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 PARTLY CLOUDY SKY.POSSIBILITY OF VERY LIGHT RAIN/ DRIZZLE TOWARDS EVENING. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 40 AND 26 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 75 % TEMPERATURE Max: 39.8 °C (0) SUN RISES 5:31 hrs MOON RISES 09:55 hrs P5 P9 Min: 25.8 °C (0) SUN SETS 19:04 hrs MOON SETS 00:20 hrs THUMBNAILS Assamese girls wearing traditional attire during Faat Bihu celebrations at Mohghuli Chapori in Lakhimpur district, Assam, on Sunday.  ANI Four Delhi hospitals receive bomb threat emails, searches underway: 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 (Details on Page 2) said. CSK KEEP PLAYOFFS HOPES ALIVE WITH FIVE-WICKET WIN P12 PM: Nobody can overturn SC verdict on Ram Mandir In Bengal, Modi slams TMC govt over corruption, appeasement politics & Sandeshkhali STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 12 MAY Min. 32 % ‘We worship our Mother... 365 days a year’: Mother’s portrait brings smile on PM Modi’s face P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed as many as four election rallies in West Bengal in a whirlwind campaign, during which he attacked the Trinamul 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 AGENCIES HOOGHLY (WEST BENGAL), 12 MAY 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," Stage set for 4th phase poll battle today STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE 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." Speaking about On the occasion of Mothers' Day on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was gifted a portrait of his mother Late Heeraben Patel during his public rally in Hooghly, West Bengal and said that the people in West celebrate this day as Mother's Day but in India we worship our Mother 365 days a year. While addressing a public meeting in Hooghly, PM Modi asked the Special Protection Group (SPG) commandos to collect the portrait of his mother (brought as gifts) from two young people. “The people in the rally are here who made the picture of my mother. The people in 'West' celebrate this day as Mother's Day, but in India, we worship our Mother, Ma Durga, Ma Kaali and Bharat Mata, 365 days a year. I request SPG commandos to collect the pictures. Please mention your addresses at the back of the paper. SPG people take photos of my mother from both people. I want to thank both of you," the PM said. the Sandeshkhali incident, Modi said: "What's happening in Sandeshkhali, the whole country is witnessing. Trinamul is making all sorts of efforts. But I guarantee, no oppressor will survive." Later, addressing another gathering at Chinsurah in the afternoon, Mr Modi recalled the days when Bengal showed the way to the entire nation and lamented that today Bengal is known for misrule, corruption, lawlessness and atrocities on women. The time has come to bring back the lost glory of Bengal, Mr Modi said. GANGA ARTI  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 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. Of the 96 Lok Sabha seats going to polls in the fourth phase, 25 are in Andhra Pradesh, 17 in Telangana, 13 in 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. Prominent contenders among the candidates from the BJP are Union ministers, Girijaj Singh (Begusarai, Bihar), G Kishan Reddy (Secunder- SWITZERLAND’S NEMO WINS 68TH EUROVISION SONG CONTEST abad, 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 chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav (Kannauj), AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi (Hyderabad) and Trinamul Congress 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. Priests perform Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi on Sunday. ANI Canadian Police arrest 4th suspect in Nijjar killing case AGENCIES OTTAWA, 12 MAY 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 firstdegree 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 Abbotsford, 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 arrested man has been identified as Amandeep Singh (22), an Indian national. According to Integrated Homicide Investigation Team in British Columbia, Singh was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges 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. Nijjar's killing triggered diplomatic tensions between Canada and India after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged India's hand in the killing ~ a claim New Delhi has rejected, calling it "absurd" and "motivated." Earlier this week, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that Canada has not provided any "specific" evidence or relevant information in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing case and that no "formal communication" has been provided to India over the arrests of three Indians allegedly involved in the matter. Ten ‘Kejriwal Guarantees’ for Lok Sabha elections A glimpse of mini-India at today’s 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 in the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant 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 demand. 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." The third guarantee is to provide better healthcare. 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. "A scheme like Agniveer is harmful to the Army and to the youth as well. The Agniveer Scheme will be withdrawn, he said. 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 tenth guarantee is related to business, in which the AAP said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be ended. Modi roadshow in Varanasi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE VARANASI, 12 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a road show on the streets of Kashi on Monday amidst blowing of conch, sound of drum beats and chanting of mantras. In this, a glimpse of the cultures of mini India and UP will be seen. On May 13 evening, the road show will start from the Singh Gate of Kashi Hindu University after garlanding the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, which will end at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple, BJP sources here on Sunday said. PM Modi will seek blessings of Baba Vishwanath after the end of the road show.Cutouts of the personalities of Kashi will also be installed along the route of the road show. Along with this, the first and new picture of Kashi will also be seen. More than 5000 Matrishaktis will also travel on foot in the road show. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also participate in the road show. Modi's road show in Kashi will be completely different from other road shows in the country. Till now Narendra Modi has been seeking votes for others, but in Kashi he will seek votes for himself from the voters. The PM is sending door-to-door invitations to Kashi residents to attend his road show. In this journey from Mahamana to Mahadev's , Kashi will welcome its MP as per its identity. For this, the BJP has made such a strategy that has not been seen in any road show before. The jour- ney of about 5 kilometers during the road show will prepare a road map for the development journey of Kashi in 5 years. Everyone from former MP to MLA, MLC and Minister will welcome their MP. In the road show, people from almost every province of the country will welcome the PM according to their culture and tradition. About 100 points have been made, on which people from Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Maheshwari, Marwari, Tamil, Punjabi etc. communities will welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi in their traditional attire. Flowers will be showered at these points. Drums will be played. The people of Kashi will welcome Prime Minister Modi with Shehnai, Shankhnaad and Damru Dal.