MONDAY 13 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 ‘FUTURE OF VARUN WILL BE DECIDED AFTER ELECTIONS’ POLITICS AND BUSINESS P6 WEATHER Generally cloudy sky. Rain/ Thundershower with gusty wind likely. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 33 °C and 24 °C respectively. RAINFALL: 2.0mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 93 % TEMPERATURE Min. 56 % Max: 32.7°C (-3.1) Min: 23.3°C (-3.7) SUN RISES SUN SETS 04:58 hrs 18:8 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 08:25 hrs 22:35 hrs Full Moon on 23 May THUMBNAILS Assamese girls wearing traditional attire during Faat Bihu celebrations at Mohghuli Chapori in Lakhimpur district, Assam, on Sunday.  ANI SWITZERLAND’S NEMO WINS 68TH EUROVISION SONG CONTEST P5 P9 CSK KEEP PLAYOFFS HOPES ALIVE WITH FIVE-WICKET WIN P12 Modi is the worst PM India has ever seen: Bengal CM Modi comes to Bengal to speak lies and lies only, says Mamata Banerjee at Uluberia rally STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 12 MAY ut of sheer desperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is talking lies and has taken recourse to divisive politics, Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said today. She was addressing a rally in Uluberia this afternoon. Mrs Sajda Amhed, the party’s nominee is fighting from the seat. Earlier, Miss Banerjee addressed another rally in North 24Parganas that falls under Barrackpore parliamentary seat. Partha Bhowmick is the Trinamul nominee from the seat. Miss Banerjee said: “Modi comes to Bengal to speak lies and lies only. He is the worst Prime Minis- O ter India has ever seen. He talks divisive politics,“she said, adding: “In the name of CAA, NRC and Uniform Civil Code BJP will withdraw the reservations for the SC, ST and Muslims. He said the Muslims will eat into the reservation of the SC and ST people. Is that possible? The rights of the SC, ST and OBC have been guaranteed by the Constitution. Why always attack the Muslims?” she questioned. Miss Banerjee said: “Modi is still talking about Sandeshkhali, where the sting video has now been circulated. Modi said the country is watching Sandeshkhali. This is because you have purchased the media who are forced to show your lies,” she said. In Sandeshkhali the BJP had forced women to sign on blank paper which were later filled up by BJP leaders, she said. “I have never seen such a heinous crime in my life,” Miss Banerjee said, adding: “In UP women had been raped and then murdered. But not a single word has been said by Modi on crime on women in UP .” She said Mr Modi did not have money to pay the dues of 59 lakh job card holders under the MGNREGA. “However, he had money to give advertisements to spread canards against me. He calls me corrupt, BJP is the most corrupt party. Go to UP and Bihar to understand corruption.” Slamming the BJP for its allegation that in Bengal, Mamata Banerjee did not allow Durga Puja, she said: “This is the biggest lie. The state government supports the clubs with financial assistance. We observe Saraswati puja. We observe Christmas and Eid. We believe that religion is individual but festival is for all. BJP believes in divisive politics. They let loose one community against the other, one religion against the other. They believe in divisive politics.” She said: “Modi is so shameless that he continues to speak lies.” She reiterated her pledge that houses under Awas Plus scheme will be built from December. Se also noted that in Uluberia several industries have come up. A growth centre has come up in Uluberia. She urged people to vote for Trinamul Congress to continue the all-round development. 4th phase: Stage set for electoral battle GANGA ARTI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE  The voting, in 1.92 lakh polling stations in 96 parliamentary constituencies spread across 10 states and Union Territories(UTs), will commence at 7 a.m. and conclude at 6 p.m. More than 17.70 crore voters will decide the fates of 1,717 candidates who are in the fray.  The average number of candidates in a parliamentary seat is 18. NEW DELHI, 12 MAY Priests perform Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, in Varanasi on Sunday. ANI Four Delhi hospitals receive bomb threat emails, searches underway Hardeep Nijjar killing: Canadian Police arrest fourth suspect STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 12 MAY OTTAWA, 12 MAY Four hospitals in Delhi – Burari Government Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Mangolpuri, Superspeciality Hospital in Janakpuri, and Hindu Rao Hospital – received bomb threat emails on Sunday afternoon, sources said. Sources told a news agency, "At least 21 addresses, including four hospitals in the national capital, received bomb threats through email on Sunday." Searches were underway on the premises of all four medical facilities, they said. "An email was received at the Burari Government Hospital regarding a bomb threat. Nothing suspicious has been found yet,"Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) said. Police personnel, along with bomb disposal teams and sniffer dogs, rushed to the hospitals. "The Fire Department and other relevant departments were also informed about the emails to the hospitals," said another police officer. The Canadian