MONDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2023 www.thestatesman.com twitter.com/thestatesman facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘NO ANTI-INCUMBENCY AGAINST MY GOVT’ PUTIN’S GAMBIT P6 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 37 AND 26 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY P5 P4 TEMPERATURE Min: 25.5 °C (0) SUN SETS 18:40 hrs MOON SETS 11:28 hrs THUMBNAILS Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted this picture congratulating Indian Men's Hockey Team on their victory in the Men's Hockey 5s Asia Cup 2023, in Salalah on Saturday. India won 2-0 in a penalty shootout against Pakistan.  ANI Aditya-L1 sun mission: Aditya-L1 spacecraft L which was lifted successfully to study the Sun made its first earth-bound manoeuvre on Sunday. ISRO in its latest update said the satellite is “healthy and operating nominally” and the next manoeuvre is scheduled (Pg 3) for Tuesday 0300 hrs IST. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI/JAIPUR, 3 SEPTEMBER emarks by Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu minister and son of chief minister MK Stalin, to the effect that ‘Sanatana Dharma’ is against the idea of social justice and must be “eradicated” have sparked off a huge row, with the BJP calling it “parasitic” behaviour and shameful. Mr Stalin, who made the comments at a meeting in Chennai on Saturday, had compared Sanatan Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria, inviting sharp criticism from BJP leaders as well as a massive backlash on social media, with many calling for a case to be filed against the Tamil Nadu minister. Leading the attack on Mr Stalin and by extension the Opposition INDIA alliance, Union home minister Amit Shah, who was in Rajasthan to flag off the second leg of the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra, said the INDIA bloc's talk about ending Sanatan Dharma would lead to their doom. R Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin with son Udhayanidhi Stalin As the UPA government went bankrupt, now they have changed it into the INDIA alliance (Ghamandiya). For the past two days, I have been seeing that these people are insulting the country's culture and Santan Dharma by saying that Santan Dharma should be abolished AMIT SHAH UNION HOME MINISTER Terming the INDIA alliance as 'Ghamandiya', Mr Shah said their leaders were insulting and trying to abolish the country's culture and Santan Dharma for the sake of vote bank and appeasement politics. "As the UPA government went bankrupt, now they have changed it into the INDIA alliance (Ghamandiya). For the past two days, I have been seeing that these people are insulting the country's culture and Santan Dharma by saying that Santan Dharma should be abolished", Mr Shah said. “Congress is insulting Sanatan Dharma, and the more they speak, the less they will become. In 2014 and 2019 LS polls their (Congress) numbers fell, and in the next 2024 polls, they will not be visible even using binoculars,” he said. Echoing Mr Shah, BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda, who was in Madhya Pradesh to launch a similar Yatra, charged that the Opposition’s strategy is to abolish the ‘Sanatan Dharma’ and the INDIA alliance is actually a ‘Ghamandiya alliance’ (Arrogant Alliance). Addressing a Press conference at the party’s New Delhi headquarters, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said: “The topic addressed by the DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin was the 'Eradication of Sanatana Dharma'. He read the statement from a paper. It is highly shameful. It is a case of the hate speech." Taking a swipe at the Opposition bloc INDIA, the spokesperson said," Within just 24 hours of the conclusion of the Mumbai meeting of the 'Ghamandiya Gathbandhan', this 'bomb' exploded. " In a veiled attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his "mohabbat ki dukaan (shop of love against hatred) claims, the spokesperson said, "Udhayanidhi's statement has clearly unveiled the true face of the 'mohabbat ki dukaan'.Notably, this is not a statement given in isolation, this is completely con- sequential." Union Minister Anurag Thakur wrote on X, "It is not surprising that DMK or any other party of 'ghamandia' alliance nourishes so much hate against Hindus and Sanatan Dharma to the extent of equating it with ‘dengue’ and ‘malaria’ and provoking others to eradicate Sanatan Dharma." Mr Stalin, meanwhile, has defended himself on his comments, and said he won't be cowed down by saffron threats and was ready to face any legal challenge. The DMK leader posted on X: “Bring it on, I am ready to face any legal challenge .We will not be cowed down by such usual saffron threats. We the followers of Periyar, Anna and Kalaignar, would fight forever to uphold social justice and establish an egalitarian society under the able guidance of our honourable CM.” Udhayanidhi also tagged his father , and further said, “I will say it today, tomorrow and forever. Our resolve to stop Sanatana Dharma from the Dravidian land would not reduce even a bit.” (See Pg5) ‘Adhir gave consent to be part of ‘One Nation, One Election’ committee before retracting’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 3 SEPTEMBER upon the course to be steered in the ensuing months. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will address the Naval Commanders during the conference and interact with them. The Chief of the Defence Staff will also be present. The conference also provides an opportunity for institutionalised interaction of Naval Commanders with senior Government officials to take ahead several inter-ministerial initiatives towards the development of a safe and secure maritime environment essential for the holistic economic growth of the country. The conference and the embedded interactions with the National Security Adviser, Chiefs of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force would also be utilised to analyse the operational environment. The last six months have seen an intense operational tempo as the Indian Navy’s operations spanned from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Indian Naval ships were first responders for the evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan as part of ‘Op Cauvery’ and HADR in Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha as part of ‘Op Karuna’. In keeping with the expectations of IN being the preferred security partner and first responder to any crisis in the region, the forum will undertake a detailed review of the operational readiness of the Navy, with a particular focus on the performance of weapons/ sensors of the Naval platforms. NEW DELHI, 3 SEPTEMBER Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who declined to serve on the panel formed by the Centre to examine ‘one nation, one election’ had given his consent to be part of the committee before notification with names came out, a source in the government said on Sunday. Notably, Chowdhury, who was named a member of the High-Level Committee (HLC) constituted by the Centre on Saturday to examine ‘one nation, one election’ has declined to serve on the panel, saying its “terms of reference have been prepared in a manner to guarantee its conclusions”. Chowdhary on Saturday wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah refusing to be a part of the committee. “The sudden attempt to India’s World Cup Squad: KL Rahul included, Samson, Chahal likely to miss out thrust a constitutionally suspect, pragmatically non-feasible and logistically unimplementable idea on the nation, months before the general elections, raises serious concerns about the ulterior motives of the government", the letter read. The Union Law Ministry on Saturday named eight members to the committee, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, that will examine the issue of simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, Assemblies, municipalities and panchayats. Apart from the Chairper- son, the committee will include Home Minister Amit Shah, Chowdhury, former Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission chairperson NK Singh, senior advocate Harish Salve, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C Kashyap, and former Chief Vigilance Commissioner Sanjay Kothari. The committee has been set up months before assembly polls in five states and ahead of Lok Sabha polls next year. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had informed about the constitution of the committee on Friday. With five states going to the polls later this year and a few more to go to polls with the General Elections due in 2024 there is speculation that One Nation, One Election could become a reality very soon. Kharge calls meeting of floor leaders of INDIA bloc on 5 Sept SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 3 SEPTEMBER Floor leaders of the Opposition bloc — ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)’ — will meet at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in the national capital on 5 September , according to sources. The meeting of the floor leaders is being seen as a step towards chalking out a strategy for the upcoming elections in five states as well as the Lok Sabha elections next year, sources added. The next key meeting of the Opposition INDIA alliance will be held in the National capital, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule said after the conclusion of the third meet in Mumbai. Earlier, the opposition parties, united under the banner of the INDIA, concluded their third meeting in Maharashtra and adopted resolutions to collectively contest the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections while announcing that seat-sharing arrangements would be finalized as soon as possible through a spirit of give-and-take. “We, the INDIA parties, hereby resolve to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections together as far as possible. Seat-sharing arrangements in different states will be initiated immediately and concluded at the earliest in a collaborative spirit of giveand-take," said the resolution. The resolution also said that the parties will "organise public rallies at the earliest in different parts of the Rohini panel report on OBCs likely to be major trump card for BJP in election year SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 3 SEPTEMBER TRIDIB BAPARNASH NEW DELHI, 3 SEPTEMBER Cleared by the BCCI’s medical team, KL Rahul (right) is set to be included in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming 2023 ICC World Cup even as the axe is likely to fall on Sanju Samson (far right), who was tipped as the back-up wicket keeper if the former failed to make a comeback on time. Rahul had undergone surgery on his right thigh and has been out of the game for the past three and half months. He is likely to feature in a few games of the Asia Cup and the subsequent three-match ODI series against the Australians just before the start of the World Cup. According to sources in the cricket board, Samson who is currently with the Indian team as a stand-by for the Asia Cup, and two other members of the current Asia Cup team (Tilak Varma and Prasidh Krishna) have been left out P12 Udhayanidhi’s comment on Sanatan Dharma sparks row Maritime preparedness to be discussed at Naval Commanders’ Conference from today Issues like Tri-Service synergy and the readiness of the maritime forces will figure prominently at the second edition of Naval Commanders' Conference 2023, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from 46 September. The conference is the apex-level biannual event facilitating interaction between the Naval Commanders for deliberation and formulation of important policy decisions. During the three-day conference, being conducted in a ‘Hybrid’ format, the senior leadership of the Indian Navy, under the Chairmanship of the Chief of the Naval