CMYK SATURDAY www.thestatesman.com 30 JULY 2022 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘CHINA WILL REMAIN A THREAT TO INDIA’ CHURNING IN PAKISTAN P6 WEATHER One or two spells of rain/thundershower very likely. Temperature likely to be in the range of 34-28 degrees Celsius. CHINA’S XI WARNS BIDEN SRIKANTH, SINDHU ADVANCE IN CWG OVER TAIWAN, CALLS MIXED DOUBLES FOR COOPERATION P7 P11 Conspiracy was hatched against me, says Partha RAINFALL: 32.7 MM RELATIVE HUMIDITY Opp leaders demanded more clarifications over Chatterjee’s ‘conspiracy’ allegations Max.92% KOLKATA, 29 JULY TEMPERATURE STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 65% Max: 34.9°C (+3) Min: 27.7°C (+1) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:07 hrs 18:19 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 05:20 hrs 19:02 hrs Full moon on 12 August THUMBNAILS As part of Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, Indian Coast Guard performed an underwater flag demo on Friday. ANI Assam appoints new NRC coordinator: The Assam government has appointed IAS officer Partha Pratim Mazumdar as the state coordinator of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as the incumbent official Hitesh Dev Sharma retiring from service on Sunday, officials said on Friday. Mazumdar, who is currently Registrar, Cooperative Societies and Secretary to the Women and Child Development Department (additional), will also serve as secretary of the Home and Political Department of the government. reaking his silence, former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the West Bengal School Service Commission recruitment scam, said on Friday that he was the victim of a conspiracy hatched against him. A day after he was stripped of his ministerial portfolios as well as his party posts, Mr Chatterjee said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to relieve him of his ministerial portfolios was correct, but questioned his being suspended from the Trinamul Congress, saying it would wrongly influence an impartial probe in the matter. The 69-year-old leader and former industry minister, who is in the custody of the ED, which probing the school teachers recruitment scam in the state, was taken to ESIC Medical College Hospital at Joka for a routine medical-check up during the day. Reacting to reporters’ questions as he arrived at the hospital, he said, “I am a victim of conspiracy.” But he did not divulge who he thought had conspired against him. “That’s only known to them Mamata’s decision is justified but the party’s decision would influence the impartial probe. Time would say about it B PARTHA CHATTERJEE FORMER BENGAL MINISTER ED bring former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee to ESI Joka for health checkup, in Kolkata on Friday.  ANI ED officials bring Arpita Mukherjee to ESI hospital for a medical check-up, in Kolkata on Friday.  ANI who have conspired,” he said while he was getting down from the car and entering into hospital escorted by CRPF personnel. While he was coming out of the hospital after his checkup, reporters approached him again asking, ‘Was the action taken against you by Mamata Banerjee andTrinamul Congress justified?’ He responded: “Mamata’s decision is justified but party’s decision would influence an impartial probe. Time would tell about it.” Partha’s statements prompted opposition parties CPI-M, BJP and Congress to react later in the day. “He should name the conspirators against him. The SSC scam is an organized crime led by the chief minister and she should take respon- sibility,” said Mr Sujan Chakraborty, CPI-M leader. “TMC has been divided into two camps on the Partha issue. Abhishek camp is happy with the arrest of Partha Chatterjee in the SSC scam.” BJP leader Dilip Ghosh also demanded that Mr Chatterjee come out with the names of the alleged conspirators. Political analysts felt that the suspended veteran leader who has also been relieved from all ministerial duties still trusts Mamata. But there has been a cold relationship between Abhishek Banerjee, number two in the party after Miss Banerjee, and Partha Chatterjee, one of Miss Banerjee’s most trusted lieutenants till Saturday when he was arrested by the ED. One of Partha’s close aides, Arpita Mukherjee who was also arrested by the ED after crores of rupees in cash were seized from her flat at Tollygunj was also taken to the same hospital at Joka this morning. ED officials had also seized several more crores in cash during a separate raid at her Belghoria flat. Ms Mukherjee burst into tears as the ED vehicle carrying her reached the hospital premises and she was unwilling to get out of the car. Central security personnel had to virtually drag her out and take her to the hospital building. The ED today interrogated Mr Chatterjee and Ms Mukherjee separately over the entries in the seizure list and recorded their statements. The central agency meanwhile, is scanning CCTV footage after four expensive cars allegedly owned by Arpita were reported missing from her Tollygunge Diamond City South apartment. A source said the agency was examining whether those ‘missing’ cars were used to disappear cash. (See Pg3) P12 Adhir writes to President, apologises for his remark STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 JULY Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury today wrote to President Droupadi Murmu tendering an apology over his remark terming her as “Rashtrapatni”, in an attempt to put a lid on the controversy generated by his comment. In a letter to the President, Mr Chowdhury said: “I am writing to express my regret for having mistakenly used an incorrect word to describe the position you hold. I assure you that it was a slip of the tongue. I apologise and request you to accept the same.” Mr Chowdhury's “Rashtrapatni” remark, made while talking to reporters during the Congress protest atVijay Chowk on Wednesday. BJP members, including senior ministers, sought an apology not only from Chowdhury but also from Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the remark. Mr Chowdhury on Friday said that the Centre owed Mrs Gandhi an apology for the way they “targeted” her in Parliament on Thursday. “The way Sonia Gandhi was targeted in the parliament yesterday.. the government must issue an apology. I am at the centre of this controversy. But the BJP is attacking Sonia Gandhi,” he said. Meanwhile, Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, shot off a letter to Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Friday urging him to expunge remarks made in the House by Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal about Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. Referring to a convention in the Rajya Sabha wherein members are not allowed to make critical remarks about the Lok Sabha or its members, Mr Kharge also urged the chairman to direct Mr Goyal and Ms Sitharaman to apologise for “violating the sacrosanct convention”. Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the week till Monday amidst continued uproar. FACT FILE THE KING TOTAL CASES 4,39,79,730 ACTIVE CASES 1,43,988 NEW CASES 20,409 22,697 NEW RECOVERIES TOTAL DEATHS 5,26,258 A tiger seen yawning inside its enclosure at Lucknow Zoo on the occasion of International Tiger Day, in Lucknow on Friday.  ANI UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. FRIDAY 29 JULY 2022 Bengal recorded 1,284 cases and six deaths OPS/EPS: Apex court orders Entire MiG-21 fleet to status quo on AIADMK row be phased out by 2025 HC to Cong leaders: Remove all social media posts against Irani’s daughter INDO ASIAN NEWS SERVICE ASIAN NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEW DELHI , 29 JULY 29 NEW DELHI, 29 JULY also comprising Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, was hearing a plea filed by OPS challenging the high court's order, refusing to stall the General Council meeting of the AIADMK. Another counsel representing OPS urged the bench for restoring the status quo that existed on July 11, prior to conducting of the party's General Council meeting. However, the top court said it is remanding the matter back to the high court. It said that instead of keeping the matter here, it will send back the matter to the high court for fresh consideration without being influenced by the orders passed by it.“We request the HC to dispose of the matter within a period of 3 weeks max. Status quo has to be maintained by the parties. We have not expressed any opinion on merits,” said the bench. The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Madras High Court to decide afresh O. Paneerselvam's (OPS) challenge to the General Council meeting of the AIADMK within 3 weeks. A bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana asked the rival OPS and K. Palaniswami (EPS) factions of the AIADMK to maintain status quo in connection with the affairs of the party. EPS was elected as the interim General Secretary of the AIADMK in its General Council meeting held on July 11. Senior advocate Gurukrishna Kumar, representing OPS, submitted extreme decisions were taken and his client was expelled from the party in the July 11 meeting. He added that OPS was removed from the post of the Treasurer and the post was also abolished. Counsel argued that the top court had said that further meetings can proceed in accordance with law, but the meeting was in contravention of the bye-laws. The dual-leadership model in the AIADMK was ended in the party's General Council meeting, and EPS was elevated as the interim General Secretary of the party. The top court had vacated the high court's stay on the passing of resolutions in the AIADMK meeting. The bench, K’taka: NIA to probe Praveen murder case New health warnings on tobacco product packs BENGALURU, 29 JULY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The dual-leadership model was ended in the party's General Council meeting, and EPS was elevated as the interim General Secy of the party NEW DELHI, 29 JULY The Karnataka government has decided to hand over the probe into BJP youth leader Praveen Nettaru's murder case to the National Investigation Agency(NIA), chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said. Speaking to media persons, the chief minister said the murder of the young BJP worker was a planned and organised crime. “It has an interstate dimension. The issue has been discussed with state DG and IG and complete details have been sought. We will write to the Union Home Ministry requesting for investigation by the NIA,” he said. Giving details on tougher security measures, Bommai said CCTV cameras would be installed at all border crossing spots along the Kerala border.Checkposts would be set up, temporary police camps would be setup at sensitive spots in villages in the ANI coastal region. The Union Health Ministry has notified a new set of specified health warnings on all tobacco product packsby making an amendment in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008. The amended rules will be applicable with effect from 1 December this year. The Ministry said all tobacco products manufactured or imported, or packaged on or after 1 December will display images provided by the government with the textual Health Warning stating “Tobacco Causes Painful Death”. It said those products manufactured, imported, or packaged after 1 December 2023 shall display the image with the textual Health Warning saying ‘Tobacco users die younger’.The Ministry said any person engaged directly or indirectly in the manufacture,  The amended rules will be applicable with effect from 1 December this year  The products packs will display images provided by the govt with the textual Health Warning stating “Tobacco Causes Painful Death” production, supply, import, or distribution of cigarettes shall ensure that all tobacco product packages shall have the specified health warnings. Violation of the provision is a punishable offence with imprisonment or fine as prescribed in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply, and Distribution) Act, 2003. The existing specified health warning, as per the government data, notified vide GSR 458(E) dated 21 July, 2020, shall continue till November 30, 2022, said the health ministry notification. ASIAN NEWS INTERNATIONAL NEW DELHI, 29 JULY Amid recent crashes involving its vintage Russian combat aircraft fleet, the Indian Air Force is now going to retire one more squadron of the MiG-21 Bison aircraft by September 30. On Thursday evening, a MiG-21 Type 69 Trainer aircraft crashed in Barmer, Rajasthan killing both the pilots including a youngster Flight Lieutenant A Bal and Wing Commander Rana. “The 51 Squadron based out of Srinagar air base is being number plated on September 30. After this, only three squadrons of the planes would be left in service and would be phased out by the year 2025,” sources