BHUBANESWAR  SATURDAY  NOVEMBER 30, 2024  `9.00  PAGES 14  LATE CITY EDITION WORLD CHESS: GUKESH, DING PLAY OUT DRAB DRAW IN FOURTH GAME Chinese world champ somewhat surpises the Indian teen with an unconventional opening with white but he reacts well to hold on with black SECOND DRAW WITH BLACK FOR INDIAN ■ 2-2 ALL GAMES HAVE BEEN COMBATIVE: ANAND This is now the second draw with black pieces in as many games for D Gukesh, aiming to become the youngest world champion. However, it wasn’t so similar to the second game as both players tried to ask a few questions before drawing by threefold repetition after 40th move. On Saturday, Gukesh will have white pieces. Both are tied on two points ■ V Anand, five-time world champ, told this daily that all games have been combative and ‘interesting’. He made the ceremonial first move The only time the fourth game got rather hot was in the middle game when both players spent considerable time working their lines to ensure they didn’t cede any advantage | P13 MATCH SCORE AFTER FOUR GAMES. FIFTH GAME IS ON SATURDAY 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 GDP growth sinks to 2-year low Economy grows just 5.4% in July-Sept quarter, raising doubts about meeting full-year target of 6.5% M O N I K A YA D A V @ New Delhi PM Narendra Modi waves at people during his reception in Bhubaneswar. Also seen are CM Mohan Majhi, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, state president Manmohan Samal & senior leaders | DEBADATTA MALLICK ‘FAILED’ OPPOSITION IS CONSPIRING AGAINST COUNTRY IN ANGER: PM E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Bhubaneswar WITH the massive victories in Haryana and Maharashtra infusing fresh wind in BJP’s sails, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched an all-out attack on the Opposition political parties accusing them of spreading lies and rumours, and even plotting against the country to grab power by any means. Addressing a grand public reception accorded to him on his arrival on a three-day visit to the state capital, Modi said, the consistent failures over the last 10 years have filled the Opposition with anger. “Those who consider power as their birthright are out of office at the Centre for the last one decade. But after their failures, they are so angry that they are conspiring against the country. They have also started turning their anger on the people of the country he said. ,” The prime minister said, political differences are the essence of democracy . Parties try to reach out to the people with their policies through various means including agitation, which is normal. “I have worked as CM and PM for so many years and have encountered political differences in many forms. But in the recent times there has been a big change. Attempts are now being made to destroy the Constitution and tarnish the image of democracy he alleged. ,” Modi said the Opposition has now be- Odisha will be a developed state by 2036: CM Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said Odisha will be a developed state by 2036 in the 100th year of its formation, which will immensely help in achieving the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’. Majhi said the state government is following PM Narendra Modi’s policy of ‘sabka saath, sabka bikas, sabka biswas and sabka prayas’ | P2 gun to spread lies, and more lies. “When lies of these forces fail to influence the people, they come up with another lie. These people do not also hesitate to lie even to the office-bearers and workers of their own political parties to hide their failures,” he said. Stating that the activities of such persons have continued for the last 50-60 years, the prime minister said they have now intensified their misdirected campaign. “Unke jhut aur afwah ke dukan 50-60 salon se chal rahi he. Ab unhone iss abhijan ko aur tej kar diye hein,” he said and called upon the people of the country to remain alert and expose them. The prime minister said the objective of such parties is to grab power so that the gang that looted the country, by wearing different masks, again gets the CONTINUED ON P7 opportunity . INDIA’s economic growth fell to a seven-quarter low of 5.4% in the second quarter of 202425, dragged by the poor performance of the manufacturing and mining sectors. The sharp fall in the GDP growth, compared with 6.7% in the first quarter, was also driven by the slow pace in government spending and weak private consumption, according to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO). The growth was much below estimates. RBI had predicted the GDP to grow at 7% in Q2. Now, a full-year GDP growth of even 6.5% looks difficult. Manufacturing grew just 2.2% in Q2—a significant fall from 7% in April-June and the 14.3% growth seen in the yearago period. The mining and quarrying sector shrank 0.1% in Q2 of FY25 due to prolonged rainfall, which is in stark contrast to the 