FRIDAY 17 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 Sunshine along with some cloudy intervals. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 39 °C and 30°C respectively. ‘I’m part of INDIA bloc, but not with Bengal unit of Cong, CPI-M’ RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Mamata emphasises her commitment to the Opposition alliance at the national level WEATHER Max. 74% Min. 54% Max: 39.6°C (+1.1) SUN RISES 04:55 hrs MOON RISES 12:58 hrs Min: 30.2°C (+2.5) SUN SETS 18:10 hrs MOON SETS 01:07 hrs TEMPERATURE BISWABRATA GOSWAMI Full Moon on 23 May THUMBNAILS Farmers harvest paddy crops on a hot summer day, at an agricultural field in Morigaon, Assam, on Thursday.  ANI Govt slashes prices of 41 commonly used medicines: The Central government has reduced the prices of 41 commonly used medicines and six formulations used to treat diseases such as diabetes, heart and liver ailments. Antacids, multivitamins, and antibiotics are among the medicines that will become cheaper, according to a notification issued by the Department of Pharmaceuticals and National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). HALDIA, 16 MAY hief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday clarified that she and the Trinamul Congress remain an integral part of the INDIA bloc of Opposition parties, but have no truck with the West Bengal units of the Congress or the CPI-M. Miss Banerjee, campaigning in Haldia in favour of her party candidate Debangshu Bhattacharya for Tamluk parliamentary constituency, emphasised her commitment to the Opposition alliance at the national level. “At the All India level, we formed the Opposition alliance India. We will be in alliance. Many have misunderstood me. I am in alliance. I created that alliance. I will stay in the alliance," she declared. But she added: “Neither the West Bengal unit of Congress nor the state unit of CPI-M is included in that national bloc. They C are with BJP in West Bengal.” Miss Banerjee, during her campaign, also launched a scathing critique of her political opponents, particularly targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “I want to say a few things during the vote. I will not call Modi or Modibabu... I will not take his name here. Guarantee babu is a liar," Miss Banerjee asserted. She launched into a critique of Mr Modi's prom- ises, highlighting issues such as free distribution of rice and gas, which she claimed were not fulfilled. "What did he say, giving rice for free. Paying even one rupee for two years? I say either you apologise, or say you paid for the rice," she challenged. Miss Banerjee continued her tirade against the BJP's electoral promises, particularly targeting their pledge of free electricity. "Tell me, he said he would give electricity for free, did he give it? That means No Guarantee Four Twenty," she declared, using colourful language to castigate the BJP's policies. Predicting defeat for Mr Modi and the BJP Miss , Banerjee warned of dire consequences if they were to win. "Modi will not win. If the BJP wins, then the price of gas will be Rs. 2000. Bahba Guaranteelal, Bahba Gaddar Dalal!" she exclaimed. The Chief Minister also took a swipe at political turncoats, referencing Subhendu Adhikari who had defected from her party to the BJP . “When the Trinamul Congress formed, there was no father or son (Subhendu Adhikari and his father Sisir Adhikari). Here was Akhil Giri. They were in Congress. They lost many times in the polls before we won. Now they went to BJP to save money," Miss Banerjee remarked. Addressing concerns about financial contributions to her party, Miss Banerjee reassured supporters that her party Naresh Mohan passes away PoK will come back to India, asserts Jaishankar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 MAY Mr Naresh Mohan, wellknown media leader and a former member of the Board of Directors of The Statesman Ltd. died here on Thursday morning. He was 82. Mr Mohan was admitted to a city hospital a few days back. He suffered multi-organ failure leading to his demise. His last rites were performed at the Lodhi Road Crematorium this afternoon in the presence of his family, friends and admirers. Mr Mohan served The Hindustan Times in various management capacities, including as Executive President, for almost three decades before agreeing to become at the urging of colleagues Executive Director of the ailing United News of Indianews agency. He was also a member of The Tribune Trust for several years and served with distinction on the boards of The Statesman Limited and Jagran Prakashan Limited. Mr Mohan represented The Sunday Statesman in the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) for nearly two decades, until he decided last year that his health did not permit the engagement. Over the course of a career spanning more than five decades, he had served as Chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and United News of India, and been President of INS in the early 1990s. He had also been a member of the Press Council of India and the industry represen- tative on Wage Boards. Mr. Rakesh Sharma, President, INS, has condoled Mr Mohan’s demise. RK adds: Nareshji, as he was called by everyone who knew him, had been a close friend for more than 45 years, indeed from the day I entered the profession of journalism as a trainee in The Hindustan Times in the late 1970s. Over the years, we worked closely together on the boards of United News of India, INS and The Statesman, where he could ignite any discussion with his profound knowledge of any subject concerning newspaper operations. Blessed with a razor-sharp memory, Nareshji's knowledge of the industry was encyclopaedic. He was the first port of call for information on the government's present and past media policy and the historical battles fought by media institutions. Not without reason was he called the "Bhishma Pitamah" of the newspaper industry. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 16 MAY External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday asserted that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is an inseparable part of India and it will come back to the country. "PoK is a different category because eventually PoK is India and it will come back to India, I don't think we should ever have any doubt about it. Pakistan has a lot of other problems, including in Balochistan and various other parts as well," Mr Jaishankar said during a 'Vishwabandhu Bharat' interaction in Nashik, Maharashtra. Earlier this week, while addressing a campaign rally in Palghar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also made it clear that "PoK was, is, and will continue to be an integral part of India" and no power can challenge this Sunil Chhetri to retire after India's match against Kuwait AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 16 MAY Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri announced on Thursday that he will bring the curtain down on his international career after the country's FIFA World Cup qualification match against Kuwait, scheduled for 6 June. The 39-year-old striker revealed his decision by sharing a video on his social media accounts. “There is one day that I never forget and remember it quite often is the first time I played for my country man, it was unbelievable. But the day before, the morning of the day, Sukhi sir, my first national team coach, in the morning he came to me and he’s like, you’re going to start? I can’t tell you how I was feeling man. I took my jersey, I sprayed some perfume on it, I have no idea why. So that day, everything that happened, once he told me, from breakfast to lunch and to the game and to my first goal in my debut, to conceding late 80th minute, that day is probably that I will never forget and is one of the best days of my national team journey," Chhetri said in the video. “The feeling I recollected in the last 19 years is a very nice combination of duty, pressure and immense joy. I never thought, individually, these are the many games I have played for the country, this is what I have; good or bad, but now I did it... And the moment I told myself first, that yes, this is the game that is going to be my last, is when I started recollecting everything. It was so strange...” “So when I did decide that this is it, this is going to be my last game, I told my mom, my dad and my wife, my family first, my dad. My dad was my dad, he was normal, he was relieved, happy, everything, but my mom and my wife started crying and I told them, you always used to bug me that there are too many games, there is too much of pressure when you watch me and now that I’m telling you that, you know, I’m not going to play for my country anymore after this game. "And even they couldn’t, they couldn’t express to me as to why they, they burst into tears. It’s not that I was feeling tired, it’s not that I was feeling this or that, when the instinct came that this should be my last game, then I thought about it a lot and eventually I came to this decision," said Chhetri. The striker made his international debut against Pakistan on 12 June 2005. He was part of the title-winning Indian teams in the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008, the SAFF Championship in 2011 and 2015, the Nehru Cup in 2007, 2009 and 2012, as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 2017 and 2018. Chhetri also stands third on the list of players with the most international goals with 94 in 150 matches behind Argentine star Lionel Messi (106 in 180 matches) and Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo (128 in 205 matches). (See also Pg 12) position. Reacting to the growing unrest and continued violence that is taking place in PoK, Mr Jaishankar said there was no doubt that people in PoK have been watching and getting affected by the massive development that has been taking place in Jammu and Kashmir over the last few years. "People in PoK are seeing the positive changes across the Line of Control and they are asking themselves that if things are like that, then why are we suffering and why are we accepting this kind of mistreatment? So, they are undoubtedly getting affected by all this," Mr Jaishankar said. Complete chaos currently prevails in PoK's Muzaffarabad which has been rocked by violent protests as the locals continue to clash with police over the past many days. Monsoon likely to arrive in Kerala by 31 May: IMD AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 