vijayawada l thursday l may 16, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION First set of 14 people granted Indian citizenship under CAA Citizenship certificates were handed over to 14 people by Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla at a special function held in Delhi Certificates sent to a Few hundred others great to be indian, says ex-refugee from pak Digitally signed certificates are also being sent to a few hundred other applicants through email, sources said. It comes nearly two months after the rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) were notified. Union Home Minister Amit Shah called it a “historic day” and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has fulfilled a promise made at the time of independence | P7 ■ ■ The CAA was enacted to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted nonMuslim migrants from three countries — Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan — who had arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014 Bharat Kumar who was among the 14 and had come from Pakistan said, “It is a great feeling to be an Indian. It has given me a new life” Dec 2019 when the citizenship amendment act was enacted CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI u.p. Diaries A tryst with destiny that wasn’t to be has shifted to adjoining Rae Bareli, he looms large even in his absence. Mostly beSantwana Bhattacharya cause his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is quite visiEditor bly there. Even though the Congress has appointed Rampur MLA Aradhana Amethi: Amethi is wait- Mishra ‘Mona’ as the party ing for Godot. Or for a Gan- poll in-charge for Amethi, dhi. Not just for a 53-year- Priyanka is managing the old with that name, but electioneering here along something inclusive of that with Rae Bareli, like a safe— and more than that. A keeper of the legacy vote. Nehru-Gandhi did not get All around the constituinto a direct contest here, ency the pockmarked narra, but had long-time aide K L tive of Indian democracy reSharma stand in. Those veals itself. Amethi moves within and outside through its village dirtwho had betted big on tracks and peri-urban a re-run of 2019 are roadways at a groandisappointed. The ing pace, as if caught gladiatorial fight in a time zone of that was to be is now struggle all its own. substantially downBut also representathird of A scaled. But a fight is Four-part series tive, at once, of the on, albeit by proxy, cracks in the India and reduced to a scrimmage story. Despite its seeming of competitive accusations. mundaneness, the Amethi Even while abandoning Ra- electorate stands witness to hul in 2019, it’s as if Amethi history Its creation, in 1967, . kept up its love for high-pro- was coeval with the unfoldfile contests, as if to keep ing of the crucial post-Nehru itself in the reckoning by phase in modern Indian polidefault, its own little tryst tics. Since then, it has in a with destiny . way reflected the mood of They are getting one, even the nation at all the cusp moif in an abridged version. ments. Electing a Congress Smriti Irani, Union minis- candidate, Vidya Dhar Bater and the BJP’s prime jpai, as its first MP, going commentator-critic on all with the Janata Party candithings Nehru-Gandhi, has date in 1977 and a BJP candistayed put to defend her date in 1998 and 2019.  Continued on P7 turf. Though Rahul Gandhi six killed in bus-truck collision in palnadu Six people, including an eight-year-old girl, were charred to death when a truck and a bus collided near Chilakaluripet in Palnadu district early on Wednesday. Four passengers and the drivers of the bus and truck were killed in the accident | P2 Poll violence: ECI summons Chief Secy & DGP Seeks explanation for failure of administration to control post-poll violence in the State, remedial measures taken E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada TDP resorted to violence to disrupt polling and obstruct votes for the YSRC. Election commission has been biased towards the TDP and police is negligent in addressing attacks unleashed by TDP Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, YSRC general secretary As per ECI, no vehicle, including that of any official or political functionary, should be allowed inside the secured campus where EVMs & VVPATs are stored. These instructions were violated at the strong room in Nagarjuna University in Guntur district N Chandrababu Naidu, TDP supremo @ Guntur/Tirupati An uneasy calm prevailed in Palnadu district after clashes between YSRC and TDP workers were reported in several places, including Narasaraopet, Gurazala, Macherla, and Sattenapalli Assembly constituencies, on Monday and Tuesday . Normal life was affected as CrPC Section 144 was still in place and police took complete control of the district by deploying additional forces. As a precautionary measure, influential leaders of both parties in all constituencies were put under house arrest. Shops and offices were shut, while local transport services were suspended due to the curfew. In Palnadu, security was beefed up in sensitive areas and police conducted vehicular inspections to monitor any suspicious activity . Speaking to mediapersons, Palnadu SP Bindu Madhav, who is camping in Macherla since Absconding MP Prajwal hoodwinks SIT again AP EAPCET set to commence today Beijing: In an interview with Chinese media on the eve of his visit