TUESDAY 14 MAY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘BJP TRYING TO POLARISE MUSLIM VOTES’ P4 SENSEX 72,776.13 P5 NIFTY 22,104.05 WEATHER MAINLY CLEAR SKY. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 41 AND 26 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY ` vs $ 83.52 Min. 25 % Max: 40.2 °C (+1) SUN RISES 5:31 hrs MOON RISES 10:54 hrs GOLD 74,660.00 THUMBNAILS STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY An elderly woman shows her ink-marked finger after casting her vote for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha Polls, at a polling booth, in Warangal on Monday.  ANI Retail inflation eases to 4.83pc in April: The annual inflation rate based on the all India Consumer Price Index (CPI) number stands at 4.83 per cent for April over the same month last year, the government data said on Monday. According to the data shared by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), the corresponding inflation rate for rural and urban areas was 5.43 per cent and 4.11 per cent, (P8) respectively. P rime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that INDI alliance members appear to have taken a “supari” (contract) against India as they give clean chit to Pakistan on the 26/11 Mumbai attack, raising questions on the surgical air strikes against Pakistan, while the Left wants India to destroy its nuclear weapons. Addressing a BJP election rally in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, he said the INDI alliance leaders see Pakistan’s atom bomb even in their dreams. “Can you trust the coun- try in the hands of these parties and leaders? Can such selfish people take tough decisions for defence of the country,” he asked. “Look at the statements made by the Congress and the INDI alliance leaders. They say Pakistan is not wearing bangles; OK, we will arrange these for them. They need flour, they do not have electricity; we didn’t know they do not have bangles also,” said Mr Modi. Such parties are not sure of themselves, can they make India “mazboot” (strong); they will only make India “majboor” (helpless), the prime minister said, adding this election is for the nation, to decide its future and elect its leadership, which can be trusted with running it. “The nation does not want a weak, cowardly and unstable government of the Congress party. Do you like a weak constable in your locality or a teacher who is unstable? You want both of them strong. How can the prime minister of the country be not strong, then? Can a coward PM run the country,” he asked. Mr Modi said as the fourth round of polling in the Lok Sabha elections took place on Monday, there was a storm in favour of the BJP and NDA. In Bihar, too, the jungle-raj party (RJD) is going to fall flat on the ground, he said. “Wherever I have been, there is only one voice heard, phir ek baar, Modi sarkar (once again, Modi government),” he said. The prime minister said the NDA considers East India states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal and Odisha as growth engines for Viksit Bharat (developed India). “That is why I am working on Viksit Bihar, Viksit Bharat mantra,” he added. Bihar should have modern connectivity and improved law and order situation, he said. The NDA is working on all issues, in all directions. Modi has a nature of working in all four directions, at the same time, he said. P12 SILVER 86,500 PM: India does not want a coward Congress govt Min: 27.5 °C (+2) SUN SETS 19:05 hrs MOON SETS 00:57 hrs FOCUS ON KL RAHUL AS LSG TAKE ON DC P10 Modi said that the INDI alliance leaders see Pakistan’s atom bomb even in their dreams Max. 66 % TEMPERATURE ‘RAHUL RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM PAKISTAN’ ‘DO NOT GET DETERRED BY DIVERSIONARY TACTICS’ PM Modi to file nomination from Varanasi today VARANASI, 13 MAY Prime Minister and Kashi MP Narendra Modi will file his nomination papers for the third time from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday after taking permission from Kashi's Kotwal Kaal Bhairav. On Tuesday, there is a coincidence of Pushya Nakshatra with Ganga Saptami. Chief Ministers of 12 BJPruled and alliance states including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be present during the Prime Minister's nomination process. Apart from this, other Union Ministers and BJP officials will also be present. Before nomination, PM can pay obeisance to Mother Ganga at Dashaswamedh Ghat at around 9 am. It is also proposed that PM will go to Namo Ghat by cruise and from there the he will go to Kaal Bhairav ??Temple . After worshipping at the temple, he will move to the Collectorate for nomination. After nomination, PM will reach Rudraksh Convention Centre to hold a meeting with the workers. (PG10) BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 89.83 LS polls: 4th phase polling records 62.84 pc turnout STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY An estimated 62.84 per cent voter turnout was recorded on Monday in the fourth phase of voting in the Lok Sabha elections in 96 constituencies spread across 10 states and Union territories. The voting in 1.92 lakh polling stations that commenced amid tight security at 7 am concluded at 6 pm. The polling was reported to be by and large peaceful. Of the 96 Lok Sabha seats in the fourth phase, 25 were from Andhra Pradesh, 17 from Telangana, 13 from Uttar Pradesh, 11 from Maharashtra, eight each from Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, five from Bihar, four each from Jharkhand and Odisha and one from Jammu and Kashmir. With this, the fate of 1,717 candidates was sealed in EVMs. Prominent among the candidates from the BJP are Union Ministers, Girijaj Singh (Begusarai, Bihar), G Kishan Reddy (Secunderabad, Telangana), and Madhavi Latha (Hyderabad, Telangana), while from Congress are its Leader of the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Baharampur, West Bengal) and party’s Andhra Pradesh chief YS Sharmila (Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh). Other key contenders in the fourth phase include Sama- Four dead, 59 hurt after massive billboard