FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 278 | INDORE | MONDAY | MARCH 17, 2025 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY World Bill names mental illness after Trump P.9 Quick commerce leads to 52% fall in sales of retailers UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Desperate outburst P.6 Brand Sutra Nature’s Baby P.12 In an extensive three-hour interaction with podcaster Lex Fridman, who fasted for 45 hours to prepare for his interview, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reveals many facets of his soul MODI’S ASLI MANN KI BAAT “There is a bond of trust with Trump” Agencies NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday he shares a bond of mutual trust with US President Donald Trump and they connect well because they believe in putting their respective national interests above everything else. In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi hailed Trump as a man of courage, who took his own decisions, was unwaveringly dedicated to the United States and the same spirit was on display when he was shot at by a gunman on the election campaign trail last year. The prime minister said President Trump appeared far more prepared than before in his second term. "He has a clear roadmap in his mind with well-defined steps, each one designed to lead him toward his goals," Modi said. "We had an event in Houston, Howdy Modi. Both President Trump and I were there and the entire stadium was completely packed. A massive crowd at an event in the US is a huge moment. While packed stadiums are common in sports, this was extraordinary for a political rally...Both of us delivered speeches and he sat down Yadav slams K’taka govt for religion-based reservation Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has criticised Karnataka government for introducing religion-based reservation for contractors in government projects. Calling it an act of appeasement politics, Yadav urged AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge to ensure withdrawal of the decision taken by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Lashing out at the Congress, Yadav accused the party of having an “unethical habit” of passing cabinet provisions that favour specific religious groups. He said that the BJP-led Union government is dedicated to the welfare of Dalits, backward classes and underprivileged, ensuring their rightful place in society. The CM said that instead of upholding constitutional values, Congress continues to foster division and castebased politics. 4Continued on | P8 below listening to me speak. Now, that's his humility. The President of the United States sitting in the audience while I spoke from the stage, that was a remarkable gesture on his part," he said. "After finishing my speech, I stepped down and as we all know, security in the US is extremely strict and thorough. The level of scrutiny there is on a completely different level. I went over to thank him and casually said, "If you don't In American life, it's almost impossible for the President to walk into a crowd of thousands, but without even a moment's hesitation, he agreed and started walking with me. mind, why don't we take a lap around the stadium? There are so many people here. Let's walk, wave and greet them." 4Continued on | P8 “People of Pakistan long for peace” Agencies NEW DELHI “False narrative over 2002 Godhra riots” Agencies NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly countered allegations surrounding the 2002 postGodhra riots in Gujarat, stating that a deliberate effort was made to create a false narrative against him. Despite attempts by his political opponents to see him punished, courts examined the case in depth and exonerated him, he said. In an in-depth conversation on a podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi asserted that misinformation was systematically spread to portray the 2002 riots as the most significant communal violence in Gujarat’s history. "If you review the data from before 2002, you will see that Gujarat faced frequent riots. Curfews were constantly being imposed somewhere. Communal violence would erupt Blaze in Gwalior hosp; 120 patients rescued Fire due to old electric wiring at 65-yr-old building over trivial issues such as kite flying contests or even bicycle collisions," Modi said. The prime minister emphasised that Gujarat had witnessed large-scale riots long before his tenure, citing the 1969 riots that lasted over six months—at a time when he had no political role. He noted that the Godhra train burning incident, which triggered the 2002 riots, took place just three days after he was elected as an MLA. "It was a tragedy of unimaginable magnitude, people were burned alive. You can imagine, against the backdrop of incidents like the Kandahar hijacking, the attack on Parliament, or even 9/11, and then to have so many people killed and burned alive, you can imagine how tense and volatile the situation was," Modi said. 4Continued on | P8 Lashkar chief’s right hand man eliminated PTI NEW DELHI Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Over 120 patients including 16 from Intensive Care Unit were rescued and shifted to another hospital after a blast occurred in an air conditioner at the gynecology department of Kamla Raja Hospital in Gwalior at 1 am on Sunday. Fire erupted following the blast at the 65year-old hospital, which is attached to Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior. No human loss was reported. The hospital guards of the hospital immediately evacuated the patients admitted in the ICU by breaking the windows and shifted them to a super speciality hospital. Dr RKS Dhakad, dean of Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior, said, “120 patients have been rescued. They include 56 women. Of them, 16 were in ICU. Due to smoke, other patients were also shifted to other wards.” Gwalior district collector Ruchika Chouhan said a committee headed by SDM had been formed for investigation. “Actually, building is very old and so is the electric wiring. This causes frequent fire in Kamla Raja Hospital. Last time when the fire broke out, I had sent the fire audit report to Bhopal. It is still pending there,” she added. 