FRIDAY 31 MAY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P3 SENSEX 73,885.60617.30 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. HEAT WAVE CONDITIONS AT A FEW PLACES. POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORM/DUSTSTORM WITH VERY LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS (SPEED 25-35 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 44 AND 29 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 59 % P10 NIFTY 22,488.65216.05 GOLD 72,760440 ` vs $ 83.31 Campaigning ends for 7th & final phase Polling will be held in 57 parliamentary seats across 8 states & UTs on 1 June THUMBNAILS Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holds an election campaign in Solan; (R) UP CM Yogi flashes a victory sign during a public meeting in support of BJP candidate from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, in Kullu on Thursday.  ANI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 30 MAY People gather to collect drinking water from a tanker as they face water scarcity on a hot summer day in New Delhi on (SEE PAGE 2) Thursday. ANI 22 dead after bus rolls down deep gorge in Jammu: Atleast 22 pilgrims were killed on Thursday when a tourist bus in which they were travelling plunged into a 150 ft deep gorge near Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir. The incident also left 57 people injured, Jammu’s district magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya said. “The bus was carrying passengers from Hathras in Uttar Pradesh when it skidded off the road near Tanda in Akhnoor. Rescue operations are underway,” Vaishya said. Condition of some of the injured was critical, officials said. (Page 10) T he curtains came down on campaigning for the seventh and last phase of voting in the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday evening. On the last day of campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held rallies in several places in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in support of BJP candidates. Later in the day, Mr Modi headed to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu for undertak- ing a two-day meditation at the iconic Vivekananda Rock Memorial. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in support of the party candidate in Odisha’s Balasore and later interacted with farmers in Punjab’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also held a road show in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan. The day also saw an open letter from Prime Minister and Congress veteran Manmohan Singh criticising his successor, Mr Modi, and the ruling BJP. In the seventh phase, polling will be held in 57 parliamentary constituencies across eight states and Union Polling personnel leave from the dispersal centre to the polling stations of Sandeshkhali under North 24-Parganas district in West Bengal on Thursday.  ANI territories (UTs).Of the 57 parliamentary seats, 13 each are in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, nine in West Bengal, eight in Bihar, six in Odisha, four in Himachal Pradesh, three in Jharkhand and one in Chandigarh. Additionally, 42 Assembly seats in Odisha would also hold elections. A total of 904 candidates are in the fray in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections. Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Varanasi, UP), prominent candidates from the BJP are Union minister Anurag Thakur (Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh), Ravi Shankar Prasad (Patna Sahib, Bihar) and Kangana Ranaut (Mandi, Himachal Pradesh); Ex-PM Manmohan tears into Modi in letter STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 30 MAY Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of lowering the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of the PM office with his “hateful speeches” during campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections 2024. In an appeal to the people of Punjab ahead of the June 1 voting, Dr Singh said that he has been keenly following the elections and that Modi indulged in the most vicious form of hate speeches. In a three-page open letter, the veteran Congress leader said: “Modi ji is the first Prime Minister to lower the dignity of public discourse, and thereby the gravity of the office of the Prime Minister. No Prime Minister in the past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary and coarse terms, meant to target either a specific sec- tion of the society or the opposition. “He has also attributed some false statements to me. I have never in my life singled out one community from the other. That is the sole copyright of the BJP.'' The senior Congress leader, who served as India's Prime Minister for two terms from 2004 to 2014, accused the Narendra Modi government of denying funds to Punjab when Congress ruled the state. "Even though there was an Akali-BJP government in the state for most part of my tenure, following the true spir- it of cooperative federalism, we left no stone unturned in providing the rightful share of resources to the people of Punjab. On the other hand, for five years, when the Congress party was in power, the BJP government at the Centre was consistent in denying funds to Punjab. Whether they were meant for debt restructuring, a legacy issue of the previous BJPAkali government, or for farm loan waiver, or the pending wage liabilities for MGNREGA," he said. Highlighting the state of economy, Dr Singh claimed that India's economy witnessed "unimaginable turmoil" during 10 years of Modi government. "The imposition of the demonetisation disaster, a flawed GST, and the painful mismanagement during the COVID pandemic has resulted in a miserable situation, where an expectation of a subpar 6-7 per cent GDP growth has become the new normal. "Average GDP growth under the BJP Government has plunged to under 6 per cent, while during Congress-UPA tenure, it was about 8 per cent (New Series). Unprecedented unemployment and unbridled inflation have greatly widened inequality, which is now at a 100-year high," he claimed. The former prime minister also hit out at the Modi government for imposing an "illconceived" Agniveer scheme in Army recruitments. "The BJP thinks that the value of patriotism, bravery and service is only 4 years. This shows their fake nationalism. Those who trained for regular recruitment were woefully betrayed by the outgoing regime. The youth of Punjab, the son of the farmer, who dreams of serving the motherland through the Armed Forces, is now thinking twice about getting recruited only for a 4-year stint. Agniveer Scheme endangers National Security. Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer Scheme,” he added. while from the Congress prominent candidates include Manish Tewari (Chandigarh), Vikramaditya Singh (Mandi) and Ajay Rai (Varanasi). Other prominent candidates are Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Misa Bharti (Pataliputra, Bihar) and Trinamul Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee (Diamond Harbour, West Bengal). The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases between 19 April and 1 June. The first phase of polling was held on 19 April, second phase on 26 April, third phase on 7 May, fourth phase on 13 May, fifth phase on 20 May and sixth phase on 25 May. Govt has initiated process to cancel Revanna’s diplomatic passport, says MEA STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 30 MAY The government on Thursday said it has initiated the process of cancelling the diplomatic passport of NDA nominee from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency Prajwal Revanna, who is facing serious charges of sexually abusing many women. At a media briefing here, Ministry of External affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the MEA received the request for cancelling Ravanna’s passport on 21 May. On 23 May, the MEA issued a show cause notice to Revanna in accordance with the Indian Passport Act, asking him why his passport should not be revoked. He has to respond to the show cause notice within ten days, the spokesperson added. “We are waiting for his reply for further action in the matter,’’ he said. Revanna, who is an accused in the sexual assault case, is expected to return to India on Friday. NEW DELHI, 30 MAY Southwest Monsoon has set in over Kerala and advanced into most parts of the NorthEast, including Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and most parts of Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The Southwest Monsoon normally sets in over Kerala on June 1 with a standard deviation of about seven days. Monsoon is crucial, especially for kharif crops, which are dependent on rains. India has three cropping seasons — summer, kharif and rabi. The onset of the monsoon in Kerala marks the start of India's southwest monsoon season, which stretches from June to September, and accounts for over 70 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall. The influence of Cyclone Remal is reported to have accelerated the onset of monsoon over the northeast as well. "The Southwest Monsoon has advanced into remaining parts of southwest Arabian Sea, some parts of west central Arabian Sea, most parts southeast Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep area, most parts of Kerala, Mahe, some parts of south Tamil Nadu, remaining parts of Maldives and Comorin area; some more parts northeast Bay of Bengal, most parts of northeast India including entire Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and most parts of Tripura, Meghalaya and Assam," the IMD said on Thursday. IMD had said on Wednesday that conditions were rapidly becoming favourable for the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala within the next 24 hours. This was a day earlier than IMD’s first forecast for the onset of the monsoon on 31 May. "Thus, Southwest Monsoon has set in over Kerala, today on 30th May, 2024," the IMD said. Conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, remaining parts of south Arabian Sea, Lakshadweep area and Kerala, some parts of Karnataka, Some more parts of Tamil Nadu, Southwest & Central Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Northeast Bay of Bengal and Assam and Meghalaya and some parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during next 2-3 days. IMD had said on Wednesday that conditions were rapidly becoming favourable for the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala within the next 24 hours. This was a day earlier than IMD’s first forecast for the onset of the monsoon on May 31. Normally, the monsoon arrives in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, and Assam on 5 June. Earlier on 27 May, the IMD updated its LongRange Forecast Outlook for the Southwest Monsoon Rainfall Season (June–September) 2024. The IMD said, "Quantitatively, the southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be 106% of the long period average (LPA) with a model error of ± 4per cent. Thus, Above Normal rainfall is most likely over the country as a whole during the monsoon season (June to September), 2024." The onset of the monsoon in Kerala marks the start BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 82.680.92 Modi reaches Kanyakumari for meditation after campaign ends STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 30 MAY Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday headed to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu for undertaking a two-day meditation at the iconic Vivekananda Rock Memorial after ending a hectic campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. According to sources, he will sit for the 48-hour meditation at Dhyan Mandapam, the spot where Swami Vivekananda meditated in 1892. The Rock Memorial monument was built to pay tribute to the Hindu philosopher-saint. It is said that Vivekananda after wandering across the country meditated here for three days and attained a vision for a developed India. Upon his arrival, the prime minister headed straight to the Bhagavathi Amman temple and offered prayers. Security has been beefed up and 2,000 police personnel will stand guard during his stay, even as the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy will also maintain a tight vigil. The prime minister’s move has come under fire from the opposition with many parties terming it a violation of the model code of conduct (MCC). “We have no problem if any leader keeps a fast of silence or campaigns but during the silence period, there should be no campaigning,” said Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi after a meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayer at the Bhagavathy Amman Temple in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, on Thursday. ANI a Congress delegation with Election Commission (EC) officials on Wednesday. He said the silence period before the polling begins on 30 May and continue until 1 June. He added that Modi's meditation is a direct violation of the MCC. “...you are either campaigning this way or publicising yourself through new channels and print media,” Mr Singhvi said. “We will complain. He can meditate, but it cannot be aired on television,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, adding that televising it would amount to the violation of MCC. The Dravida Munnetra Kazgham (DMK) slammed the practice saying “it is a drama enacted for political gains.” DMK’s Kanyakumari south district advocates’ wing organiser M Joseph Raj has even submitted a petition to the returning officer of the city urging him to deny permission for the event. SP’s Dimple Yadav said to meditate one does not need to travel to Kanyakumari to meditate as it can be done at home too. The Lok Sabha election is being held in seven phases beginning on 19 April, and the results will be out on 4 June. PM Modi and the BJP hope to return to power with a performance exceeding their seat count in 2019. Mr Modi had undertaken a similar spiritual journey after the culmination of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. His visit to Uttarakhand after the high-octane campaign and meditation inside a cave near the Kedarnath shrine drew global headlines. In 2019, he visited Kedarnath, and in 2014 he visited Shivaji’s Pratapgarh. Vote in large numbers: PM’s message to Varanasi voters STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE VARANASI, 30 MAY A couple of hours before the end of the campaigning for the seventh phase of Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exclusively addressed the people of his constituency, Varanasi, urging them to vote in large numbers to give the development of Kashi new heights. Releasing the video message for social media before he left for Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu for a 48-hourlong meditation, the prime minister said, "I remem- Monsoon hits Kerala, advances into most parts of North-East India: IMD STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE P12 SILVER 96,5001,200 Min: 30.4 °C (+4) SUN SETS 19:14 hrs MOON SETS 13:52 hrs TEMPERATURE ‘GETTING EXPOSURE HERE WOULD BE NICE FOR CRICKET’ P4 Min. 13 % Max: 45.6 °C (+5) SUN RISES 05:24 hrs MOON RISES 01:03 hrs ‘NAVEEN ENTERED INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH BJP’ AZAM KHAN SENTENCED TO 10 YRS IMPRISONMENT BJD HAS ALWAYS FOUGHT FOR ODISHA’S RIGHTS: V K PANDIAN of India's southwest monsoon season, which stretches from June to September, and accounts for over 70 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall. The monsoon plays a key role in the Indian economy as close to 50 per cent of the country's farmland does not have any other source of irrigation. The monsoon rains are also crucial for recharging the country’s reservoirs and aquifers from which the water can be used later in the year to irrigate crops. The advance of the southwest monsoon over the Indian mainland is marked by monsoon onset over Kerala and is an important indicator characterising the transition from a hot and dry season to a rainy season. As the monsoon progresses northward, relief from scorching summer temperatures is experienced over the areas that it tends to cover. PM Narendra Modi holds a mace during a public meeting in Hoshiarpur on Thursday.  ANI ber, on the day of my nomination, the young generation was very excited. Now, this enthusiasm should be seen at every booth, this is my request. Now, there is an opportunity to give new heights to the development of Kashi, this will happen only when the people of Kashi vote as much as possible on 1 June." He further said there is a special request to the youth, women power, and farmers of Kashi, “every vote of yours will increase my strength and give me new energy. You people have to remember that first voting then refreshments,” he said. Mr Modi appealed to the people of Bhojpuri to reach the polling place to vote as much as possible. Outlook for Indian economy bright: RBI STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 30 MAY India's GDP growth is robust on the back of solid investment demand which is supported by healthy balance sheets of banks and corporates, the government's focus on capital expenditure and prudent monetary, regulatory and fiscal policies, the RBI said on Thursday. In the Annual Report for 2023-24, the central bank said that the Indian economy was navigating the drag from an adverse global macroeconomic and financial environment. It said that the Indian economy is well-placed to step up growth trajectory over the next decade in an environment of macroeconomic and financial stability. “As headline inflation eases towards the target, it will spur consumption demand especially in rural areas," it added.External sector's strength and buffers in the form of foreign exchange reserves will insulate domestic economic activity from global spillovers. political tensions, geoeconomic fragmentation, global financial market volatility, international commodity price movements and erratic weather developments pose downside risks to the growth outlook and upside risks to the inflation outlook, the report added. The RBI also emphasised that the Indian economy would have to navigate challenges posed by rapid adoption of AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning) technologies as well as recurrent climate shocks.