MONDAY 06 MARCH 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR BRITAIN TO STOP THOSE ARRIVING ILLEGALLY FROM STAYING ERDOGAN’S GAIN P6 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 31 AND 16 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL TEMPERATURE Max: 31.0°C (+4) SUN RISES 06:40 hrs MOON RISES 17:26 hrs P10 P5 9 Opp leaders write to PM on Sisodia's arrest Allege blatant misuse of central agencies against the members of Opposition RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max.80% ‘CLIMATE SMART POLICIES AN INDIAN WAY OF LIFE’ Min. 36% STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 MARCH Min: 16.3°C (+3) SUN SETS 18:24 hrs MOON SETS 06:43 hrs N THUMBNAILS The Indian Navy carried out a successful precision test strike in the Arabian Sea by a shiplaunched BrahMos missile with DRDO-designed Indigenous Seeker and Booster, on Sunday.  ANI Accused Sheezan Khan released from jail in Tunisha Sharma death case: Television actor Sheezan Khan, the prime accused in co-star and ex-girlfriend actress Tunisha Sharma's suicide case, has been released on bail from Thane Central Jail on Sunday.The Vasai Court ordered Sheezan's bail with Rs 1 Lakh surety bond on Saturday and asked the actor to submit his passport as well. Sheezan was arrested in December last year and had been under judicial custody ever since.Last month the Waliv Police filed a 524-page chargesheet in the Vasai court accusing Sheezan in the 21-year-old actress' suicide case. American Airlines bans Indian student for urinating on passenger ine leaders of eight Oppsition political parties, including Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the arrest of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy scam case, alleging the “blatant misuse” of central agencies against the members of the Opposition. In addition to those of Mr Kejriwal and Miss Banerjee, the letter has the signatures of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. However, there were no representation from Congress, JDS, JD (U), and CPI (M) among the signatories of the letter. The leaders alleged that the timings of the lodging of cases or arrests of the Opposition leaders “coincided with elections” which they said makes it clear that the action taken was “politically motivated”. “We hope you would agree The CBI brought former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, arrested in connection to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of Delhi’s new excise policy, to the Rouse Avenue Court, at the end of his 5-day custody, in New ANI Delhi on Saturday. that India is still a democratic country. The blatant misuse of Central agencies against the members of the Opposition appears to suggest that we have transitioned from being a democracy to an autocracy," the leaders wrote. Calling the action against Mr Sisodia, who was arrested on 26 February by the CBI, a “long witch-hunt”, the letter alleged that the allegations levelled in connection with the excise policy “smack of a political conspiracy”. They claimed that Mr Sisodia's arrest has “enraged”people across the country adding that his arrest will “confirm what the world was only suspecting” that India's democratic values were “threatened” under the BJP’s rule. “The allegations against Sisodia are outrightly baseless and smack of a political conspiracy. His arrest has enraged people across the country. Manish Sisodia is recognised globally for transforming Delhi's school education. His arrest will be cited worldwide as an example of a political witch-hunt and further confirm what the world was only suspecting - that India's democratic values stand threatened under an authoritarian BJP regime,” the leaders wrote. The letter further accused the government of softening the investigation against the Opposition leaders who are being probed in connection with different cases after they joined the BJP.Citing the example of Assam chief min- P12 PM to attend swearing-in of 3 N-E chief ministers SNS & AGENCIES AGARTALA/KOHIMA/SHILL ONG, 5 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi would attend the swearing-in-ceremonies of the new chief ministers and their ministers in Meghalaya and Nagaland on Tuesday and that of Tripura on Wednesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda and a few Union ministers are likely to attend these events in three state capitals. Official and BJP sources said that the swearing-in-ceremony of the new Meghalaya Chief Minister and his council of ministers would be held in Shillong at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, while the swearing-in in Nagaland will take place in Kohima at 1.45 p.m. The new Chief Minister and ministers of Tripura would be administered the oath by the Governor in Agartala on Wednesday. Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) leader and caretaker Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the convenor of the BJP-led NorthEast Democratic Alliance (NEDA), were due to meet the Central BJP leaders in New Delhi on Sunday, ahead of the formation of the new Nagaland government. The ruling NDPP (25 seats), along with its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (12 seats) retained power in Nagaland for a second straight term by winning 37 seats together in the 60-member Assembly.Mr Rio, who on Friday was unanimously elected as the leader of the NDPP legislative party, submitted his resignation letter to Governor La Ganesan on Saturday. In Meghalaya, National People's Party (NPP) chief Conrad K Sangma has reiterated that he has letters of support from 32 MLAs and claimed to have received an invitation from the Governor to form the next government. Mr Sangma said that he has support of 32 MLAs, which is one more than the required number to form the government.The NPP in the 27 February assembly polls secured 