Vol. 67 No. 209 | SATURDAY | JUNE 1, 2024 | 34 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in MEMBER: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATION JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023 EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper REVIEWS THIS WEEK Check out our verdict on films and OTT releases EDIT DR SINGH’S CALM WORDS RESOUND INDIA’S FOREX RESERVES DROP BY $2 BILLION India's forex reserves dropped by USD 2.027 billion to USD 646.673 billion for the week ended May 24, the RBI said on Friday. 0 0 31 c. 29 c. Sunrise : 06:01 am Sunset : 07:12 pm ‘CHINTAN’ OR ‘MANTHAN’? The calm before the storm? THE FP BULLETIN CONG WILL SHUN EXIT POLL SHOWS T he general elections of the Lok Sabha will conclude on June 1 and these will be followed by the exit polls in the media. In a statement, Congress spokesman Pawan Khera said the party will not participate in any debate on exit polls. It does wish to engage in speculation which will only boost TRP ratings of TV channels. But it will happily partake in debates from June 4 onwards. RAHUL GETS SUMMONS A Pune court has summoned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and ordered him to appear before it on August 19 in connection with the  defamation case  filed over alleged statements made by him against Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during a visit to the United Kingdom. The complaint was filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of the late Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Earlier, the judge had directed the Pune police to conduct an inquiry into the defamation complaint as per Section 202, CrPC. The police submitted its inquiry report before the judge on May 27. Following this, the judicial magistrate took cognizance of the complaint and initiated the process against Gandhi. 7.8% GROWTH IN MARCH QUARTER I ndia's economy grew 7.8 per cent in the March quarter, pushing the annual growth rate to 8.2 per cent, according to official data released on Friday. Growth in the JanuaryMarch period was lower than the 8.6 per cent expansion in the December quarter. The gross domestic product had expanded 6.2 per cent in the January-March period of 2022-23 fiscal, according to data released by the National Statistical Office. As per the data, the economy expanded 8.2 per cent in 2023-24, as against 7 per cent growth in 2022-23. DELIVERY IN BUS A 37-year-old passenger and a mother of five children on Thursday delivered a baby girl on a state transport bus plying in Thrissur district. As luck would have it, she went into labour just as the bus had crossed a multi-specialty hospital.   was the presence It of mind of the driver and conductor that saved the mother and child. The conductor informed the driver that a passenger was in labour and the driver immediately took a u-turn and drove the bus to Amala Hospital which he had crossed. But before the bus could reach the hospital, the delivery took place. Two women passengers helped in the delivery. The conductor had informed the hospital in advance and an expert team of gynaecologists and nurses was waiting outside hospital. FPJ NEWS SERVICE  MUMBAI / Currently being a country where the Prime Minister has gone ochre and incommunicado, just like Swami Vivekananda, and is engrossed in meditation in the full glare of arc lights and cameras, the one question that springs to the mind is: What’s next? To all intents and purposes, Narendra Modi is preparing for an ascendancy once again. But will this be to pitchfork the nation headlong into a blur of progress, stockmarket highs, inaugurations and more G-20-like moments? Or is it that he is actually ruminating about the results? Had this been Utopia, politicians would be asking themselves whether they have added to the confusion, or have they brought a sem- blance of clarity . All talk of ‘ b ki Baar 400 Paar’ has virA tually piped down. No longer is anyone speaking of the BJP and its allies going to romp home with this number. Even Mumbai’s Satta Bazaar, as this paper reported on Friday , has revised its estimate of seats for the BJP to 306, down from 360 on April 19. Securely ensconced on the Vivekananda Rock, a meditating Modi looks far from ‘tension-mukt’.  Uttar Pradesh, In which has voted massively for the BJP before, the satta bazaar has accorded it 54, down from the party’s 2019 tally of 62. There are other straws in the wind as well.  The turnout in Ayodhya, for instance. Hark back to the frenzied blitzkrieg over the Ram Mandir, a temple inaugurated even before its completion, so that it could prove to be the proverbial wind in the BJP’s sails. Despite all the holy hoopla, there was a four per cent fall in the voter turnout on May 20, at 56.51 per cent, down from 60.27 per cent in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. A mundane outing, where it should have been a profuse outpouring.  Suddenly southbound: On the one hand, there is Prime Minister Narendra Modi trying to recreate a Vivekananda moment, and on the other, Home Minister Amit Shah is on a temple run. After doing the rounds of the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, now, he has covered Kottai Bhairavar temple at Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu and humbly prostrated before Venkateswara at Tirupati.    The rest of the saffron fold too has been following suit, seeking divine grace. Is this how a lull before the storm looks? The matter is clearly out of their hands; the vote is in the box.  