REMEMBERING SACRIFICES FOR BENGALI LANGUAGE 19 MAY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd Facebook.com/thestatesman ROYALS LOOK FOR MUCH-NEEDED IMPETUS VS KKR KNOW ABOUT KOLKATA'S MOUNTED POLICE PAGE 15 PAGE 13 PAGE 12 India’s National Newspaper since 1818 PAGES 16 | `5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Maximum and Minimum Temperature most likely be around 38°C and 30°C respectively. RAINFALL: 0.0 mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 88% TEMPERATURE Delhi CM's aide arrested over Maliwal assault Bibhav Kumar has also lodged a complaint with police against Maliwal Min.43% Max:38.1°C (+2.3) Min:29.5°C (+2.8) SUN RISES SUN SETS 04:55 hrs 18:11 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 13:47 hrs 01:37 hrs Full Moon on 23 May THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 18 MAY hief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's close aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested by the Delhi Police on Saturday in connection with his alleged misconduct with the AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal. Mr Kumar was taken into custody from the CM’s residence. It is said that police will likely question other people also in this connection. Bibhav Kumar is also said to have lodged a complaint with police and also declared that he was ready for an investigation into the incident. The arrest came after Ms Maliwal recorded her statement before a magistrate in this connection at the Tis Hazari court on Friday. C A florist carrying harvested statice flowers in Senapati, Manipur, on Saturday.  ANI RCB through, CSK eliminated: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Chennai Super Kings in a do-or-die game at M Chinnaswamy Stadium to enter the playoffs of IPL 2024. RCB posted a total of 218 for 5 after being asked to bat first. Needing to stop CSK below 201 to enter the playoffs, they restricted CSK to 191 for 7 in 20 overs. With the win, RCB joined KKR, RR and SRH in the playoffs while CSK were eliminated. Faf du Plessis scored 54 off 39 while Virat Kohli played a crucial knock of 47 off 29 for RCB. Mr Kumar's arrest comes two days after an FIR was filed against him at the Civil Lines police station on Thursday, which was after police recorded Ms Maliwal’s statement. Ms Maliwal has alleged that the CM's aide physically attacked her, slapping her in the face and kicking her in the chest and abdomen on 13 May morning, when she had gone to meet the chief minister. The FIR was filed under IPC Sections 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 354B (Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). Mr Kumar had filed an application for anticipatory bail in Delhi’s Tis Hazari court, but it was disposed of as infructuous after his arrest. The BJP, meanwhile, questioned Mr Kejriwal's silence on the issue, and hit out at the AAP chief for not speaking a word on the matter, saying that once he would praise the same leader and now when the alleged incident took place at his own residence with her, he is not breaking his silence. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said that instead of speaking on various issues, the Delhi Chief Minister must first provide answers on the incident involving his own party's MP and come forward informing who is responsible for the same. Meanwhile, another purported video of Ms Maliwal which shows her being escorted out from the CM residence where she could be seen walking surfaced on social media, referring to which the AAP has claimed that everything that Ms Maliwal has alleged seems to be contradictory as she can be seen walking and not in the condition which she had said she was in after being attacked by Mr Kumar. INDIA bloc busy destroying Delhi: PM Modi NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 18 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday came down heavily on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi over the alleged corruption in the now scrapped excise policy and slammed the Congress for embracing the AAP at the instance of the party's 'royal family' for vote bank politics. “Delhi aur Haryana mein Dosti, Punjab mein kushti (friendship in Delhi and Haryana, wrestling in Punjab). This is what the INDIA bloc is,” he said while addressing an election rally at Ghonda in North-East Delhi in support of BJP MP candidates Manoj Tiwari from North-East Delhi, Harsh Malhotra from East Delhi and Praveen Khandelwal from Chandni Chowk constituency. Mr Modi was obviously referring to the seat adjustment between the AAP and the Congress in Delhi and Haryana although they fight against each other in Punjab. Without directly referring to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other top leaders of AAP, PM Modi alleged they had indulged in corruption worth crores of rupees in the liquor scam and were now visiting jails. “The same Congress party, which was earlier taking the credit for exposing the liquor scam, was now supporting the AAP and was silent on the scam," the Prime Minister said. Hitting out at CongressAAP alliance in Delhi, the Prime Minister said: “The INDI Alliance is hell-bent on creating