TUESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘HEMANT BABU, COUNTDOWN FOR YOUR EXIT HAS BEGUN’ BUDGET WORTH `2.94 LAKH CR PRESENTED IN AP ASSEMBLY P8 SENSEX 79,496.15 SMOG/MIST/SHALLOW TO MODERATE FOG AT A FEW PLACES LIKELY IN THE MORNING. SMOG/MIST LIKELY IN THE EVENING/NIGHT. MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 33 AND 17 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 96 % TEMPERATURE ` vs $ 84.40 GOLD 79,315.00 THUMBNAILS Devotees celebrate the Chunari Manorath festival at Yamuna River in Mathura on Monday. n ANI 11 militants killed in encounter with CRPF in Manipur's Jiribam: Eleven suspected militants were killed in an encounter with the Central Reserve Police Force in Jiribam area of Manipur on Monday, sources said. According to the sources, a CRPF personnel is also critically injured in the encounter. Violence erupted in the northeastern state on May 3 last year following clashes during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category. Earlier, Manipur Director General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Singh asserted that they want peace and normalcy to return to the state, adding that these are very challenging times and they have been trying to tackle it with the best possible strength. A head of the first phase of polling for Jharkhand Assembly polls which will be held on November 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday came down heavily on the Opposition Congress over the issue of reservations, alleging that the grand old party has decided to break the SC-STOBC society and has suppressed voices advocating for the rights of marginalised communities for years. Modi further said the BJP’s booth-level workers' hard work has given sleepless nights to the Opposition parties--JMM, Congress, and RJD in Jharkhand. "We have to free Jharkhand from their corruption, mafiaism and misgovernance," the Prime Minister asserted during an online interactive session of 'Mera Booth Sabse Majboot' initiative with BJP’s booth-level workers in Jharkhand. "Today, there is Congress government in only three states in the entire country and wherever Dalits, tribals and OBCs are most numerous and united, there are NDA governments. Due to this, the royal family of Congress is angry, so they have decided to break the SC-ST-OBC society. That is why I am constantly saying that if we remain united, we will be safe," the Prime Minister said. Modi alleged that during the Congress era, when it held power from Panchayat to Parliament, no one dared to raise the issue of reservations. PARMOD KUMAR NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER Arjun Ram Meghwal, other members of the Union Cabinet and other dignitaries. Born on May 14, 1960, Justice Sanjiv Khanna enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi in 1983. Initially he practiced in the District Court at Tis Hazari complex in the national capital. Later he moved on to Delhi High Court and also practiced at different tribunals. Justice Khanna’s field of Campaign ends for Jharkhand Assembly’s first phase polls STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER The high-octane campaigning for the first phase of Jharkhand Assembly elections came to an end on Monday evening. The leaders of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-led alliance and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) left no stone unturned to woo the voters during their campaign. Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president JP Nadda, key leaders from the saffron party who campaigned extensively in the state, included Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while for the Congress its national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were in the forefront. BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 72.45 ‘India-Russia partnership will serve the world well’ PM says Jharkhand is a state with immense potential that has been stifled by the parties in power “For years, Congress suppressed voices advocating for the rights of marginalised communities. From the time of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi, members of the so-called 'royal family' of Congress were staunchly against reservations,” the Prime Minister said. “It was only when people began to understand the vision of Babasaheb Ambedkar, and when SC, ST, and OBC communities came together, that Congress started losing its dominance. Since then, they haven’t managed to form a full majority government at the Centre. They are ruling only a few states,” PM Modi added. He further alleged that the Congress is now attempting to break the unity of these communities. “Today, Congress is limited to a few states, and its leadership is frustrated. Their agenda has become focused on dividing the collective power of SCs, STs, and OBCs,” he said. Modi cited an old advertisement by the Congress that he said reflected the grand old party’s anti-reservation attitude. Referring to the advertisement, PM Modi remarked, "Today, I came to know about an old Congress advertisement that was shared on social media. I was shocked by the content they used to publish during the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi. This particular advertisement depicted SCs, STs, and OBCs in a negative light, indicating that giving reservations Justice Sanjiv Khanna sworn in as Chief Justice of India Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Monday was sworn in as Chief Justice of India. He was administered the oath of office by President Droupadi Murmu in the Ganatantra Mandap, Rashtrapati Bhavan. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna is the 51st Chief Justice of India. He will have a tenure of six months and three days. He will demit office on May 13, 2025. Chief Justice Khanna has succeeded Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, who retired on November 10. Chief Justice Khanna was elevated as judge of the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019. The swearing-in-ceremony was attended amongst others by the Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister P12 SILVER 93,000 PM: Will free Jharkhand from corruption, misgovernance NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER Min: 17.2 °C (+3) SUN SETS 17:29 hrs MOON SETS 03:34 hrs VARUN SHINES WITH MAIDEN 5-WICKET HAUL P9 NIKHIL VYAS Min. 56 % Max: 32.4 °C (+3) SUN RISES 06:42 hrs MOON RISES 15:00 hrs P5 NIFTY 24,141.30 WEATHER JAPAN’S PARLIAMENT RE-ELECTS STRUGGLING LEADER ISHIBA AS PM Shah, who is also former chief of the BJP, addressed three rallies in different parts of Jharkhand on the last day of campaigning, and exuded confidence that the saffron party would form the government. He accused the JMM-Congress led government in the state of indulging in corruption. “The alliance of JMM and Congress which has made Jharkhand a bastion of corruption is about to be wiped out from the state. NDA will form the government in Jharkhand,” Shah said. He said the BJP is committed to the protection and promotion of tribal culture. Jharkhand is seeing a direct contest between the ruling JMM-Congress led alliance and the BJP-led NDA in the Assembly polls. specialization covered constitutional law, direct taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law and the taxation, arbitration, commercial law, company law, land law, environmental law and medical negligence. He had a long tenure as the Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department. In 2004, he was appointed as the Standing Counsel (Civil) for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. He had also appeared and argued in a number of criminal cases at the Delhi High Court as an Additional Public Prosecutor and as an amicus curiae. Elevated as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and he was made a permanent judge in 2006. As a judge of the Delhi High Court, he was Chairman/Judgein-charge of the Delhi Judicial Academy, Delhi International Arbitration Centre, and the District Court Mediation Centre. As a Supreme Court judge, he was Chairman of the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee, from June 17, 2023, till December 25, 2023. He is presently the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority and a member of the Governing Council of the National Judicial Academy, Bhopal. Now as CJI, Justice Khanna will be the patron-in-Chief of NALSA. Justice Khanna was part of the bench that took suo motu cognizance of media reports on the allegations of sexual harassment against then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi in April 2019. In 2019, he authored the lead judgment for the Constitution bench, ruling that the Right to Information (RTI) Act extends to the office of the Chief Justice of India. to these communities would harm the country’s progress." Addressing the BJP’s boothlevel workers in the state, the Prime Minister said, "No matter what the election is, no matter who the candidate is, we know very well that elections are actually fought by lakhs of workers like you. Our party is based on organization, hence our way of fighting elections is based on organization and workers." The Prime Minister also hit out at the Congress over the promises made by the grand old party and dismissed them as hollow. “You must have heard Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge himself admitting that their party has made false guarantees. He openly says that they make promises just to win elections. These family-driven parties are not only corrupt but are the biggest obstacles for talented youth who aspire to serve the country. The practice of dynastic politics of the JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) is just a copy of Congress' tactics. Their focus remains on clinging to power and filling their coffers, showing no concern for citizens,” he alleged. PM Modi also emphasised that Jharkhand is a state with immense potential that has been stifled by the parties in power. “The ruling parties here have destroyed the prospects of the state with their corruption, mafia links, and misgovernance. It is up to the BJP workers to free Jharkhand from these chains and work towards its development,” he said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said a partnership between an India that has an 8 per cent growth rate for multiple decades ahead, and a Russia that is a key natural resources provider and a major technology leader, will serve both of the countries and the world well. ''A growing Russian appreciation of Make In India as a program to deepen business will certainly help to take forward our cooperation in many domains,'' he said at the India-Russia Business Forum in Mumbai. The session was also attended by Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, who is here for the 25th session of the IndiaRussia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation to be held in New Delhi on Tuesday. Noting that the business ‘No religion encourages any activity creating pollution’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER Stating that the right to live in a pollution free atmosphere is a fundamental right of every citizen under Article 21 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court on Monday said that no religion encourages any activity which creates pollution. Questioning the authorities for their failure to implement the ban on firecrackers in Delhi during Diwali, a bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih further said that if firecrackers are burnt in this fashion, it also affects the fundamental right to health of the citizens. “The right to live in a pollution-free atmosphere is a fundamental right of every citizen which is protected by Article 21 of the Constitution of India. Prima facie we are of the view that no religion encourages any activity that creates pollution or compromises with health of people. If firecrackers are burnt in this fashion, it also affects the fundamental right to health of the citizens," said the bench, taking a dim