7.2% growth in the previous quarter and the 11.1% growth a year ago. Adding to the challenges, the growth rate for electricity gas, water supply , , and other utility services also plummeted, indicating a fall in consumption growth. It dropped from 10.4% last year to merely 3.3% this year. Construction also declined from 13.6% to 7.7%. Private consumption grew at 6% in Q2, down than 7.4% in the first quarter. The consumption slowdown was despite a lower base of 2.6% a year ago. PROMISE UNKEPT? “Shinde is very unhappy as BJP top leadership had promised that if the alliance wins, he will continue as CM till 2029, but now they are reneging. This is not a good sign,” said a Sena leader BUNKUM, SAYS BJP But BJP leader Raosaheb Danve said no promise on post-poll chief ministership was made to Shinde by his party’s leaders STABILITY MATTERS A sulking Shinde would be bad news for the BJP as it could affect the stability of the NDA at the Centre. Shinde’s Shiv Sena is the fourth biggest party in NDA EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE THE Supreme Court on Friday directed the Sambhal trial court in Uttar Pradesh not to take any further action pursuant to its order for a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. It asked the trial court to pause proceedings in the case till the mosque committee’s plea challenging the survey is listed in the Allahabad High Court. A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar also ordered that the report of the commissioner who conducted the survey be kept in a sealed cover. “Peace and harmony must be maintained at any cost,” it said.On November 19, a court of civil judge of Sambhal passed an ex-parte order for a survey of the mosque by an advocate commissioner, after taking note of a plea of the Hindu side that claimed the mosque was built over CONTINUED ON P7 a temple. @ Bhubaneswar UNION Home minister Amit Shah on Friday said the focus of the security establishment should be on the emerging challenges along the eastern border of the country and immigration problem even as tension continues to simmer in Bangladesh. Inaugurating the three-day DGP and IG conference here, Shah asked the top security officials to take the initiative to plan ‘strategy and action’ for implementation of zero tolerance policy towards prevention of crime. He said focus should also be on urban policing trends. The security establishment has a big role in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 and becoming the third largest economy in the world by 2027, he said. The PM will preside over proceedings on the second and third days of the conference on Novem- S U D H I R S U R YA W A N S H I @ Mumbai WHEN caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday , he gave him three tough options on government formation in Maharashtra. One, Shinde himself leading the government; two, his Shiv Sena getting plum portfolios in a BJPled government; and three, offering outside support both in Maharashtra and at the Centre. All three options are loaded with trouble despite Shinde’s public posturing that he will not be an obstacle in government formation in the state. Shah advised the Mahayuti leaders to thrash out an acceptable power-sharing formula in Mumbai on Friday but Shinde played mind games by coolly leaving for his native village Dare in Satara district instead getting into a huddle in the Maximum Sabyasachi Malla, IIC of Patapur police station, receiving an award from Amit Shah ber 30 and December 1. Stating that the three new criminal laws have transformed the ethos of the criminal justice system of the country from punishment-oriented to justice-oriented, he said the spirit of the new laws is rooted in Indian tradition. He congratulated the police leadership for smooth conduct of the 2024 general elections and the seamless rollout of the three new criminal laws. He expressed satisfaction at the significant achievements of the security forces leading to improve- ment in the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Left Wing extremism (LWE) affected states. On the occasion, the Union Home minister conferred police medals for meritorious service to officers of the IB and released the ministry of home affairs’ book on ‘Ranking of Police Stations 2024’. He also awarded three best police stations of the country Sabyasachi . Malla, IIC of Patapur police station of Ganjam received the award for the second best police station from Shah. During the next two days, top security officials will chalk out a roadmap to counter existing and emerging national security challenges, including LWE, coastal security, narcotics, cyber crime and economic security . National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, union ministers of state for home Nityanand Rai and Bandi Sanjay Kumar, union home secretary Govind Mohan also participated in the deliberations. Kharge plainspeak at CWC meet on factionalism P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi UNSPARING in his criticism of his party colleagues, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday asserted that ‘tough decisions’ will have to be taken and ‘accountability fixed’ for the recent electoral debacle of the party in Haryana and Maharashtra. Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in the Capital on Friday, Kharge questioned the dependence on national leaders for campaigning and urged party workers to focus on local issues. Referring to the factionalism within the Haryana unit, he said the lack of unity and statements against own party leaders harmed the party immensely . “Unless we fight elections unitedly and stop making statements against each other, how will we be able to defeat our opponents politically?” he asked. “Our strength lies in the strength of the party .” Kharge urged the party to learn from its mistakes and strengthen the organisation. While chief strategist Rahul Gandhi has come under criticism from several quarters for his immoderate focus on caste census, Kharge pointed out the im- SLOW LANE Real GDP Growth (%) 10 8.2 8 6.2 8.1 8.6 7.8 6.7 6 4.3 4 5.4 Q3FY23 Q4FY23 Q1FY24 Q2FY24 Q3FY24 Q4FY24 Q1FY25 Q2FY25 NOTHING TO WORRY, SAYS CEA Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran said the overall GDP growth projection for FY25 at 6.5% is “not in danger”. He said agriculture and construction are among the ‘bright spots’, adding record production estimates for kharif foodgrains and rabi crop augur well for farm income and rural demand Outside support an option if he isn’t CM, Shinde tells Shah SC pauses trial Eastern border is an emerging security court hearing challenge, need effective measures: HM on Sambhal S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi Gross fixed capital formation, which is expenditure on asset creation, grew at 5.4%, down from 7.5% in the first quarter. According to Chief Economic Advisor Dr V Anantha Nageswaran, there is no cause for alarm though the numbers are disappointing. While briefing the media, he said the global economic landscape is challenging, which is affecting India’s manufacturing sector. Key issues include a slowdown in production and the negative impact of dumping in industries like steel. Although steel consumption has increased, production levels have failed to match this growth, he added. Manufacturing has brought down the overall growth, said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist, Bank of Baroda. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge at CWC meet | SHEKHAR YADAV portance of evolving state specific strategies. “It is important to understand the different issues of the states in detail and prepare a solid campaign strategy around them. “For how long will you fight state elections on the basis of national issues and national leaders?” he asked. Kharge also asserted that the party cannot achieve success by following old methods. “You have to see what your political opponent is doing on a daily basis. We have to take decisions on time. Accountability has to be fixed,” he said. The CWC adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised, against which the par ty would soon launch a movement. City with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and NCP’s Ajit Pawar. If he does not get to be the CM, he said he will not personally join the government. But his party should be given weighty portfolios like home, finance and revenue. And the decision on the deputy chief minister representing the Sena would be his, a senior Sena leader said. Finance was with Ajit Pawar in the outgoing government. And the BJP is reluctant to part with home. If neither of the two options is acceptable, Shinde said the 57 MLAs in his Shiv Sena would not be the part of next government in Maharashtra. It would instead extend outside support to BJP-led government in both the state and the Centre. It would also mean withdrawing Sena’s minister for state at the Centre, Prataprao Jadhav. Shinde’s Sena with seven MPs is the fourth largest party in the ruling NDA. The BJP leadership is wary because outside support carries the risk of instability at the Centre, where the BJP has only 240 MPs, 32 short of a simple majority “The BJP is heavily depend. ent on the TDP (16), JDU (12) and Shinde for stability and longevity of the government. The BJP cannot risk ignoring Shinde,” highly placed sources said. Justifying his claim for chief ministership, Shinde told Shah that the assembly election was fought under his leadership. He took credit for the consolidation of women voters thanks to his Ladki Bahin scheme, adding that the Maratha votes came after he announced reservation for them. “Shinde also shared with Shah a couple of surveys that said he was the preferred choice of the people as chief minister before, during and after polling,” said the source requesting anonymity .