Police has arrested a fourth suspect over his alleged involvement in the killing of the designated terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada-based CBC News reported. Nijjar was killed outside the Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on 18 June. The arrested man has been identified as Amandeep Singh (22). According to Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) in British Columbia, Singh was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges. "IHIT pursued the evidence and gained sufficient information for the BC Prosecution Service to charge Amandeep Singh with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder," the police statement said. The police said that Singh is an Indian national, splitting his time in Canada in Brampton, Ontario; Surrey, British Columbia, and Abbots- The arrested man has been identified as Amandeep Singh (22), an Indian national ford, British Columbia, as reported by CBC News. Investigators haven't given any further details of the arrest, citing ongoing investigations and court processes. This comes days after the Canadian police arrested three Indian nationals ~ Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh ~ in Edmonton. The trio was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in relation to the homicide. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. The attack was described as 'highly coordinated' and involved six men and two vehicles.Notably, the Canadian police have not given any evidence of any link to India. The stage is set for another round of electoral battle between the BJP-led NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc in the fourth phase of voting in the Lok Sabha elections on Monday. The voting, in 1.92 lakh polling stations in 96 parliamentary constituencies spread across 10 states and Union territories (UTs), will commence at 7 a.m. and conclude at 6 p.m. The polling will be manned by over 19 lakh polling officials amid tight security. Of the 96 Lok Sabha seats going to polls in the fourth phase, 25 are in Andhra Pradesh, 17 in Telangana, 13 from Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Maharashtra, eight each in Madhya Pradesh and Bengal, five in Bihar, four each in Jharkhand and Odisha and one in Jammu and Kashmir. More than 17.70 crore voters will decide the fates of 1,717 candidates who are in the fray. The average number of candidates in a parliamentary seat is 18. Prominent contenders among the candidates from the BJP are Union ministers, Girijaj Singh (Begusarai, Bihar), G Kishan Reddy (Secunderabad, Telangana), and Madhavi Latha (Hyderabad, Telangana), while Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Baharampur, West Bengal) and Congress’ Andhra Pradesh chief YS Sharmila (Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh) are in the fray from the Congress. Other key candidates are Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister AkhileshYadav (Kannauj), AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi (Hyderabad) and Trinamul Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra (Krishnanagar, West Bengal). Elections will also take place for all 175 seats of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly and 28 seats of the Odisha Legislative Assembly simultaneously in the fourth phase on Monday. The Election Commission of India (ECI) said: "As per IMD forecast there is no significant concern regarding hot weather conditions for the polling in the fourth phase. PM: Nobody can overturn SC verdict on Ram Mandir, stop CAA implementation STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 12 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed as many as four election rallies in West Bengal in a whirlwind campaign, during which he attacked theTrinamul Congress government on the issues of corruption, appeasement politics and the turmoil in Sandeshkhali. He also gave ‘five guarentees’ for the state, vowing among them that nobody can stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the state. Speaking at a rally supporting BJP candidate Arjun Singh in Bhatpara, Mr Modi emphasised Hinduism, stating, "As long as I am here, no one can hinder the observance of Ram Navami." Addressing the opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Modi slammed the Trinamul government, stating: "They are turning CAA into a villain overnight." “Today, I want to give Bengal five guarantees. The first guarantee is that there will be no compromise on the basis of religion. The second guarantee is that as long as Modi is here, no one can end the protection of tribal communities. The third guarantee is that no one can obstruct the observance of Ram Navami and Ram Puja. The fourth guarantee is that as long as Modi is here, no one can change the Supreme Court's decision on the Ram temple. And the fifth guarantee is that no one can repeal the CAA. And Modi's guarantee is the guarantee of fulfilling guarantees." Referring to the opposition to the CAA, Mr Modi said, "This law is meant to give citizenship to persecuted refugees. No one's citizenship will be taken away. But parties like Congress and Trinamul are speaking falsehoods about it. They are against giving citizenship to persecuted minorities." “It’s because of the politics of vote banks that