KHARGE ON RAHUL: It is curious that in the midst of all the anticipation, and even before there is a real chance of it becoming a talking point, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge should lose his inhibitions and declare that Rahul Gandhi is his choice for Prime Minister. Yet this statement, preposterous as it would have sounded given the wobbly nature of the INDIA bloc, has gone virtually  uncontested. Kharge says that from the reports “we have received, we are sure that we will stop the BJP from returning to power. We believe that the Congress has already crossed the 100seat mark and are hoping to win 128 seats.” CONTD. ON NATION IN UP, SEATS Mega block a mega disruptor PHASI PADI HAI BHALCHANDRA CHORGHADE / MUMBAI BISWAJEET BANERJEE / LUCKNOW As the election reaches its crescendo, a common refrain in UP is, "Seats phasi padi hai" (there is a close contest in all seats). With its 80 parliamentary seats, Uttar Pradesh is the gateway to Delhi. But the long-drawn election has generated an element of voter fatigue. Also, the shifting political narrative has added to the inability of journalists and soothsayers alike to weigh the political imponderables and predict in which this election is heading. Senior journalist Sunita Aron describes the political scenario in UP as very confusing. "You ask anyone, and they say 'seats phasi padi hai.' They even offer plausible explanations about caste equations, candidate profiles, and growing disenchantment among voters to prove their point," she said. Baring a few pocket boroughs like Varanasi, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Kannauj and Mainpuri, people are predicting ‘kaante ki takkar’ in all other seats. Constituencies like Allahabad and Kanpur, which were considered safe for the BJP are now being , tagged as ‘phassi padi.’ Another senior journalist, Hemant Tiwari, notes, "The primary reason for this confusion is the polling percentage. At the end of the sixth phase, voter turnout is slightly lower than in the 2019 elections, raising questions about the poll outcome. Even the voters are silent." The subdued atmosphere is all-encompassing. There is a perceptible lack of enthusiasm among both the electorate and the political parties. CONTD. ON NATION Even as the Central Railway undertook its biggest mega block, expectedly it’s the com, muters who are bearing the brunt – of extensive delays, overcrowding and frustration. Office-goers and students had to endure protracted journeys on Friday with many trains , running late. The 63-hour mega services block went into effect at 12.30am on Friday to facilitate , the expansion of platform numbers 5 and 6 in Thane. This clampdown on the city’s lifeline has proven to be a major disruptor. Trains coming to Thane from Kasara, Khopoli, Karjat, Kalyan and other places are particularly impacted. Central Railway will also be taking another 36-hour block, FPJ NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI OpenAI -- the company behind ChatGPT – has claimed it had disrupted covert operations that sought to use artificial intelligence models to influence elec- LALIT K JHA & PTI NEW YORK, WASHINGTON tions in India. The revelation has come just four days before results are declared for the Lok Sabha polls and the FPJ was trying to verify the claim. OpenAI claims that a for-hire Israeli firm “began generating comments hour late. Trains were running very slow, creating anxiety among commuters. I faced problems till I reached Thane, but once I changed to the trans-Harbour link, it was travel as usual. The impact was not noticeable till 9am, but afterwards, it was palpable.” CONTD. ON NATION pare an appeal. Doctoring corporate bookkeeping entries under New York law is only a misdemeanor or minor crime, usually involving just a slap on the wrist. It may not entail a prison sentence. Trump will not be held in remand either pending sentencing. He is hardly a flight risk. CONTD. ON NATION that focused on India, criticised the ruling BJP and praised the opposition Congress.” The activity which was focused on Indian polls was flagged in May the re, port mentions, adding that the "network was operated by STO- IC, a political campaign management firm in Israel". The report further claims that a cluster of accounts, operated from Israel, were used to generate and edit content for the covert operations. Politics over water hots up in Delhi GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI ing that the "real verdict" will be rendered on Election Day . The verdict does not bar him from contesting but it is unclear how it will affect the presidential race, although some polls have suggested voters in several key swing states would be less likely to vote for Trump if there is a criminal Trump's defense lawyers have 30 days to pre- that he would walk along. Wearing a grey track After staying incommunicado suit with a matching pullover for 35 days abroad, Hassan MP and sneakers and sporting a Prajwal Revanna, accused in trimmed beard, he insisted several rape and sexual assault on walking in the middle of a cases, returned to Bengaluru security cordon. from Munich, Germany in the , After completing formaliearly hours on Friday . ties, he was handed over to After alighting from the the SIT. Three SIT officers, inflight, he was standing in a cluding a deputy superintenqueue at the immigration dent of police, an inspector counter when officials asked and a sub inspector, took him him to step out. Immediately into custody . his passport and mobile phone Prajwal was made to sit in were impounded. His baggage a police vehicle in the middle was checked and he was not al- with women officers on each lowed to contact his advocate.   side and taken straight to the When Central Industrial Crime Investigation DepartSecurity Force personnel ment (CID) headquarters tried to hold him, Prajwal near Vidhana Soudha around asked them not to do so and 2.10 am. CONTD. ON NATION RAJASHEKARA S / BENGALURU Israeli firm tried to interfere in polls? TRUMP CONVICTED Donald Trump’s luck has run out. He has become the first former US president to be convicted of a crime after a grand jury in New York found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Paying the hush money was not in itself illegal but the prosecution successfully argued that it was designed to influence the outcome of the election.  