26 seats while the BJP, which got two seats, extended its support to the NPP led government. Mr Sangma, Chief Minister since 2018, submitted to the Governor a letter of support with signatures of 32 MLAs ~ 26 NPP, two BJP, two legislators from Hill State People's Democratic Party and two independents.In Tripura, sources said that outgoing Chief Minister Manik Saha would hold the Chief Minister's post once again. A meeting of newly elected MLAs and leaders was held in Agartala on Sunday. BJP's north-east in-charge Sambit Patra, Manik Saha, BJP President Rajib Bhattacharjee, and Union Minister Pratima Bhowmik among others were present in the meeting. In the 16 February Assembly polls, the BJP won 32 seats, one more than the magic figure of 31 in the 60-member Assembly while its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura got one. The tribal-based Tipra Motha Party, which contested 42 seats on its debut, emerged as the second-largest party securing 13 seats. The CPI-M won 11 seats while the Congress bagged three. EAM doesn’t understand China threat: Rahul A RIOT OF COLOURS SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 5 MARCH SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 5 MARCH American Airlines has banned the Indian passenger, who had allegedly urinated on a fellow passenger while being drunk on a New York-New Delhi flight. The accused, identified as 21-year-old Arya Vohra, a student at a US university, has been banned by the airline.The airline said in a statement that it will not allow the passenger on board in the future. The statement further said that the American Airlines flight AA292 from John F Kennedy International Airport to Indira Gandhi International Airport was met by local law enforcement upon arrival due to a disruptive customer. The flight landed safely at 9.50 p.m. on IANS Saturday. ister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a former Congress leader who joined the BJP in 2015, the letter said that he was being probed by the central agencies over the Saradha chit fund scam; however, the case didn't progress after he joined the BJP. “Out of the total number of key politicians booked, arrested, raided, or interrogated by the investigation agencies under your administration since 2014, the maximum belongs to the Opposition. Interestingly, investigation agencies go slow on cases against Opposition politicians who join the BJP” the letter said. “Former TMC leaders Shri Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy were under the ED and CBI scanner in the Narada sting operation case but the cases didn't progress after they joined the BJP ahead of the assembly polls in the state. There are many such examples. including that of Narayan Rane of Maharashtra,” it added. Raising the arrests of Opposition leaders including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Azam Khan, and others, the leaders wrote that the central agencies were working as “extended wings” of the BJP. Remarking on the role of the Governors, the Opposition leaders alleged that their offices in the country are “frequently hindering the governance of the state”. DELHI CAPITALS DEFEAT ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE Girls play with colours at Kolkata Basanta Utsav 2023 at Maidan, on Sunday. BISWAJIT GHOSHAL Attacking the NDA government at the Centre, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that external affairs minister S Jaishankar “does not understand the China threat,” adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that “nobody has entered Indian territory” is an invitation to the Chinese that they can do it again. In a conversation with members of the Indian Journalists' Association in London, the Wayanad MP also said that he supports Indian foreign policy and doesn't have a huge disagreement with it with regard to India's position on the Russia-Ukraine war. “As far as Indian foreign policy is concerned, I support the Indian foreign policy and I am okay with it. I don't have a huge disagreement with it,” he said when asked a hypothetical question that if China or Pakistan invaded India and since India hadn't taken a position on the Russia-Ukraine war, it could also be ignored Congress leader Rahul Gandhi participates in a conversation ANI with the Indian Journalists' Association, in London. by the world if an invasion into India happened. Mr Gandhi said, “With regards to an invasion, we have already been invaded. We have got 2,000 square km of our territory that is in the hands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Prime Minister himself has stated that nobody has entered India, not a single inch of land has been taken and this destroyed our negotiation position because our negotiators are being asked what's the fuss about.” “Your Prime Minister says that no land has been taken. So that's one aspect of it. The other aspect which I keep saying is India needs to be very, very careful with what the Chinese are doing at the border. The Chinese are acting in a hostile manner, in an aggressive manner and we need to be very very careful and I have been stating that again and again, I don't think the penny has dropped in the government. I think there is a risk as you say,” ‘Rahul Gandhi as dangerous as China, Pak, BBC, Khalistanis for country‘: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Harnath Singh Yadav on Sunday made a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and compared him to Khalistanis. Yadav said this while reacting to the remark of the Congress leader that "BJP wants India to be silent." Speaking to ANI, Yadav said, "Rahul Gandhi is the enemy of the country, he is against the country. As much as the country is in danger from China, Pakistan, BBC, and Khalistanis, equally the country is in danger from Rahul Gandhi. The country should become