laws like the CAA have been turned into villains," Mr Modi said. Taking the TMC to task on the issue of corruption, Mr Modi said: "A few years ago, in a CAG report, it was stated that the Trinamul government did not provide any account of Rs 2 lakh 30 thousand crore." Citing the irregularities in teacher recruitment, Mr Modi said: "One of the examples of the corruption of the Trinamul government is the corruption in teacher recruitment. Here, the OMR sheet has been burnt. Fake interviews have been conducted.” Only corruption has happened in the Trinamul government's rule. Bengal will understand the account of this loot. No one will be spared. That's why I want to tell Bengal's beneficiaries, Modi is here. No corrupt person can survive." (More reports on Pg 2) Ten ‘Kejriwal Guarantees’ for Lok Sabha elections STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 12 MAY Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced ten 'Kejriwal Guarantees' of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the Lok Sabha elections, including 24-hour electricity and 200 units of free electricity to all the poor in the country, education, and better healthcare. The AAP’s national convenor asserted that if the Opposition INDIA bloc comes to power, he would make sure that these promises are fulfilled. Calling “Kejriwal’s guarantee” a brand, the chief minister said: "This (the announcement) was delayed due to my arrest but it still has relevance since many phases of elections are due. I have not discussed it with the rest of the INDIA but this is like a guarantee that no one would have any problems with it. I give this guarantee that after the INDIA alliance comes to power, I will make sure that these guarantees are implemented.” Addressing a press conference at the AAP headquarters in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhag- want Mann, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, and Delhi Cabinet Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi, he said: “These 10 guarantees are like the vision of India. There are some things that should have been completed in the last 75 years... These are like laying the foundation stone of any nation. Without them, the nation cannot move ahead. Those works will be completed in the next five years." Elaborating, he said: "Of the 10 guarantees, the first is that we will provide 24-hour electricity in the country. The country has the capacity to generate three lakh MW of electricity while only two lakh MW is generated.” “Our country can produce more electricity than the CMYK demand. We have done it in Delhi and Punjab, we will do it in the country also as we have experience. We will provide up to 200 units of free electricity to all the poor. It will cost Rs 1.25 lakh crore, we can arrange it." The second guarantee is to provide free education. Presenting figures, Mr Kejriwal said: “About 18 crore students, who study in 10 lakh government schools, have no future. Today, the condition of our government schools is not good. Our second guarantee is that we will arrange good and excellent free education for everyone, be it a child belonging to a poor or a rich family." The third guarantee is to provide better healthcare. Mr Kejriwal said: "Today, the condition of our government hospitals is not good, hence the guarantee for better healthcare. We will ensure good treatment for everyone. Mohalla clinics will be opened in every village, every locality." He also assured that every citizen of the country would get free treatment. Asserting that the land occupied by China will be freed, he said: "Our fourth guarantee is 'Nation first'. China has occupied our land but our Central government is denying it... There is a lot of strength in our Army. All the land of the country that has been occupied by China will be freed. For this, efforts will be made at the diplomatic level on the one hand and the Army will be given complete freedom to take whatever steps it wants to take regarding this on the other." Targeting the Agniveer Scheme, the Delhi CM said: "A scheme like Agniveer is harmful to the Army and to the youth as well. The Agniveer Scheme will be withdrawn..." The AAP on its official X handle posted the guarantees which include that the the Agniveer scheme will be closed and all military recruitments will be done according to the old process. All the military personnel recruited so far will be confirmed. For farmers of the country, the party promised that by determining the MSP on all crops according to the Swaminathan Commission, farmers would be provided with full prices for their crops. The AAP also vowed to get Delhi the status of a full state. On unemployment, the AAP said it would be removed in a systematic manner and promised that two crore jobs would be created in the next year. The ninth guarantee addresses corruption. The party said the existing system of sending honest people to jail and giving protection to the corrupt will be abolished. The tenth guarantee is related to the business in which the AAP said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be ended. Mr Kejriwal said the GST will be taken out of PMLA (The Prevention of Money Laundering Act) and all laws and administrative systems will be simplified to promote trade and industry on a large scale.