY’ DONALD TRUMP TO RETURN TO NEW YORK COURTROOM The probe agency is conducting simultaneous raids at nine locations, including Sail city in Ranchi. Video footage of the raid showed a mountain of currency notes scattered across a room purportedly belonging to the domestic aide of Lal. Alam (70) is a Congress leader and represents the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand assembly. Responding to the raids, he said it would not be right to comment since the probe agency is still investigating the case. "Sanjiv Lal is a govern- ment employee. He is my personal secretary. Sanjiv Lal has already been a personal secretary of two former ministers. There are several government employees and we usually appoint personal secretaries based on experience. It is not right to comment on the raids before the ED investigation is completed," he said, as quoted by news agency ANI. Jharkhand Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir said, "We are waiting for the ED to give an official statement. They (from whom the money has been recovered) are all government employees, who have served in the previous governments as well. Before any connection is established, I don't think the PM should go to this low." "Corruption is not ending in Jharkhand. This money during elections indicates that there is a plan to spend this money in the elections. The Election Commission should take action on this," said Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdev. BJP leader Amar Kumar Bauri accused the ruling Congress-JMM-RJD government of turning Jharkhand into “Lootkhand”. “The most corrupt government in history: CongressJMM-RJD government together turned Jharkhand into 'Lootkhand'! 25 crore cash has been found from the house of the servant of Minister Alamgir Alam’s PA, counting is still going on…,” the Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand assembly said in a post on 'X'. CMYK from Congress is former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh. Shah is BJP’s nominee from Gandhinagar (Gujarat) seat, Scindia from Guna ( Ma d h y a Pra d e s h ) , Chouhan from Vidisha seat and Singh from Rajgarh seat. Indian Coast Guard intercepts Iranian fishing vessel STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 6 MAY In a swift sea-air coordinated operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully intercepted and detained an Iranian fishing vessel off the Kerala coast, west of Beypore. The boat has been brought to Kochi, Kerala for further investigations. ''The detention of a foreign fishing boat by the ICG, with (six) Indian crew onboard, once again highlights the complexities of maritime security and the challenges being faced by any maritime law enforcement agency in preventing illegal activities at sea. This incident underscores the ICG’s ongoing efforts to safeguard India's maritime borders and maintain law and order in maritime zones of India,'' the ICG said in a press release. During the operation, the boat was thoroughly checked by the ICG team to verify whether it was involved in any anti-national activity. Investigations revealed that the boat is owned by an Iranian sponsor named Syed Saud Ansar i, who had employed six Indian fishermen (from Kanyakumari region in Tamil Nadu) by issuing them Iranian Visas for fishing off Iran Coast in his boat. The crew alleged that the sponsor had been ill-treating them and not providing them with even basic living conditions. Further, they also alleged that the sponsor confiscated their passports. The crew subsequently decided to escape from Iran to India using the same boat.
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