16 MAY The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that this year, the southwest monsoon is likely to set in over Kerala on 31 May, with a model error of ± 4 days. Southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on 1 June, with a standard deviation of about seven days. IMD has been issuing operational forecasts for the date of monsoon onset over Kerala from 2005 onwards. An indigenously developed state-of-the-art statistical model with a model error of ± 4 days is used for the purpose, according to an IMD statement. Last year, the monsoon arrived in Kerala on 8 June. The IMD had forecast the arrival on 4 June with a margin of ± 4 days. CMYK would not solicit money from them. "If you are asked for money in the name of the party, don't give it. My party will not ask for your money. We will do as much as we can," she said, drawing a contrast with the BJP's fundraising tactics. Furthermore, Miss Banerjee highlighted her administration's developmental achievements, particularly in areas like Digha, where significant infrastructure projects had been undertaken. “Who has made Digha beach or Marine drive? Three bridges had to be built. These are not such cheap jobs. Hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent," she said. The chief minister also reminded voters of her past contributions as railway minister and her commitment to local development initiatives. "Remember, I have done a lot of work here. I did it when I was the railway minister. Without me there would be no Digha-Tamluk,” she said. Kejriwal’s statement a slap on the system, ED tells Supreme Court PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 16 MAY The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to take note of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stating in an election speech on 15 May, that he would not be going back to jail on 2 June as ordered by the top court if people vote for the broom, the AAP election symbol in the ongoing general elections. A bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta referred to their 10 May 2024 order by which Mr Kejriwal was granted 21 days’ bail with a direction to return to jail on 2 June 2024, after the ED cited a speech of Mr Kejriwal stating, “if you vote for broom, I won't have to go to jail on 2 June.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, arguing for the ED, said: “It's a slap on the system by the petitioner. Petitioner treats himself as a special person.We treat him as any other person. Please see what he said on the first day. Your lordship said he will not say anything about the case.” But the bench said that they have restrained Mr Kejriwal from saying anything on his role in the matter and not on the matter as such. Justice Khanna said: “That's his assumption, we don't know.What we felt was justified, we said. Our order was very clear. We specifically said we are not making an exception to anybody.” “We will not go into this,” the judge said. The ED also told the court that the AAP will be made coaccused in the money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy case and the complaint in this regard is in the pipeline. Additional Solicitor General S.V Raju, said there is direct evidence of Mr Kejriwal demanding Rs 100 crore as kickbacks in the case and asserted that the Delhi chief minister is directly liable as he allegedly played a key role in formulating the excise policy. CAA is the fastest guarantee of Modi, says PM in Azamgarh STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE AZAMGARH, 16 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the latest example of what Modi's guarantee means is the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He said the country has started granting citizenship under the CAA. " You must have seen that just yesterday, refugees started getting citizenship under the CAA. All these people are Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi who have been living in the country for a long time as refugees and were victims of partition of the country done on the basis of religion," he said. Addressing an election Narendra Modi accused the Samajwadi Party and Congress of spreading lies about the CAA, and trying to push the country towards riots. meeting in Lalganj Lok Sabha seat in Azamgarh District, the Prime Minister said enthusiasm of Lalganj of UP clearly shows that the blessings of the people are with BJP-NDA. This was PM Modi's first public meeting in Purvanchal. Attacking the Congress, the PM said: “They climb the ladder of power by taking the name of Mahatma Gandhi but do not remember his teachings. Mahatma Gandhi had said that people tortured in other countries can come to India.” Mr Modi said that in order to save the honour, religion and culture of daughters, people were forced to take refuge in India due to hardships, adding that this was not the vote bank of Congress. “When atrocities took place there, what did the people in the INDI Alliance of Congress and SP do in the name of vote bank politics? They created a mountain of lies in the name of CAA and tried to throw the entire country, including UP , into riots. Till today, they say that Modi has brought the CAA but they will end it. No one can end it," he stressed.