PoK will become part of falls during Mumbai dust storm India, says Jaishankar AGENCIES MUMBAI, 13 MAY At least 4 persons were killed, and 59 others injured in two separate incidents -- a gigantic hoarding crash in Ghatkopar and a vertical steel parking lot in Wadala -- in Mumbai, in the aftermath of a massive duststorm that shrouded the city for over two hours, following by unseasonal rains, the BMC Disaster Control said here on Monday. A monstrous hoarding of advertisements crashed in the gusty winds on several houses and a petrol pump in Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar east suburb around 4.15 p.m. At least 59people were left injured and another 70 are still feared trapped under the hoarding when many vehicles queued up to refill petrol and diesel. In Wadala, a multi-storied, vertical steel parking lot near the Shreeji Towers building crashed on a main road in the squally dust storm this afternoon. The tumbling parking lot crushed around a dozen vehicles and one person sitting in a car was trapped, said the officials. The Mumbai Fire Brigade rushed over a dozen fire engines, and the NDRF rushed its expert teams, which managed to rescue 62 people and are engaged in a huge search and rescue operation for the others still trapped in the Ghatkopar hoarding crash. A heavy-duty crane was deployed to lift the hoarding to enable the rescuers to reach the victims trapped. Taking serious cognisance, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde rushed to the tragedy spot, enquired about the rescue operations, and ordered the BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and Mumbai Police to conduct a probe into the tragedy. "I have also ordered the BMC authorities to carry out a special audit of all the hoardings in Mumbai and remove all the illegal ones from the city," Shinde told mediapersons while announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. Bharatiya Janata Party exMP Kiriti Somaiya told mediapersons from the site that the hoarding was allegedly illegal and the BMC had reportedly issued a notice to remove it on Sunday. He demanded a thorough inquiry into how the illegal hoarding was allowed to be erected without following safety norms, arrest and slap criminal charges against the owners. Besides the two major tragedies, there were reports of several tree crashes, vehic- Consider purchasing stocks before 4 June, markets will shoot up: Amit Shah STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY In a sensational remark coming amid the stock market continuously trading in the red, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday urged investors to consider purchasing stocks before June 4. Shah during an interview cautioned against linking recent stock market fluctuations with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Home Minister expressed optimism, and forecast a surge in the domestic stock market. "I can't anticipate stock market moves. But normally whenever a stable government is formed at the Centre, the market sees a rally. I see 400-plus seat wins for the Bharatiya Janata Party, a stable Modi government coming, and thus market rising," he said. It is to be noted that over the past few sessions, the share markets have made huge corrections over the past few sessions due to various factors. On the rumors that the share market crashes indicated a poor performance by the BJP, Minister Shah pointed out that the markets have made bigger corrections several times prior to this. Notably, the markets tanked on Monday following a heavy selloff by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) in May. Analysts have linked the uncertainty to the poll outcome. The crack has resulted in investors losing Rs 4.85 lakh crore since the last trading session on May 10. Early trade showed only 910 of the 3,431 stocks trading in green while over 150 stocks hit their lower circuit. As per HM Shah’s selfsworn affidavit filed with the Election Commission of India (ECI), the minister has a stock portfolio valued at around Rs 17.46 crore while his wife also holds stocks worth around Rs 20 crore. The market reversed from the day’s low on Monday and ended up with a marginal gain. However, the investors remain concerned over the progressing general election and high valuation. ular accidents and other minor incidents due to the sudden inclement weather conditions. After the dust storm subsided, many parts of Mumbai were lashed by rains, bringing some respite from the heat and humidity. The BMC Disaster Control said that in two hours between 4-6 p.m., south Mumbai recorded an average of 18 mm rains, eastern suburbs notched 47 mm and the western suburbs recorded 35 mm of rainfall. The BMC has issued a warning of a thunderstorm likely to hit parts of Mumbai with strong winds of 50-60 kmph, later on Monday night, and advised citizens to exercise precautions while stepping out. The IMD Pune head K.S. Hosalikar said that a moderate to intense thunderstorm accompanied by strong winds, is likely to lash Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ahmednagar, Pune and Satara, besides parts of Mumbai in the next few hours. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday asserted that the ''illegal occupation'' of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) will end and the region will become part of India. "These days, a lot of things are going on at the PoK. You must have seen some incidents happening there. Now, the Modi government, we are very clear on this. (There is a) Parliament resolution, we are very clear that PoK is part of India. It was always part of India, it will be part of India," he said during a media interaction in Mumbai. ''And we definitely have this intention... one day we will end the illegal occupation of the PoK and the PoK will join with India,'' Dr Jaishankar said. The minister also questioned those who opposed the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. "If I talk about the record, then in the last five years, one of our great achievements was on Article 370. And we will also say that the NDA's record and the NDA's thinking, the