in the IAF said.Now every year, one squadron each of these planes In the last 20 months, 6 MiG-21s have been lost in crashes in which five pilots have lost their lives would be number plated, they said. The 51 squadron is famous for thwarting Pakistan’s aerial attack on India on February 27, 2019, and taking out an F-16 in an aircraft flown by Wing Commander (now Group Captain) Abhinandan Varthaman. This is the only instance when a MiG-21 aircraft brought down an F-16 in air-to-air combat, the sources said. The IAF has been replacing the MiG-21 fighter jets with more capable aircraft like the Su-30 and the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). In the last 20 months, 6 MiG-21s have been lost in crashes in which five pilots have lost their lives. The Delhi High Court on Friday issued summons to Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Netta D'souza in a civil suit filed by Union Cabinet minister Smriti Irani. The court also directed the congress leaders to remove the post, videos, tweets, retweets, and morphed pictures of the plaintiff and her daughter along with the allegations and stop their recirculation regarding allegations made against her and her daughter. Union Minister Smriti Irani has filed civil defamation seeking permanent and mandatory injunction along with damages of over Rs 2 crore. Justice Mini Pushkarna stated, “I am of the prima facie view that slanderous allegations were made against The Delhi HC issued summons to Cong leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Netta D'souza in a civil suit filed by Irani the plaintiff without verifying actual facts”. “Grave injury has been caused to the reputation of the plaintiff in view of the tweets and retweets carried out due to the press conference of the defendants”, the court added. Plaintiff has made out prima facie case and balance of convenience lies in favour of the plaintiff and against the defendants. I deem it proper to pass an interim injunction directing Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Netta D'souza to delete and remove the allegations made during the press conference from all social media platforms At 42nd convocation of Anna University, Modi calls India world’s ‘growth engine’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 29 JULY Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said India’s position in the international trade dynamics was at its best ever and the country was fast becoming a vital link in the global supply chain. Noting that the pandemic was an unprecedented event, he was it was a oncein-a-century crisis that nobody had any user manual for and it tested every country. “Adversities reveal what we are made of. India faced the unknown confidently, thanks to its scientists, healthcare professionals, and common people,” Modi said while speaking at the 42nd Convocation of Anna University in Chennai.As a result, he said, every sector in India was bustling with a new life. Industry, investment, innovation, and international trade: all were seeing India at the forefront.The PM pointed out that India PM Narendra Modi at the 42nd Convocation of Anna University along with Tamil Nadu CM M. K. Stalin, in Chennai on Friday. ANI was the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer last year. Innovation was becoming a way of life in India. In just the last six years, the number of recognised start-ups increased by 15,000 per cent, he said. The PM informed that India received a record FDI of over $ 83 billion last year.Modi observed that in this era of tech- CMYK led disruptions, there were three important factors in India’s favour. There was a taste for technology, there was a growing sense of comfort with the use of technology and even the poorest of the poor were adapting to it.“The second factor is there is trust in risk-takers. Earlier on social occasions, it was difficult for a youngster to say he or she was an entrepreneur. People used to tell them to ‘get settled’, meaning, get a salaried job. Now the situation is the opposite,” he said. The third factor, the PM said, was: there was a temperament for reform.” Earlier, “there was a notion that a strong government means it should control everything and everyone.But we have changed this. A strong government does not control everything or everyone. It controls the system’s impulse to interfere.” “A strong government is not restrictive but is responsive. A strong government does not move into every domain. It limits itself and makes space for people’s talents”, he elaborated.Modi further emphasised that “A strong government’s strength lies in its humility to accept that it cannot know or do everything”. This was why reforms were making greater space for people and their talent in every space. including Youtube, Facebook and Twitter inc. If defendants 1-3 fail to comply with the directions within 24 hours of this order, defendants 4-6 (social media platforms) are directed to take down the material, the court added. Irani stated that congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Netta D'souza conspired with other unknown individuals to launch a series of scathing and belligerent personal remarks to malign and defame a young child of the plaintiff who even not lives in the country. On the Delhi HC proceeding on Friday Jairam Ramesh tweeted that, “The Delhi HC has issued notice asking us to formally reply to the case filed by Smriti Irani. We look forward to presenting the facts before the court. We will challenge and disprove the spin being put out by Irani.” KCR, Akhilesh discuss nat’l issues in Delhi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HYDERABAD, 29 JULY Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav at his residence in New Delhi and discussed the current political situation and other national issues. Senior SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav was also present in the hour long meeting. The chief minister is currently in New Delhi ahead of the vice president election. Mr Rao has been frequently meeting other regional party chiefs in a bid to form an alternate agenda to the ones pursued by BJP and the Congress. He is also planning to transform the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi to an all India party in a bid to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP Mr Rao had . called Mr Modi the Prime Minister ever and said the country was going through an undeclared emergency.