BENGALURU  FRIDAY  AUGUST 09, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 42  LATE CITY EDITION BUDDHADEB BHATTACHARYA DEPARTS AT 80, WAS BENGAL CM FOR 11 YEARS The Communist stalwart passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 80 in Kolkata. He was suffering from age-related ailments 1 MARCH 1944 - 8 AUGUST 2024 A COMMUNIST WHO BACKED BIG INDUSTRIES REMEMBERED FOR HIS PRAGMATIC APPROACH Bhattacharya, a leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was known for his efforts to bring industrialisation to the state to create jobs. He invited big companies to come to West Bengal and set up factories there. However, protests broke out over land acquisition. Police firing on protesters in Nandigram in 2007 eroded the Left Front’s support and it lost power in 2011 ■ ■ He was the chief minister of West Bengal for 11 years from 2000. Though his party’s prospects have declined in the state, Bhattacharya remained a revered figure, remembered for his ‘pragmatic approach’ Condoling the death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “He was a political stalwart who served the state with commitment” | P9 1977 WHEN HE WAS FIRST ELECTED AS MEMBER OF WEST BENGAL LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 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 44 amendments proposed in the legislation introduced in LS; INDIA bloc questions inclusion of non-Muslims in boards SILVER MOMENT WAQF BILL GOES TO JPC AFTER OPPN LABELS IT AS DRACONIAN P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi FACING stiff opposition from the united INDIA bloc, the government referred the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill to a joint parliamentary panel (JPC) for scrutiny after it was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday . The House witnessed a twohour long heated debate with minority affairs minister Kiran Rijiju asserting that the proposed legislation is in tune with the recommendations of the Sachar Committee and the JPC instituted by the previous Cong ress gover nments, while the Opposition dubbed it as anti-Muslim, anti-Constitution and malicious. From giving the Centre the power to frame rules to providing representation for women to the inclusion of two non-Muslim members in Waqf boards and a separate Board of Auqaf for Boharas and Aghakhanis, the government proposed 44 amendments to the Waqf Act 1995. Rijiju said the Waqf Act of 1995 did not serve its purpose and the amendments were necessitated as the Congress could not achieve the reform it should have. He added that the government has done extensive consultations with various stakeholders over the last 10 years to bring in the changes. “With this bill, there is no in- terference in the freedom of any religious body ....It has been brought to give rights to those who never got them.” Leading the Opposition offensive, Congress MP K C Venugopal accused the government of violating the right to freedom of religion and argued that the legislation was brought with an eye on the upcoming assembly polls in Maharashtra and Haryana. He said the gover nment wants to induct non-Muslims in the governing body of state Waqf boards and the Central Waqf Council through the amendments. “When the committee to build the Ram temple was constituted, were non-Hindus part of it?” he said. Accusing the government of attempting to appease BJP’s hardcore supporters, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “What is the point of including non-Muslims in Waqf boards when this is not done in other religious bodies?” Rijiju said in the earlier law, there was no provision to challenge or review the order or judgment of the tribunal. Now, a provision has been made for verdicts to be challenged in higher courts. He claimed that many leaders in the Opposition had privately told him that state Waqf boards had turned into a mafia. “I won’t take their names and destroy their careers,” Rijiju said. NDA ALLIES ON THE SAME PAGE NDA allies JD(U), TDP, Shiv Sena and LJP backed the bill saying it was aimed at bringing transparency. JD (U)’s Lalan Singh said, “How is the bill antiMuslim?” Chirag too was on the same page. However, YSRCP MPs opposed it ENEMIES OF MUSLIMS: OWAISI Fiercely opposing the bill, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said it violates Articles 14, 15, and 25 of the Constitution. “You are enemies of Muslims and this bill is evidence of that,” he charged Some people have captured Waqf boards and this Bill has been brought to give justice to ordinary Muslims It’s draconian. Next you will go for Christians, then Jains, then Parsis...we are Hindu but we respect other religions Kiren Rijiju, BJP K C Venugopal, Cong BILL ON EVICTION WITHDRAWN The govt withdrew the Waqf Properties (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Bill 2014 from the Rajya Sabha. It was introduced by Rahman Khan that year and referred to a Standing Committee for vetting Under the current monetary policy setting, inflation and growth are evolving in a balanced manner and overall macroeconomic conditions