WEDNESDAY 08 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 LALU PRASAD CLARIFIES MUSLIM QUOTA PITCH ABOUT WESTERN POTS AND INDIAN KETTLES P7 SENSEX 73,511.85383.69 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Rain/ Thundershower accompanied with strong gusty wind very likely Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 33 °C and 22 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.70.7mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 98 % Min. 56 % Max: 32.7°C (-3.0) SUN RISES 05:0 hrs MOON RISES 04:6 hrs Min: 21.7°C (-5.1) SUN SETS 18:6 hrs MOON SETS 17:24 hrs TEMPERATURE Full Moon on 08 May THUMBNAILS Voters at a polling booth during the 3rd phase of the General Elections in Farakka, Murshidabad on Tuesday.  SNS Top TRF terrorist among two gunned down in Kulgam encounter: The most wanted “A++ category terrorist” and operational chief of Pakistan-backed The Resistance Front (TRF), Basit Dar, was among two terrorists killed on Tuesday in an encounter with the security forces in the Redwani area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. P5 NIFTY 22,302.50140.20 NEW DELHI, 7 MAY A turnout of over 61 per cent voter was recorded in the third phase of voting in the 18th Lok Sabha election on Tuesday. The polling held in 93 parliamentary constituencies spread over 11 P9 GOLD 72,380330 ` vs $ 83.48 Modi magic does not work any more: CM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PATRASAYAR, 7 MAY odi magic is over. It does not work any more,” Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee said at an election rally here on Tuesday. Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘Nandalal’, in a comparison to a selfish character depicted in an old Bengali comic song, Miss Banerjee said: “Don't allow him to continue in office. He'll cause further problems. I urge you, Modi Hathao,Desh Bachao(Drive away Modi and save the country). He'll sell the entire country. In the name of NRC, he and his colleagues will push everyone out of this country." She added: “We've already prevented the implementation of NRC (National Register of Citizens) in Bengal. I won't allow them here so long as I'm alive." Miss Banerjee reached Patrasayar in a helicopter from Purulia to campaign for her party candidates ~ Sujata Mondal (in Bish- M nupur) and Arup Chakraborty (in Bankura). Patrasayar, a very small town surrounded by villages bordering East Burdwan district falls under Bishnupur Lok Sabha constituency. In a district with a significant presence of tribal and Scheduled Caste voters, Miss Banerjee raised the issue of the UCC (Uniform Civil Code) and said: “He has sold out communities like Bhumijas, Lodhas, Sabars, Mundas, Tudus, Bauris and Bagdis by trying to impose the UCC.” She referred to the ideology of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and said: "If we want to secure our existence in the days to come, we’ll have to pursue Netaji's immortal slogan of 'Jai Hind' that talks about an united India.” She added: "We've also adopted Vande Mataram and Joy Bangla along with this to uphold our identity." The Chief Minister, apprehending fresh spells of thunderstorms cautioned her party supporters: "Bengal lost 12 lives due to thunderstorm yesterday. You should take care of yourselves. Don't stay under the trees during stormy weather." states and Union territories was by and large peaceful. Voting, which began amidst tight security at 7 a.m across 1.85 lakh polling stations, concluded at 6 p.m. Of the 93 Lok Sabha seats in the third phase, 25 were in Gujarat, 14 in Karnataka, 11 in Maharashtra, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, nine in Madhya Pradesh, seven in Chhattisgarh, five in Bihar, four each in West Bengal and Assam, and two each in Goa, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. Prominent among the candidates whose fate was sealed in the EVMs are Union ministers Amit Shah (Gandhina- gar, Gujarat) and Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna, Madhya Pradesh), and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan (Vidisha) of the BJP, and former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh (Rajgarh) from the Congress. (Bengal polling: Page 2) Kejriwal will not do official work if released on bail: SC PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 7 MAY The Supreme Court on Tuesday indicated that if Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is released on interim bail in view of the general elections, he should not be performing official duties as discharging official work while on interim bail would have a cascading effect. Hinting that it may consider granting interim bail to Mr Kejriwal in view of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, a bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta said that if released on bail, Mr Kejriwal would not be attending his office and performing his