view of the authorities not enforcing the ban on bursting of firecrackers. The bench also expressed dissatisfaction over the manner in which the ban on firecrackers by the Delhi government on October 14 was not taken "seriously" by the Delhi Police. The Delhi Police ought to have informed all licence holders to forthwith stop the sale of firecrackers, the bench said. The bench directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to immediately take action to inform all concerned people about the order of the top court on the ban of firecrackers and ensure that no license holder sells or manufactures firecrackers. “Delhi Police must immediately inform those entities that sell firecrackers online marketing platforms to stop sale and delivery of firecrackers within the limits of National Capital Territory of Delhi,” the court ordered. Gambhir plays down NZ debacle, looks forward to Oz tour TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER Under fire after a 3-0 series whitewash at home against New Zealand, the Indian cricket team will look to turn things around and retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for a third consecutive time during their upcoming tour of Australia for a challenging five-Test tour, starting with the first Test at Perth from November 22. The series also holds significance as a World Test Championships final berth is at stake after Rohit Sharma’s men slipped to second spot following the drubbing against the BlackCaps. For a team that has been near-invincible at home, this loss was significant—it marked their first Test series defeat on home soil since 2012 and the first 3-0 whitewash at home this century, as the Indians struggled to cope with New Zealand’s spin attack. Despite the heavy backlash following the series loss, head coach Gautam Gambhir showed no signs of concern, shrugging off all the uproar at the pre-departure presser on Monday. “What difference does it make, the social media talk? What difference does it make in my life or for that matter, in anyone else’s life?” Gambhir said. “When I took up this job, I knew it was going to be a highly difficult job and highly prestigious job. Honestly, I don't feel the heat because there are some incredibly tough people in that dressing room who have achieved some great things for the country and will continue to do so. “It's an absolute honour to be coaching them and coaching India,” he added. Gambhir was candid enough to acknowledge that New Zealand were the superior side and outplayed the hosts in all departments in the recent series, but the former India opener is eager to put behind the setback while emphasising on the lessons learnt, and shift the team's focus to the upcoming challenge against Australia. “The learning is that we accept that we were outplayed. I am not going to sit here and defend. I think we were outplayed in all three departments, they were more pro- fessional and we accept that,” he said. “The criticism that we are receiving, we take it with both hands and we keep moving forward, we keep getting better every day. My relationship with Rohit (Sharma) has been incredible. Before the New Zealand series, we had an incredible Test in Kanpur (against Bangladesh).” “I know we haven’t played our best cricket but that doesn't change anything. Australia is a new series, Australia is a new opponent and we go out there thinking we can definitely win the series,” the two-time World Cup winner said. “We have no concerns about Virat and Rohit. I think they're incredibly tough men, they've achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in the future as well,” he said. meet is being held barely three months after the Annual Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and their interaction on the margins of the BRICS Summit last month in Kazan, Mr Jaishankar said those occasions have provided a strategic direction, whose economic dimension the two nations seek to realise. The Indian minister observed that the world is moving towards greater multi-polarity and devising appropriate methods of cooperation is essential for both India and Russia too. ''Moreover, Russia has consciously focused more deeply on Asia since 2022. This has created many more avenues of cooperation. That we have a long history of strong convergence and deep friendship allows us to make the best of both factors. That the two economies are so complementary is also a key consideration,'' he added. BJP complains to EC over Rahul’s comment on Constitution STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 11 NOVEMBER Ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, the BJP on Monday filed a complaint with Election Commission of India (ECI) against Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the Constitution during the poll campaigning in the state. The BJP's delegation was led by Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal. Talking to reporters after meeting the EC officials, he said, "A delegation of the BJP met the Chief Election Commissioner today. We told him that on 6th November, LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi tried to lie once again for Maharashtra Election, he attempted to pit states against each other, he waved the Constitution and lied again that the BJP is about to destroy the Constitution." "This is false. We said that this should be stopped. We also told the Commission that Rahul Gandhi is habitual in doing this and is not deterring from this despite warnings and notices.We said that an FIR be lodged against Rahul Gandhi under sec 353 of BNS," he said. The party MP Arun Singh said the Congress is disappointed because they are seeing their defeat in Jharkhand and Maharashtra Assembly elections. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP is going to win the elections. Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi is frustrated with this so he is doing unnecessary drama that the Constitution of India is in danger. He is trying to raise conflicts between Maharashtra and Gujarat."