to partner Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin said “We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but negotiations must take into account interests of all countries involved in the conflict,” | P9 Bengaluru: Absconding MP Prajwal Revanna, the prime accused in Hassan sex scandal, seems to have again hoodwinked the SIT, which was expecting him to land in Kempegowda International Airport around 12.30 am on Thursday | P5 Vijayawada: Over 3.61 lakh students, including 2.73 lakh from MPC stream & 87,421 from Bi.PC stream, are expected to appear for AP EAPCET, scheduled to begin on May 16. The exam will be held in five sessions for MPC stream & in 9 sessions for Bi.PC students | P3 Revanth directs officials to prepare to take over buildings allotted to AP With the State set to celebrate 10 years of its formation on June 2, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday directed officials to prepare a comprehensive report on all pending issues related to distribution of assets and debts between Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh. Revanth also directed the authorities to prepare for taking ove r b u i l d i n g s l i ke t h e Lakeview Guesthouse that was allocated to AP since Hyderabad will no longer be the common capital after June 2, as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act-2014. The officials were asked to include details of all issues and matters over which the two States have reached consensus. With the Lok Sabha election process ending in the State, Officials must focus on issues like the transfer of employees that can be resolved amicably. Protect the interests of Telangana in all pending matters Revanth Reddy, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth shifted his focus on governance. On Wednesday the , Chief Minister, along with ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy held a meeting with officials of ure of administration to control post-poll violence in the State, for not anticipating the incidents and remedial measures taken to prevent the violence. The officials were instructed to be present before the commission by 3:30 pm at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi. Later in the day Chief Secre, tary Jawahar Reddy DGP Har, ish Kumar Gupta, and Intelli- E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Ready for talks on Ukraine war, says Putin @ Hyderabad Chief Secretary KS Jawahar Reddy and DGP Harish Kumar Gupta Uneasy calm prevails in Palnadu and Tirupati Express read E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e Taking cognizance of the violence that erupted across Andhra Pradesh on the day of polling on Monday as well as after the elections on Tuesday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday expressed its displeasure over the law and order situation in the State.   The poll panel summoned Chief Secretary (CS) KS Jawahar Reddy and DGP (Director General of Police) Harish Kumar Gupta to appear before the commission on Thursday (May 16). Emphasising that there is no scope for violence in a democracy, the ECI sought explanation from the Chief Secretary and DGP on the reasons for fail- gence chief Kumar Vishwajeet convened a meeting and reviewed security arrangements in the problematic locations across the State where incid e n t s o f v i o l e n c e we r e reported. They instructed the officials concerned to bring the situation under control immediately . The officials also discussed and prepared a presentation on the measures taken by the police to restore normalcy in the violence-hit areas. On the day of polling, incidents of violence were reported at Macherla and Narasaraopeta constituencies in Palnadu district, Tadipatri in Anantapur district, Chandragiri constituency in Tirupati district, and in a few parts of Srikakulam and Chittoor districts. various departments. During the meeting, he also discussed the pending issues between two States. Officials informed the Chief Minister that division of organisations and corporations mentioned in Schedules 9 and 10 of AP Reorganisation Act has not yet been completed. He was told that there is no consensus between the two States on many issues. The dues of the power companies remain uncleared, officials said. Responding to this, Revanth asked the officials about the efforts made so far to build consensus on pending issues. The action plan to be adopted to do so was discussed. The chief minister also directed officials to focus on issues like transfers of employees that can be resolved amicably He told them to pro. tect the interests of Telangana in all pending matters. Police deployed to divert heavy vehicles in Tirupati on Wednesday | Madhav K Tuesday night, maintained that the situation is totally under control as no violent incident was reported in the district on Wednesday . Further, he said persons, who were involved in incidents of violence in Macherla and Narasaraopet on May 13 and 14, were identified and booked under relevant sections. He added that Section 144 will be in place for the next few days to ensure peace in the district. In Tirupati, police have reportedly taken some people into custody for questioning in connection with the attack on TDP Chandragiri MLA contender Pulivarthi Nani at Sri Padmavati Mahila Visva Vidyalayam campus on Tuesday . The attempted murder of Nani has sparked controversy, with his wife Sudha Reddy accusing the