SUNDAY 05 NOVEMBER 2023 www.thestatesman.com twitter.com/thestatesman facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00|LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘CONG, BAGHEL USING HAWALA MONEY TO FIGHT POLLS’ THROUGH A EUROPEAN PRISM P7 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Rain or thundershowers likely to occur in some area Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 32 °C and 24 °C respectively. RAINFALL: .4mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY P5 Min. 77 % Max: 32.4°C (+1) SUN RISES 05:43 hrs MOON RISES 22:35 hrs Min: 23.7°C (+1) SUN SETS 16:59 hrs MOON SETS 11:40 hrs THUMBNAILS The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, being welcomed by Assam agriculture minister Atul Bora on his arrival at IORA Retreat, in Kaziranga on Saturday.  ANI One dead in Navy chopper mishap: A navy sailor died in a mishap at INS Garuda, the naval air base at Willingdon Island in Kochi, on Saturday. The rotor blades of a Chetak helicopter struck the sailor during a maintenance taxi check, causing his death. The chopper’s pilot and co-pilot were also injured. Authorities say death toll may rise, communications were cut off in many places he death toll from a strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Nepal has risen to 157 as the rescue operation is going on, government officials said on Saturday. Nepal's provincial governments have announced relief packages for the quake-hit areas, while the Nepali Congress and the Rastriya Swatantra Party offered 5 million Nepali rupees and two teams of doctors in aid, respectively. Nepal's Deputy prime minister and home minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha told the media that China and India had offered support in relief and rescue. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal also flew in on a helicopter with a team of doctors. Authorities said the death toll was expected to rise, noting that communications were cut off with many places. “There has been a lot of damage in the earthquake-affected area. Hundreds of people are injured, thousands of houses have been destroyed, and our government is T Deeply saddened by the loss of lives and damage due to the earthquake in Nepal. India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to extend all possible assistance. Our thoughts are with the bereaved families and we NARENDRA MODI wish the injured a quick recovery engaged in relief work. We have deployed the Nepali Army, Nepali Sentinel. The Armed Police Force has been given the responsibility of taking all the injured to the hospitals for rescue through helicopters," said the Nepal PM. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a No respite from toxic air as smoggy haze rules Delhi skies depth of 11 miles. Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Centre said its epicentre was at Jajarkot, about 400 kilometres northeast of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu. Following the earthquake, India released an emergency contact number for Indians in Nepal requiring urgent assistance. “Alert Emergency Contact Num- EAM speaks to Israeli counterpart AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 NOVEMBER NEW DELHI, 4 NOVEMBER A thick layer of smog engulfs the Taj Mahal as the overall air quality goes down amid the rising air pollution, in Agra on Saturday.  ANI were seen wearing masks in a bid to breathe filtered air. The average Air Quality Index (AQI) level in the national capital was recorded at 412 this evening, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The AQI value was based on readings taken by the pollution control agency from 35, out of 40 air monitoring stations spread across the city. Maximum AQI level on Saturday was recorded at Shadipur area, with a value of 487, followed by Anand Vihar with an AQI of 482. Amidst the offensive against the Hamas group in Gaza, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday had a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, reaffirming India's commitment to “countering terrorism, observance of international humanitarian law and for a two-state solution". “Spoke this afternoon with FM Eli Choen of Israel. Appreciated his sharing the Israeli assessment of the current situation.” “Reiterated our firm commitment to countering terrorism, observance of international humanitarian law and for a two-state solution," Mr Jaishankar posted from his official handle on X. Can birthday boy Kohli propel India to 8th straight win in top-of-table contest against SA? TRIDIB BAPARNASH KOLKATA, 4 NOVEMBER The iconic Eden Gardens is all set to host one of the most riveting contests of the ongoing ICC World Cup as the two most impressive sides of the tournament — India and South Africa — face off in a top-of-the-table contest on Sunday. While both teams still have one more game left to play, the face-off between India and the Proteas is already gearing momentum as India with their all-round package and South Africa, with their powerhitting ~ occupy the top-two spots in the league table after six rounds. Except for a blip against the Netherlands, South Africa have blown away all their opponents before shedding their chokers tag by pulling off a nerve-wracking chase against Pakistan. On the other hand, India has been on a blemish-free run with an allwin record. The Temba Bavuma-led side displayed brilliant PAK BEAT NZ, KEEP SEMI-FINALS FIGHT ALIVE P12 Quake rattles Nepal: Mahadev app row: PM, Congress trade barbs 157 dead, many hurt KATHMANDU, 4 NOVEMBER New Moon on 13 November The thick blanket of haze formed by smog-covered Delhi skies continued to make the life of the residents miserable on Saturday as air