duties as Chief Minister. The court said this while reminding senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Mr Kejriwal, that in the last hearing on 3 May, the bench had asked whether he (Kejriwal) should be signing the files because of his present position. Mr Singhvi said that it would create a piquant situation “of a government without Chief Minister and a Chief Minister without power.” However, the bench said that Mr Kejriwal attending his office while being on interim bail will have a cascading effect. Submitting to the suggestion from the bench, Mr Singhvi said: “He will not sign any files, with a condition that Lt. Governor may not stop any work on the ground that I (Mr Kejriwal) have not signed any file.” The court did not pass any order for interim bail for Mr Kejriwal today. CMYK Speaking earlier in Purulia, Miss Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the Election Commission has turned a blind eye to the allegations against BJP leaders that they indulge in hate speeches during campaigns, The Model Code of Conduct has been converted into "Modi code of conduct", she said. Miss Banerjee said that Prime Minister Modi and other top BJP leaders consider only themselves as Hindus, and they do not think about other communities. Mr Modi and other BJP leaders by their hate-filled speeches are intimidating lower caste Hindus, minorities and other marginalised sections, but the Election Commission is silent, she alleged. "The Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct has turned out to be a mockery and should be rechristened as Modi code of conduct. But we will continue to flag every incident of violation of rights of citizens of this country," Miss Banerjee said. (PHOTO: IANS) SRH VS LSG: RAIN MAY PLAY A PART P12 SILVER 85,000100 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 82.690.64 SC stays high court’s order cancelling school jobs Mamata welcomes SC stay CM slams ECI, says Model Code of Conduct has become Modi Code of Conduct 61.45 pc voter turnout in third phase of LS polls: ECI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE PUTIN BEGINS 5TH TERM AS PRESIDENT STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 7 MAY PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 7 MAY The Supreme Court on Tuesday partially stayed the Calcutta High Court order cancelling the appointment of over 25,000 assistant teachers and nonteaching staff in state-run schools in West Bengal, subject to the final outcome of the hearing posted for 16 July 2024. Extending its 9 November 2023 interim order protecting the services of the teaching and the non-teaching staff, a bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra however, said that the CBI would continue with its investigation into the scam but will not take any coercive steps or actions against candidates or state govt officials. The top court also said that the teaching and the non-teaching staff whose appointment has been found to be illegal, will refund their salaries between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today welcomed the Supreme Court interim order which stayed the cancellation of the appointments of 25,753 school staff by a recent order of Calcutta High Court. She tweeted: “I am really very happy and mentally relaxed on receipt of justice at the Highest Court of the land. Congratulations to the entire teaching fraternity and my humble regards to the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. Abhishek Banerjee,TMC national general secretary tweeted: “The Honorable Supreme Court has defused the BJP’s explosive hurled last week to malign Bengal’s image and destabilize WB government.Truth has triumphed.We will continue to defy all odds and stand shoulder to shoulder with the people until our last breath.” Chandrima Bhattacharya, state finance minister, said the BJP and CPIM would have been happy if the teachers had lost their jobs. She also attacked Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the Opposition, on the issue. now and the final outcome of the petitions challenging the 22 April 2024, Calcutta High Court order. In the course of the hearing, the bench described the recruitment scam as a “systemic fraud”. The bench noted that the West Bengal government has no data to prove the sanctity of these tests. In the hearing that lasted for the entire day, the bench observed: “The public job is so scarce.... Nothing remains if the faith of the public goes. This is sys- temic fraud. Public jobs are extremely scarce today and are looked at for social mobility. What remains in the system if their appointments are also maligned? People will lose faith, how do you countenance this?” All these appointments were made following a statelevel test held in 2016. The results were declared on 3 March 2018 and the merit list came out on 28 August 2018. The actual joining took place in January-February 2019.