4Continued on | P8 Fire in MP hospitals n November 2021: In Kamla Nehru Hospital. Led to three neonatal deaths. n August 2022: Fire at New Life multi speciality hospital, Jabalpur caused eight deaths. n September 2023: SNCU in Kamla Raja Hospital; 68 kids were shifted. A top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, a high priority target for Indian security agencies for several deadly terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, was eliminated by gunmen in an attack in Pakistan, the Press Trust of India reported quoting unnamed officials on Sunday. Zia-ur-Rehman alias Nadeem alias Abu Qatal alias Qatal Sindhi was gunned down in the Jhelum area of Punjab on Saturday evening. His security guard was also killed, the officials said, quoting information received from the neighbouring country. The officials, given the nature of information, were presumably from intelligence community. 4Continued on | P8 90 Pakistani soldiers killed as Baloch rebels target convoy Agencies NOKSHI At least 90 Pakistani army personnel have been killed after a bus filled with army officers faced an attack in Nokshi district in Balochistan on the National Highway 40. It was apparently part of a convoy of eight buses. One of them was completely destroyed in the attack.The state media reported a much lower figure for the deaths, however: Three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were among five lives lost. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the same group DGP in violence-hit Mauganj, CM declares ASI Gautam a martyr responsible for the recent train hijacking, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier, BLA ambushed a train and took about 400 passengers hostage and claimed to have killed 214 hostages, most of them army personnel. The Pakistani government however said that the Baloch militants killed 26 hostages, while security forces killed all 33 attackers during a rescue operation.  4Continued on | P8 Prime Minister Narendra Modi told podcaster Lex Fridman that every attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal and hoped that wisdom would prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties. Modi recalled that he had specially invited his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony in 2014 with the hope that the two countries could turn a new leaf. "Yet, every noble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal. We sincerely hope that wisdom prevails upon them and they choose the path of peace," the prime minister said in his over three-hour interaction. Modi said he believed that even the people of Pakistan long for peace because they also must be tired of living in strife, unrest and relentless terror where even innocent children are killed and countless lives are destroyed. The prime minister said his first attempt at improving bilateral relations was a gesture of goodwill. "It was a diplomatic gesture unlike any in decades. The very Every noble attempt at fostering peace was met with hostility and betrayal. We sincerely hope that wisdom prevails upon them and they choose the path of peace. DGP Kailash Makwana talks to people in Mauganj on Sunday. Inset ASI Ramcharan Gautam Six arrested Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL people who once questioned my approach to foreign policy were taken aback when they learned I had invited all SAARC heads of state and our then President Pranab Mukherjee beautifully captured that historic gesture in his memoir," Modi said. "This was a testament to how clear and confident India's foreign policy had become. This sent a clear message to the world about India's commitment to peace and harmony, but we didn't get the desired outcome," he said. PM Modi reflected on the painful history between the two nations, citing the partition of the subcontinent and the subsequent bloodshed. 4Continued on | P8 Director General of Police (DGP) Kailash Makwana reached Mauganj on Sunday to assess the situation following the violent incident at Gadra village in Shahpur police station area. He met injured officials and reviewed the law-and-order response. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced martyr status for assistant subinspector (ASI) Ramcharan Gautam, who was killed in the attack. The violence erupted when a tribal family, accused of killing a youth named Sunny Dubey, clashed with the police team that arrived for his rescue. The mob attacked officials, killing ASI Gautam and injuring several others, including PHQ cancels Holi Milan Samaroh PHQ has canceled ‘Holi Milan Samaroh’ scheduled for Monday due to the death of ASI in Mauganj, officials said on Sunday. Mauganjtehsildar. Ten policemen, including Shahpura police station in-charge Sandeep Bharti, were left bleeding in the chaos. Late at night, a heavily armed police force stormed Gadra village, firing in the air to break the standoff. In the operation, SDOP Ankita Shulya and SI Aarti Verma, who had been taken hostage, were successfully rescued. The police also recovered the bodies of ASI Gautam and the deceased youth. 4Continued on | P8