are stable. Growth remains resilient Shaktikanta Das, Governor, Reserve Bank of India A schoolgirl collects tomatoes dumped by farmers in Lakshmeshwar on Thursday Gadag farmers dump tomatoes on roads as prices crash R A G H O T TA M K O P PA R @ Gadag IRATE farmers dumped tomatoes on roads leading to the wholesale market at Lakshmeshwar in Gadag district on Thursday, after traders informed them that prices had crashed to Rs 2 a kg. Many farmers from Lakshmeshwar, Shirahatti and nearby villages brought tomatoes to the market in the morning, hoping for remunerative prices. But they were shocked when traders told them that the prices for a crate of tomatoes hovered between Rs 20 and Rs 30. A crate holds 25 kg of tomatoes. Enraged, the farmers dumped their produce on the road and returned home. Tomatoes were sold for Rs 30 a kg last week and prices started crashing because of rain. Fearing that they would lose their crop if the rain continues, many started bringing tomatoes to the wholesale market from Wednesday . According to sources, the traders at the wholesale market refused to buy tomatoes because of their poor quality ow, ing to incessant rain across Gadag district. Even at the wholesale markets in Gadag and other towns, prices of tomatoes have crashed to Rs 3-5 a kg. Farmers have stopped bringing their produce to the Gadag market as the money they get would not even help them meet their transport cost. RBI holds rates for ninth time in a row B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai REITERATING the resolve to tame inflation and bring it down to the desired target for a sustainable, durable period, the six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), chaired by Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das voted to leave the key policy rates unchanged at 6.5% and decided to continue to suck out excess liquidity from the system for the ninth consecutive time. The announcement did not spook the stock markets as nobody was expecting a rate cut. However, the hawkish undertone did make the market nervous. This had the indices falling by three-fourths of a percentage points. The decisions were taken after a 4:2 vote at the 50th meeting of the rate setting panel — Monetary Policy Committee — since its inception in September 2016. Das said that the flexible inflation targeting framework will soon complete eight years and is up for review next month. Like in the past two reviews, the two external members Ashima Goyal and Jayanth R Varma voted to reduce the policy repo rate by 25 bps and also for changing the stance from withdrawal of accommodation to neutral. The MPC has also decided to remain focused on withdrawal of accommodation to ensure that “inflation progressively aligns to the target, while supP13 porting growth. India’s Neeraj Chopra won silver in men’s javelin with a throw of 89.45m on Thursday. Chopra became the third Indian to win two individual Olympic medals. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem won gold (92.97m) | PTI THIS ONE MEANS MORE I T was emotional, it was epochal. But above everything, it was cathartic. The pall of gloom that descended over India finally cleared on Thursday for some cheer. If it was wrestling that broke Indian hearts, it was hockey that lifted it. The azure astro turf gave India a fourth medal at the Paris Olympic Games, a week after Swapnil Indian players take a lap of honour after beating Spain 2-1 to win bronze | PTI Kusale had won the third. After everything that had happened rose together one last time. As This was where Paavo Nurmi, over the past couple of days, he did three years ago against the legendary Flying Finn, won that bronze was worth its Germany in Tokyo to help the four gold. The stadium was weight in gold. team win their first Olympic named after Yves du Manoir, a That last-minute goal at the medal after 41 years, Sreejesh promising rugby player, who end of the second quarter again made the biggest saves of died in a plane crash at the age spurred the team on. They his life in dying seconds as Inof 23, and was refurbished and wanted to win for P R dia win the bronze rebuilt for hockey It does have . Sreejesh, the trusted medal. an emotional connection. custodian of India’s The Yves du Manoir On Thursday it added a new , fortunes and one of the TNIE @ OLYMPICS Stadium is part of Parfable to its annals. The story of greatest goalkeepers of is’s suburbian folklore. India’s second bronze in succeshis generation, who It is part of sporting hissive Olympics. For the ordinary was playing his final tory too. This is the only French people, it may have game. They celebrated stadium that hosted looked like just another medal. and will continue to do events in the 1924 Paris But for all those back home in so until late at night. Olympics, including India, this medal means more INDRANEEL DAS Soaking in the summer athletics, the opening than just a bronze. PARIS MORE ON P17 Parisian sun, the XI and closing ceremonies. EXPRESS READ MP CM: Got investment proposals of D3,200 cr