the verdicts were As read and the foreman repeatedly announced, “Guilty . Guilty ,” Trump remained silent and still. But the former president spoke to reporters outside the courtroom, calling the trial "rigged, disgraceful" and say- also for platform expansion and yard renovation work at CSMT. The block will start at 12.30am on Saturday and will end on Sunday afternoon. A Kalyan resident, who works in CBD Belapur said, “I was aware of the mega block and left home early Despite . that, I reached my office an Hands off, Revanna tells SIT in custody With the extreme heat wave triggering a major water crisis in Delhi and images of people jostling for supplies from tankers going viral, the Aam Aadmi Party government has approached the Centre and the Supreme Court to increase the capital city’s allocation of water. For its part, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday held protests near the AAP office at ITO and smashed earthen pots outside the residence of Delhi water minister Atishi to highlight the state government’s neglect of the issue. In its petition filed before the Supreme Court, the Delhi government has stated that the city’s “need for water has increased in the scorching heat” and that “it is everyone's responsibility to fulfil the needs of the country’s capital”. Delhi has this year recorded the highest temperature since 2012 at 49.2 degrees Celsius. Mungeshpur station in North West Delhi even recorded a high of 52.9 degrees, which is yet to be verified by the authorities. CONTD. ON NATION HEAT STROKE 17 14 05 04 UP Bihar Odisha Jharkhand DEATHS NAGPUR TEMP IS NOT 56 DEGREES I MD Nagpur has clarified that the sensor at Nagpur City Automatic Weather Station is malfunctioning and the temperature reading of 56 degrees Celsius on May 30, 2024, is not correct. "It is important to note that electronic sensors can fail in extreme weather conditions. Automatic systems may report erroneous reading due to various reasons, such as site conditions, damage of sensors or its protection shields, etc,’’ IMD Nagpur said. It added that the reading on May 30 in a nearby functioning AWS was 44.0 degrees Celsius. LAST WORD HC REFUSES BAR OWNERS AN URGENT HEARING URVI MAHAJANI / MUMBAI The Bombay High Court on Friday refused to grant urgent hearing in six petitions filed by different bar and restaurants owners challenging the suspension of their licences by the excise department. The bar and restaurant owners have alleged that the action taken by the excise department — following the accident involving a Porsche car on May 19 in Pune in which two people died — is “high handed”. The excise departments is suspending licences in Mumbai, after the Pune accident, citing minor issues such as certain documents not being produced, advocates Veena Thadani and Vishal Thadani said while mentioning the petitions before a vacation bench of Justices MM Sathaye and Somasekhar Sundereshan and seeking urgent hearing. “Just because something has happened somewhere, we are being targeted and we are being made scapegoats,” Veena Thadani said. CONTD. ON NATION TAILPIECE Kejriwal will return to jail to save country NOTICE TO AIR INDIA GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI Arvind Kejriwal will return to jail to “save the country from dictatorship”, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor said on Friday . Kejriwal also said he has lost weight since his arrest in the Delhi liquor policy case and needs to undergo many tests. The plea for both regular bail and interim bail of seven days for medical tests are due to come up again before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja on Saturday The judge has asked . the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit its response to the pleas then. Kejriwal, who is also the Delhi Chief Minister, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on May 10 so that he could campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. The AAP leader, who has two days to go before he is required to surrender before the Tihar Jail authorities at the end of his interim bail period, spent the time doing exactly that. “The Supreme Court had given me 21 days to campaign for the elections. The day after tomorrow I will go back to Tihar Jail,” Kejriwal said in a video statement on Friday . “I don't know how long these people will keep me in jail this time, but my spirits are high. I am proud that I am going to jail to save the country from dictatorship. They tried to break me in many ways, tried to silence me, but they did not succeed. When I was in jail, they tortured me in many ways,” said Kejriwal, who has often attacked the BJP for keeping him and other AAP leaders behind bars in fake cases. CONTD. ON NATION ON PASSENGER CARE ONLINE REPORT / NEW DELHI T he DGCA issued a show cause notice to Air India on Friday citing vi, olations of aviation regulations, with special mention of passenger care issue during flight delays. Air India has been told to respond within three days or face potential enforcement action. This notice comes hours after Air India passengers of a Delhi-San Francisco flight endured discomfort due to inadequate cooling in the cabin. The AI flight from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport was delayed for over 20 hours. Flight AI 183, originally slated to take off at 3:20 am on Thursday was , rescheduled for Friday afternoon. During the inordinate delay the passengers were al, legedly made to wait without proper air-conditioning, causing several flyers to faint. Visuals from the airport showed many passengers lying in the aerobridge CONTD. ON NATION corridor.