Staff, will review major operational, materiel, logistics, HR, training, and administrative activities undertaken during the previous six months. The conference will also deliberate MOHUN BAGAN TAKE REVENGE AND TROPHY Insulting Sanatan Dharma will lead to INDIA bloc's fall in 2024: Amit Shah Max.71% Min. 40 % Max: 37.2°C (+3) SUN RISES 06:01 hrs MOON RISES 21:34 hrs DESPITE STIFF CHALLENGE, UDF HAS UPPER HAND IN PUTHUPPALLY of the World Cup squad. The BCCI insider revealed that chief selector Ajit Agarkar met with skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid in Pallekele on Saturday after India’s match against Pakistan was washed out after the first innings. Barring the exclusion of the trio, the team is on expected lines with Rohit Sharma leading the outfit, comprising the likes of Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Ishan Kishan handling the top order batting responsibilities. Suryakumar Yadav, who has blown hot and cold in the 50-over format has also been picked to add more firepower in the middle order. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the pace battery in the company of Md Shami and Md Siraj, while all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur have been included to add depth in the lower order batting as well. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is expected to lead the spin attack with fellow left-arm all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, however, could not find a place in the squad as the selectors decided to go in with Jadeja and Patel’s batting abilities. The BCCI had a deadline of 5 September to submit its final World Cup squad to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and once Rahul was cleared by the medical committee on Saturday, the selectors decided to advance the meeting by a day. While announcing the Asia Cup team in New Delhi last month, Agarkar had already indicated that the World Cup squad will be more on the lines of the current team in Sri Lanka, and as expected there are no surprise selections for the showpiece event starting 5 October. India’s tentative World Cup 2023 squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya (Vice-Captain), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL’ Rahul (WK), Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah. The meeting of the floor leaders is being seen as a step towards chalking out a strategy for the upcoming elections in five states as well as the Lok Sabha elections next year, sources added country on issues of public concern and importance". Holding a press conference Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the INDIA bloc meetings and asserted that the alliance has no vision for the development of India, and their recurrent theme was to abuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "In the third meeting of the so-called alliance, there was no vision for the development of India, no roadmap for the upliftment of the poor, no strategy to address concerns of farmers or women and children. The most important is that there was not even an acknowledgement of the threat to India from terrorism, radicalisation and successionist forces...Their only recurrent theme is to abuse Shri Narendra Modi ji..." The first meeting of the joint opposition was held in Patna on June 23 and the second meeting was held in Bengaluru on July 17-18. Varsity officials not to take orders from govt: Bengal Raj Bhavan KOLKATA, 3 SEPTEMBER The Narendra Modi government is expected to consider a report by the Justice Rohini Commission regarding the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs). This report was submitted to President Draupadi Murmu in July. If the government decides to implement its recommendations, it could be a trump card towards a major OBC outreach by the ruling BJP with Lok Sabha elections just months away. The issue is connected to the future of over 40 per cent of the country's total voters, namely the OBC voters, and it's poised to become a hotly debated political matter. In 2017, the Centre had set up a commission under the leadership of Delhi High Court's retired Chief Justice G. Rohini with the main objective to identify all Other Backward Castes (OBCs) and categorise them into sub- categories. According to reports, the recommendations in the report are compartmentalised into two parts. The first part of the report deals with the equitable and inclusive distribution of the OBC reservation quota. The second part of the report focusses on data pertaining to the identification of 2,633 backward castes currently listed in the country, their proportional representation in the population, and the benefits they have received from reservation policies thus far. It is likely to effect changes in the conceptual framework and practical implementation of the OBC reservation policy that has been in place for the past 40 years. As per reports, the panel says that the intention behind categorising different castes and sub-castes is not to establish a new hierarchy among OBCs, but to ensure equal opportunities for all by placing them on a level playing field. Basically it focusses on equality of all castes and sub-castes. Setting up another tussle with the state government, the Kolkata Raj Bhavan on Sunday said that all officials of state universities will not take orders directly from the government or execute those without the Vice-Chancellor’s consent. “According to the West Bengal State Universities Acts, the Vice Chancellor shall be the principal executive officer of the university and all the other authorities of the universities shall act in accordance with the directions of the respective VCs,” a circular iss ued by the governor's secretariat said. “The officials of the university are to execute the orders issued by the VC and they are not mandated to take orders directly from the government or to execute those without the knowledge and consent of the VC," the circular said. SNS & AGENCIES