hindrances to development works.They are responsible for breaking the trust of the people.” Mr Modi said: “They formed the government to end corruption, but now they are busy defending themselves against corruption charges.” “Amid development works happening here, the INDI alliance is busy in destroying Delhi...They are not miss- ing any opportunity to loot the people of Delhi. These people had come in the name of eliminating corruption, but today they are in jail due to scams worth crores of rupees," he said. Mr Modi hit out at the grand old party for contesting just three Lok Sabha seats in the national capital, saying: “Four generations of Congress ruled in Delhi, but today such is the state of the party that they can't even contest four seats here.” The Prime Minister said the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are crucial for positioning India as the thirdlargest economy globally. “They are also pivotal to safeguard India from the parties which could bankrupt India,” he said. Campaigning ends for 5th phase of Lok Sabha polls NEW DELHI, 18 MAY Campaigning for the fifth phase of voting in Lok Sabha elections concluded on Saturday evening. In the fifth phase, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge , former party president Rahul Gandhi and party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had campaigned extensively in different states which will go to polls on 20 May. A total of 695 candidates are in the fray for the 49 parliamentary constituencies spread across eight States and Union Territories. Prominent candidates from the BJP are Union Ministers Rajnath Singh (Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh), Smriti Irani (Amethi) and Piyush Goyal (Mumbai North, Maharashtra); prominent candidates from Congress include Rahul Gandhi (Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh) and KL Sharma (Amethi). SNS You can put in jail whoever you want: Kejriwal dares PM Modi NEW DELHI, 18 MAY Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest him and other AAP leaders, announcing that he along with his top party leaders will march to the BJP headquarters on Sunday at 12 p.m. Addressing a press conference on Saturday evening, Mr Kejriwal alleged that Prime Minister Modi is playing ‘Jail ka Khel’ with the AAP "You can see how . they (BJP) are after AAP . One after another, they are putting AAP leaders behind bars. I would like to tell the PM- you are playing this 'jail ka khel'. Tomorrow, I am coming to the BJP headquarters with all my top leaders, MLAs, and MPs at 12 noon. You can put in jail whoever you want," Mr SNS Kejriwal said. BJP plotting to ignite communal tensions, says CM Mamata STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HOOGHLY, 18 MAY Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday accused the BJP of plotting to ignite communal violence in the state for electoral gains. Speaking at a public gathering at Goghat in Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency, Miss Banerjee said: “For political gains, the BJP has distorted religion, they ignite religious sentiments and emotions to divide people on the basis of religion. They are well known for igniting communal violence in the society... They have a conspiracy to ignite communal violence during the election and after the election. Suddenly you may find the idols of God and Goddesses missing from the temples.” “I am asking the state administration to keep a special watch on the temples. After their plot in Sandeshkhali, they might create tension over certain temples in the state. Do not allow that,” she said. Miss Banerjee, while praising the Kamarpukur Ramakrishna Mission and the Saradha Math in Jayrambati, recalling the help they extended to victims of the reign of terror of CPI-M harmads during Left Front rule, said: “I have great regard for them since they Miss Banerjee said that at the national level the INDIA coalition partners are working to resist the ‘autocratic, demonic’ Narendra Modi govt. The TMC will play its role in installing the INDIA bloc in power, she said. have no affinity towards any political parties. They are impartial and not biased in their social welfare activities, but the BJP is trying to use some of the other maths and ashram to motivate their devotees to vote in favour of BJP The BJP is . distributing money. They should remember that they cannot buy the love and regard of the people for Trinamul Congress and Mamata Banerjee.” She said: “We want Bauri samaj, Bagdhi samaj, Mathua samaj, Raj Bangshi samaj, minorities and all other communities to come together and work together.” She urged the gathering not to vote in favour of Congress and CPI-M since the division of votes will help the BJP . Miss Banerjee said "I had coined the name INDIA and at the national level we the coalition partners are all working together to resist the autocratic, demonic Narendra Modi government. TMC will play its role in installing the INDIA bloc to power.” “See what Modi is saying now ~ he is no more making tall claims of '400 paar' seats by BJP He can read the . writing on the wall already. BJP will not cross even 200 tally. BJP will bite the dust," she said.