BENGALURU: Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, who was camping with his delegation in Bengaluru to attract investment to his state, said that investment proposals of around Rs 3,200 crore was received during his two-day visit to the city. Yadav interacted with investors and industry leaders as part of the ‘Interactive Session on Investment in Madhya Pradesh’. He said that the investments are likely to generate over 7,000 employment opportunities. P7 WITH THIS ISSUE CITY’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 42 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Aman loses in semifinal, to fight for bronze today Indian grappler Aman Sehrawat lost to Japanese top-seed Rei Higuchi in the 57kg freestyle semifinal bout as the country’s hopes of winning a gold from wrestling suffered a big blow at the Olympics here on Thursday. The 21-year-old Aman will now play for the bronze medal. Aman was no match for Higuchi — the 2016 Rio silver medallist After heartbreak, Vinesh announces retirement Having been disqualified ahead of the 50kg final at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, wrestler Vinesh Phogat announced on social media that she is bidding adieu to the sport New rules to fill posts of principal rile lecturers of govt degree colleges A S H W I N I M S R I PA D @ Bengaluru MANY government degree colleges in the state are without full-term principals and the Department of Collegiate Education has initiated action to fill the vacant posts through a written test. This move has become a cause for concer n among lecturers of government colleges. They are against the move as it will allow lecturers of private institutions to become principals of their colleges. In Karnataka, there are 430 government degree colleges that offer BA, BCom, BSc and other courses. Until 2009, principals were appointed based on promotions and senior-most lecturers would become principals. Those promoted as principals during this period retired by 2013. The gover nment stopped promoting senior lecturers as principals in its colleges after 2013. In 2018, a notification was issued by the Department of Collegiate Education, framing new recruitment rules to fill vacant posts of principal in 310 colleges. As per the new rules, vacant posts of principal in government colleges should be filled through an entrance examination. This was opposed by lecturers of government degree colleges, who stated that it would deprive them of their right to become principals based on seniority . The government, however, did not fill the vacant posts and instead allowed colleges to f u n c t i o n w i t h i n - ch a r g e principals. During the monsoon session, Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar told the Assembly that the government issued an order for direct recruitment of principals in 2018 and permission was given for the same in 2019. In 2020, the government decided to ask the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) to conduct the entrance test to fill vacant posts of principal in its degree colleges. However, only in 2022, the government permitted KEA to conduct P7 the test. Yunus takes oath, leads 16-member team to bring nation back on track Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi Muhammad Yunus (centre) addresses the media in Dhaka on Thursday | PTI NOBEL laureate Muhammad Yunus on Thursday took oath as the head of the interim government in Bangladesh. The 84-year-old economist-turnedpolitician was administered the oath of office by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at a ceremony at the presidential palace ‘Bangabhaban’ in Dhaka in the evening. Yunus will lead a 16-member cabinet, whose members are titled advisers, not ministers. The ceremony was attended by political leaders, civil society leaders, generals and diplomats, including the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pranay Verma. According to reports from Dhaka, there is now hope that the law and order situation will improve. “I personally know most of the advisors and expect them to restore law and order, check corruption, take steps to ensure that life returns to normalcy and the economy is back , on track,” Nazmul Ahsan Ka- limullah, a political commentator from Bangladesh, told this newspaper over phone. Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on ENSURE SAFETY OF MINORITIES: MODI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended best wishes to Muhammad Yunus as he took oath as the head of an interim government in Bangladesh, hoping for early return of normalcy and ensuring safety of Hindus and other minorities there Thursday that he received a phone call from his British counterpart David Lammy to discuss the unfolding situation in Bangladesh. According to sources in Delhi, the Indian government has urged Air India and IndiGo to continue to operate their flight services to and from Bangladesh without disruption so that Indian citizens can come back. The Indian mission in Dhaka has facilitated movement of Indian nationals including project personnel P9,12 across land borders.