FRIDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2024 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P7 SENSEX 79,043.74q1,190.34 WEATHER Partly cloudy. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 29°C and 21°C respectively. P4 NIFTY 23,914.15q360.75 ` vs $ 84.49 P10 GOLD 78,595.00 P12 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 72.78p0.48 SILVER 98,000 Centre should have consulted states on Waqf Bill: Mamata Hemant Soren sworn in as 14th CM of J’khand, INDIA bloc leaders in attendance STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 28 NOVEMBER Min. 60% NEW DELHI, 28 NOVEMBER JMM executive president Hemant Soren Thursday took oath as the 14th chief minister of Jharkhand. Mr Soren, 49, was administered the oath by Governor Santosh Gangwar at Morabadi Maidan in Ranchi. He was sworn in as chief minister of the mineral-rich state for the fourth time. He had three previous stints as the chief minister of the state - from 2013 to 2014, 2019-2014 and again from 4 July 2024. Mr Soren took charge of the state in a grand swearing-in ceremony where INDIA bloc leaders lined up in a show of strength. From Congress, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi, MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and KC Venugopal were in attendance. Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar and Jharkhand Congress state-in-charge Ghulam Ahmed Mir were also present. Mr Soren's wife and JMM leader Kalpana Soren, who emerged victorious in the Gandey Assembly constituency, defeating BJP candidate Muniya Devi, was seated next to Rahul Gandhi. From LS extends tenure of JPC on Waqf Bill upto last day of Budget Session 2025 TEMPERATURE Max: 29.5˚C SUN RISES 05:58 hrs MOON RISES 04:05 hrs PONTING DELIGHTED WITH STRONG PBKS SQUAD She said the Bill will not only destabilise the Waqf system but also targets a particular religion RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 72% ‘TRUMP FRIEND OF INDIA, DON’T SEE ANY PROBLEM AFTER TAKEOVER’ ‘TN REJECTS PM VISHWAKARMA SCHEME IN ITS CURRENT FORM’ A PYRRHIC VICTORY FOR PAKISTANI STATE C Min: 21.3˚C SUN SETS 16:51 hrs MOON SETS 15:19 hrs New Moon on 1 December THUMBNAILS An aerial view of an empty beach as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issues a warning ahead of 'Cyclone Fengal', in Nagapattinam on Thursday. n ANI SC Collegium recommends elevation of Delhi HC Chief Justice Manmohan as top court judge: The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, on Thursday, unanimously recommended the elevation of Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Justice Manmohan as a judge of the apex court. hief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday criticised the Central government for not initiating any consultation with the states before introducing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, which she said had caused considerable consternation among minorities. Miss Banerjee, speaking in the state Legislative Assembly, said that had the Waqf Bill been passed and made into a law, it would have undermined the federal structure and encroached upon the states’ rights. “Due to the vehement objections from the MPs of all Opposition parties, particularly the Trinamul Congress, the move was stonewalled and the Bill sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for its consideration.” Miss Banerjee said the Bill will not only destabilise the Waqf system in the country but also targets a particular religion. “This Bill is against one particular STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 NOVEMBER religion. This Bill is against the basic spirit of equality and the right to practice any religion. That is exactly why we are opposing the said Bill,” she said. Miss Banerjee said that as a rule it is incumbent on the Centre to consult the states before introducing any Bill, but it never does that. “Instead they only published a notification in newspapers. From there the move came to our notice and then the MPs gathered information on this, orchestrated protests and forced the Centre into sending the Bill to a JPC for further scrutiny,” Miss Banerjee said. The chief minister tabled a report listing the grey areas in the Centre’s Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in the House today. She said a letter detailing the state’s reservations on the lacunae in the Bill has been sent to the Centre. Miss Banerjee added: “Before we came to power, there were allegations galore that many such Waqf properties had been illegally acquired. But between 2001 and 2024 hardly any allegation of any further destruction or acquisition of such properties came to our notice.” PM Modi discusses violence against minorities in B’desh with Jaishankar Rajya Sabha and includes 13 Opposition members (nine from the Lower House and four from the Upper House). The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 aims to bring in significant reforms, including digitisation of records, stricter audits, increased transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied Waqf properties. The Bill has been deferred due to heated debates and disruptions within the JPC - between ruling BJP members and the Opposition leaders. the AAP, its national convener Arvind Kejriwal, his wife Sunita Kejriwal, party MP Raghav Chadha and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann were present on the occasion. Tamil Nadu Deputy CM and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin also attended the oath ceremony. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and former deputy CM of Bihar & RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Independent MP Pappu Yadav were among those who attended the event. This is the first time in Jharkhand that an incumbent government, which has completed five years in office, has returned to power. Ahead of the oath ceremony, Hemant Soren greeted people present at the venue in Ranchi. ‘India continues to have challenging ties with Canada’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a resolution extending the tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, until the last day of the Budget Session of 2025. JPC chairman BJP MP Jagdambika Pal (photo) moved the motion in the House which it approved by a voice vote. Moving the motion in the Lok Sabha, the JPC chairman said: “I would like to move that this House do extend the time for the presentation of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, up to the last day of the Budget Session, 2025.” The JPC comprises 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Mr Singh said the welfare and security of Indian nationals, who are living, working and studying in Canada remains of utmost importance to the Government of India. Sheikh Hasina calls for release of Chinmoy Das NEW DELHI, 28 NOVEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to have on Thursday discussed with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar the increasing attacks on the minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh. The recent arrest of ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das and the subsequent protests against the denial of bail to him are also learnt to have figured in the meeting. The meeting came a day before Mr Jaishankar makes a statement in Parliament on Bangladesh. MEA MOS Kirti Vardhan Singh told Parliament that New Delhi has called upon the Bangladesh government to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all minorities and their places of worship. Protests intensified in Bangladesh again after police arrestedMrDason25November from Dhaka airport. He faces sedition charges for allegedly disrespecting Bangladesh’s AGENCIES DHAKA, 28 NOVEMBER STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 NOVEMBER The meeting came a day before Mr Jaishankar makes a statement in Parliament on Bangladesh. national flag during a rally in October. On Tuesday, a day after his arrest, he was produced before a court in Chittagong which denied him bail. India has expressed concern over Mr Das’s arrest and the denial of bail to him. It also condemned attacks on Hindus and other minorities. However, Dhaka has strongly objected to New Delhi's statement, calling it an internal matter of Bangladesh. Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on Thursday condemned the ‘unjust’ arrest of former ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das in her country, and demanded his ‘immediate release’. Hasina also expressed concerns over the attacks against minorities and their places of worship and called for ensuring safety of religious freedom of all communities. She further accused the current interim government led by Muhammad Yunus of 'harassing' the leaders of her party, the Awami League. Chinmoy Das was apprehended in connection with a sedition case. India has had, and continues to have a challenging relationship with Canada primarily because of the political space provided by Ottawa to extremist elements who advocate an anti-India agenda and have been misusing Canadian freedoms for carrying out violent activities that threaten this country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply, Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh said India has repeatedly urged the Canadian Government to take prompt and effective action against anti-India elements operating from its soil. With Priyanka joining LS, 3 Gandhis now in Parliament STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Parl adjourned amid Opp protests over Adani case NEW DELHI, 28 NOVEMBER Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday took the oath of office as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, marking a historic moment for the Gandhi family. With her taking oath as an MP, all three prominent Gandhis ~ Priyanka, Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi ~ are now Members of Parliament, a first in Indian political history. Ms Vadra took the affirmation holding up a red and black copy of the Constitution. Dressed in a cream Kasavu saree from Kerala, Ms Vadra rose to take oath amid cheers of 'Jodo Jodo, Bharat Jodo' from the Congress benches. She took the oath of office with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, her mother and Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chief Sonia Gand- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 28 NOVEMBER hi, husband Robert Vadra, son Raihan and daughter Miraya watching from the galleries. After taking oath, Priyanka Vadra completed the formalities and then shared a warm hug with her brother and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. She also took the blessings of the Congress president after taking oath. While Rahul Gandhi represents Rae Bareli in the Lok Sabha, Sonia Gandhi serves as an MP in the Rajya Sabha. Ms Vadra secured her Lok Sabha seat from Wayanad in a recently concluded bypoll, succeeding her brother Rahul Gandhi, who vacated the constituency for Rae Bareli. Ms Vadra’s maiden electoral victory was a resounding one, as she defeated CPI candidate Sathyan Mokeri by a massive margin of 4,10,931 votes. BJP's Navya Haridas was a distant third. No significant business was conducted in Parliament on the third day of the Winter Session on Thursday as both Houses were adjourned amid the ruckus over the Opposition's demand for discussions on various issues. The Lok Sabha was adjourned after Priyanka Gandhi and Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan took oath as members of the lower house when Opposition members trooped into the Well of the House raising slogans, demanding a discussion on the Adani issue and the Sambhal violence. SU DAY UNDAY JANUARY 9, JA UARY 19, 2025 KOLKATA KO ATA