quality of the air in the city remained ‘severe’ leaving them gasping for breath. Difficulty in breathing and irritation in eyes among other health-related issues continued to be a common refrain among the people in and around the national capital. Patients, especially those suffering from asthma, bronchitis, lung issues, and cardiovascular diseases have been advised by doctors against venturing out in the open. Several people in the streets, in buses, metro trains, two-wheelers, and even those commuting by private cars P4 AGENCIES Max. 88 % TEMPERATURE SIDDARAMIAH, SHIVAKUMAR CONVEY MESSAGE OF UNITY Indian players during a practice session ahead of the match against South Africa in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, at Eden Gardens, in Kolkata on Saturday. BISWAJIT GHOSHAL temperament to prove they can handle the pressure by holding their nerve to scrape past Pakistan by one wicket in their previous game, but they will need to do more to escape unhurt against a rampaging Indian side. This is the second top-ofthe-table clash for the home side, after having decimated New Zealand at Dharamsala to maintain their winning momentum, and will eye an encore against the Proteas in The City of Joy. The match holds special significance for one of India’s batting stalwarts - Virat Kohli, who will turn 35 on Sunday, and the run-machine will be expected to light up the celebrations with a special 49th ODI century, to match master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar’s milestone in the 50-over format. Kohli has so far slammed a hundred and three fifty-plus scores in the ongoing edition of the World Cup, and with the wicket at the Eden promising another run-feast, expecting a three-figure score from the Delhi batter won’t be a tall ask. Besides Kohli, the onus will also be on the skipper Rohit Sharma, who has been in sublime form, along with the likes of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer to tame the South African bowlers. Much of the credit for India’s seven wins in seven games goes to the bowling attack, with Mohammed Shami emerging a gamechanger, by picking up 14 wickets in 22 overs at an average of 6.71 and economy of 4.27. With back -to-back five wicket hauls, Shami has cemented his spot in the Playing XI after initially warming the bench for the first couple of matches. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been impressive as ever, while the slower bowlers - Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav have also been on the money. Pandya ruled out; Krishna named replacement Star allrounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Cup due to the ankle injury he picked up against Bangladesh last month. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna has replaced him in India's squad. (More on Page 11) CMYK ber for Indians requiring assistance due to the recent earthquake in Nepal: +9779851316807 MEA India,” India in Nepal posted on X. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 4 NOVEMBER Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched an all-out attack on Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel after Baghel was named in the alleged Mahadev betting app scam. Addressing an election rally in Durg, he said the Congress has never left any opportunity to loot the people of Chhattisgarh. “Congress party's Chhattisgarh Government has left no opportunity to loot you. They did not even spare the name of Mahadev,” he said. “Two days back, a big operation took place in Raipur. A huge cache of currency notes was found. People say that the money belongs to gamblers and bets. The Congress leaders are filling their houses with this loot money. You can see in media reports that to whom its links go back to," Prime Minister Modi said. He said the Congress needs to answer as to what links it has with people in Dubai who were accused in the scam. “State government and the CM should tell the people of Chhattisgarh what links they have with the people sitting in Dubai who are accused of this scam,” the PM asked. “After the money is seized, the CM is baffled and is suddenly found in action. I have heard that local leaders are sending us a message that money will be planted on our leaders and police will be sent. Who are they trying to threaten? Nothing is hidden from the public," the PM said. The Congress is abusing me every day. The State Chief Minister is abusing even the country’s security forces and probe agencies. “People have elected me to my office to catch the corrupt,” he said. He said that agencies would investigate all scams in the state. The Congress on Saturday hit back and accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of hatching a conspiracy to tarnish the image of Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel in "partnership" with the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The party declared its intent to bring this matter before the ‘court of the public’, vowing to receive a strong response in the forthcoming Assembly elections. The statement of the grand old party came a day after the ED, which is investigating the "Mahadev online betting app syndicate" said in a statement that "so far, around Rs 508 crore have been paid by the app promoters to Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel". The probe agency, however, said that "these are subject matters of investigation". Questioning the timing of the ED's statement with less than a week left for the first phase of the Assembly polls, the Congress said it would approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) and also explore all legal options in this regard. The party also termed it "vendetta politics". (More on Page 5)