SP of reneging on promises to swiftly apprehend the culprits. Voicing her grievances while staging a dharna in front of the Tiruchanoor police station, Sudha criticised the police’s handling of the situation. “Despite providing evidence, they failed to arrest those who attacked Nani. Instead they have arrested our people under the pretext of preventive detention,” she rued. In Tadipatri after the face-off between JC Prabhakar Reddy’s men and YSRC candidate Kethireddy Pedda Reddy, both the leaders were reportedly sent away from the town. Prabhakar Reddy was admitted to a private hospital in Hyderabad, as he fell ill, reportedly after inhaling tear gas. Additional forces were deployed to prevent any untoward incidents. Meanwhile, in Kadapa district, Jammalamadugu DSP Yashwant said they have identified the person who attacked YSRC candidate Dr M Sudheer P4 Reddy on May 13.  A day after the elections, violence continued in Palnadu region, Tadipatri, and Tirupati. Speaking to mediapersons in Vijawayada on Wednesday, Chief Election Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena stressed that election officials, district administration and police controlled the situation efficiently to ensure there was no need for repolling. Pointing out that skirmishes continued even after polling, particularly in Tadipatri, Macherla, Chandragiri, and Narasaraopeta, the CEO said, “On the directions of the Election Commission, candidates in these four places were put under house arrest immediately All those who were in. volved in the violent incidents were identified and are being P4 arrested.”  RECORD POLLING IN ANDHRA PRADESH Total turnout 81.86% 79.77% 2024 80.66 % 2019 Highest turnout Polling via EVMs Darsi Assembly (90.91%), Ongole Lok Sabha Postal ballots (87.06%) 1.1 % Lowest turnout Tirupati Assembly (63.32%), Visakhapatnam Lok Sabha (71.11%) Key constituencies Kuppam Pithapuram Mangalagiri Pulivendula 89.88% 86.63% 85.74% 81.34% 4,13,33,703 Total electorate Male 3,33,40,560 1,64,30,359 Persons who exercised their franchise FeMale 1,69,08,684 THIRD GENDER 1,517 NewsClick editor gets bail at last S u c h i t r a M o h a n t y @ New Delhi NewsClick founder and chief editor Prabir Purkayastha was released from Tihar Jail on Wednesday after the Supreme Court invalidated his arrest and subsequent remand in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) case. Purkayastha was arrested in October last year under antiterror UAPA for allegedly receiving money to spread proChina propaganda in India. Observing that the right to life and personal liberty was the most sacrosanct fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution, the court said any Delhi court issues Gag order A Delhi court while issuing bail to NewsClick founder and editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha directed him not to comment on the merits of the case or tamper with the evidence. He must not contact any witnesses or approver in the case person arrested under UAPA or other offences has a fundamental and a statutory right to be informed about the grounds of arrest in writing. “There is no hesitation in the mind of the court to reach a conclusion that the copy of the remand application in the purported exercise of communica- tion of the grounds of arrest in writing was not provided to the accused appellant (Purkayastha) or his counsel before passing of the order of remand dated October 4, 2023 which vitiates the arrest and subsequent remand of the appellant,” a two-judge bench comprising justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta said. “Any other interpretation would tantamount to diluting the sanctity of the fundamental right guaranteed under Article 22(1) of the Constitution of India,” it said. The bench said the right to be informed about the grounds of arrest flows from Article 22(1) of the Constitution. Soon after the verdict, a Delhi court issued the release order for Purkayastha. According to the FIR against him, the news portal he runs allegedly received huge amounts of money from China to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and cause disaffection against the country . Will give outside support to INDIA bloc, says Mamata S u l a g n a Sen g u p ta @ Kolkata West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed she will provide outside support to INDIA bloc if it comes to power at the Centre, but redefined the contours of the alliance to exclude the CPM and the Bengal chapter of the Congress from it. Addressing a rally at Hooghly Mamata said, “We will pro, vide leadership to INDIA, and help them in every way from outside. We will form a government so that in Bengal our mothers and sisters never face a problem and those who work in the 100-days-job scheme do not face problems.” Her antipathy for the CPM and the state Congress led by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is well known. Political analyst Snigdhendu Bhattacharya said, Mamata seems to be trying to keep the triangular contest between the TMC, the BJP and the Left-Congress alliance alive so that the anti-TMC votes do not polarise in favour of the BJP She doesn’t . want the BJP’s charge that the TMC, Congress and the Left are together, to find any credence. man with midas touch Olympic champ Neeraj Chopra at the Federation Cup on Wednesday. Neeraj, who won gold, was competing in India for the first time since March 2021 | Shamim qureshy