alert." He further accused Rahul of supporting China at a time when the Chinese army and the Indian army stand face to face. ANI added Mr Gandhi.Speaking about Congress's China policy, he said that Congress's policy was that they would not allow anyone to enter Indian territory. Take appropriate decision to ban cow slaughter, Naval commanders’ conference begins today declare cow protected national animal: HC to Govt aboard INS Vikrant, to discuss maritimeissues SNS & AGENCIES LUCKNOW, 5 MARCH The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has said that the Centre should take an appropriate decision to ban cow slaughter and declare it as a ‘protected national animal’. “We live in a secular country and must have respect for all religions. In Hinduism, the belief is that the cow is the representative of divine and natural beneficence. Therefore, it should be protected and venerated,” Justice Shamim Ahmad said on 14 February while dismissing a plea seeking the quashing of criminal proceedings against a person under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955. The petitioner, Mohammad Abdul Khaliq, had pleaded that the police booked him without any evidence and hence the proceedings pending against him in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate should be quashed. Dismissing the plea, the Bench held that from the facts on record, prima facie case was made out against the petitioner. While passing the order, the judge observed: “The cow has also been associated with various deities, notably Lord Shiva (whose steed is Nandi, a bull) Lord Indra (closely associated with Kamadhenu), Lord Krishna (a shepherd in his youth), and goddesses in general.” He said: “According to legend, she emerged from the ocean of milk at the time of Samudramanthan (the great churning of the ocean by the gods and demons). She was presented to the seven sages and with time came into the custody of sage Vasishta.” The judge further said that a cow's legs symbolise the four Vedas and her milk is four ‘purushartha’ (or human objectives ~’dharma’ or righteousness, ‘artha’ or material wealth, ‘kama’ or desire and ‘moksha’ or salvation. ‘Her horns symbolise the gods, her face the sun and moon, and her shoulders ‘Agni’ (the god of fire). The cow has also been described in other forms: Nanda, Sunanda, Surabhi, Susheela and Sumana,' Justice Ahmad said. He said that the origin of the veneration of the cow can be traced to the Vedic period. "The Indo-European peoples, who entered India in the second millennium BCE, were pastoralists. Cattle had a major economic significance that was reflected in their religion. The slaughter of milk-producing cows was increasingly prohibited. It is forbidden in the Mahabharata, and in the 'Manusmriti'. A cow which produces milk was said to be 'unslayable' in the Rigveda, the court said. According to the high court bench, legends also state that Brahma gave life to priests and cows at the same time so that the priests could recite religious scriptures while cows could afford ghee as an offering in rituals. “Anyone who kills cows or allows others to kill them is deemed to rot in hell for as many years as there are hairs upon his body,” the judge said. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE The first edition of the Naval Commanders' Conference of 2023 is scheduled to commence on 6 March 2023 where defence minister Rajnath Singh will be addressing the conference on board India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant NEW DELHI, 5 MARCH The Indian Navy's top brass will discuss the force's preparedness to address challenges on maritime issues against the backdrop of China's aggressive behaviour when they meet tomorrow for the first edition of the annual Naval Commanders' Conference.The conference serves as a platform for Naval Commanders to discuss important security issues at the military-strategic level as well as interact with senior government functionaries through an institutionalised forum. The novelty of this year’s conference lies in the fact that the first phase of the Commanders' Conference is being held at sea, and for the first time, on board India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will address the Naval Commanders onboard INS Vikrant on the conference's opening day. The Chief of Defence Staff and the Chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force would also interact with the Naval Commanders on subsequent days to address the convergence of the three Services vis-à-vis common operational environment, and avenues of augmenting Tri-Service synergy and readiness towards the defence of the nation and India’s national interests. An operational demonstration at sea is also planned as part of the activities on Day 1. The Chief of the Naval Staff, along with other Naval Commanders will review major Operational, Materiel, Logistics, Human Resource Development, Training and Administrative activities undertaken by the Indian Navy in the last six months and further deliberate upon future plans for important activities and initiatives. During the conference, the Naval Commanders would also be provided with an update on the ‘Agnipath Scheme’ executed in the Indian Navy in November last year.“Due to the prevailing geostrategic situation in the region, the conference has its own significance and relevance.” “The Navy has witnessed significant growth in its operational tasking over the years in consonance with India’s growing maritime interests.” “The Commanders would also deliberate the Navy’s readiness to address the challenges to our maritime interests,” the Ministry of Defence said. “The Indian Navy remains focused on being a combatready, credible, cohesive and future-proof force and continues to assiduously execute its mandate as the maritime security guarantor of the country,” it added.