Modi government's thinking is how we can integrate Kashmir with the country, how we can further develop Kashmir. On the other hand, you see those who wanted to run Article 370, who were interested in it. So this is also a very clear choice in front of the country," he said. Dr Jaishankar also commented on Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's remarks that "they (Pakistan) are also not wearing bangles" and will attack India, saying that some leaders are so afraid of Pakistan's nuclear weapons that they believe India should not talk about PoK. "Farooq Abdullah reminds us not to talk about PoK because Pakistan has nuclear weapons. We are proud of India's nuclear weapons. On the contrary, Pakistan's nuclear weapons seem to be more important. If it is Manish Shankar Iyer or Farooq Abdullah, they are so afraid of Pakistan's nuclear weapons that they think that we should not talk about PoK.'' He said the BJP-led NDA is on the side of the CAA and wants to take it forward while the Opposition parties are prisoners of the vote bank. India, Iran sign long-term contract for operations at Chabahar Port STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 MAY In a major development that will help India increase trade with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, India and Iran on Monday signed a longterm contract under which the India Ports Global Limited (IPGL) will operate the ShahidBeheshti Port of Chabahar. The agreement was signed in Tehran in the presence of Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehrdad Bazrpash. ''The signing of the agreement marks a turning point in bilateral and regional trade and economic cooperation between Iran and India, as well as facilitating strategic cooperation between the two countries,'' Iranian news agency IRNA said. The agreement aims to operationalize the objectives of the international transport agreement in the north-south corridor, the trilateral transit agreement among Iran, India, and Afghanistan, with a focus on the Chabahar Port, it added. Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jais- hankar said the agreement for the management of the Chabahar Port will clear the way for strengthening economic ties between the two countries. "As and when a long-term arrangement is concluded, it will clear the pathway for bigger investments and more linkages coming out of the seaport,” he said. India has been developing a terminal at the port in Chabahar, with a view to transport goods to not only Afghanistan but also Central Asian countries There are also plans to link the Chabahar Port with the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) that connects India with Russia via Iran. This would be an alternative route bypassing the congested Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz sea lanes. The Chabahar Port is likely to serve as a counterbalance to Pakistan's Gwadar Port and China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India has already started using the port to send goods to Afghanistan. Pakistan does not allow India to send its goods to Afghanistan through its territory. jwadi Party (SP) chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav (Kannauj), AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi (Hyderabad) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra (Krishnanagar, West Bengal). According to the data issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), West Bengal recorded 75.94 per cent turnout, Madhya Pradesh 68.63 per cent and Andhra Pradesh 68.12 per cent. Uttar Pradesh registered a 57.88 per cent turnout. Elections also took place for all 175 seats of Andhra Pradesh Assembly and 28 seats of the Odisha Legislative Assembly simultaneously in the fourth phase on Monday. As per the voter turnout app, Andhra Pradesh recorded 68.04 per cent polling and Odisha 63.85 per cent in the first phase of Assembly polls. For the convenience of voters, the poll panel made arrangements for assured minimum facilities like water, shed, toilets, ramps, volunteers, and wheelchairs. The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases between 19th April and 1st June. The first phase of polling was held on 19th April, the second phase on 26th April, and the third phase on 7th May. The first phase recorded 66.14 per cent voter turnout, the second 66.71 per cent, and the third phase 65.68 per cent. Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking removal of Kejriwal as Delhi CM AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 13 MAY The Supreme Court dismissed a plea on Monday seeking the removal of Arvind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Delhi because of his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said it cannot go into such issues and it is up to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi to look into it. The bench said, "How should we go into all this? Let the LG take action if he wants to... there is no legal right." Last week, the bench granted interim bail to Kejriwal in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Delhi on June 1. The bench, however, said that Kejriwal cannot discharge the functions of the Chief Minister, sign any official files, or use the Chief Minister's Office. Earlier, the Delhi High Court dismissed pleas seeking directions to remove Arvind Kejriwal as Chief Minister of Delhi following his arrest by the central agency. Petitioner before it was attempting to drag the court into a political thicket, the Delhi HC had said. The Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal received a big relief from the Supreme Court, which on Friday (May 10) granted him interim bail till June 1 in the alleged money laundering case linked to Delhi's excise policy. He spent over 50 days in Tihar Jail after being arrested by the ED in connection with the case on March 21, days after the election schedule for the general elections was announced. The bail is applicable til June 1, and Kejriwal must surrender to authorities on June 2. The Delhi CM can participate in poll campaigning but cannot attend his office as Chief Minister.