FRIDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2025 www.thestatesman.com X.com/thestatesmanltd. Fb/thestatesman1875 SINCE 1818 Pages 16 |` 5.00 | LC KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR ‘MANIPUR GOVERNOR VIOLATING ARTICLE 174’ 'SEEK PERMISSION BEFORE MEETING SHINDE SENA LEADERS' P5 SENSEX 76,138.97q32.11 WEATHER Generally clear. Hazy in the evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30°C and 17°C respectively. TEMPERATURE Max: 30.2˚C SUN RISES 06:08 hrs MOON RISES 19:09 hrs P13 23,031.40q13.85 ` vs $ 86.92 IMPHAL, 13 FEBRUARY Min: 17.3˚C SUN SETS 17:32 hrs MOON SETS 07:10 hrs M New Moon on 27 February THUMBNAILS Women pose for a picture at Paradox Museum on the eve of Valentine's Day, in Mumbai on Thursday. n ANI Two killed, several injured as two elephants run amok at Kerala temple festival: Two people were killed and several others injured after two elephants ran amok during a festival at Manakulangara Temple at Kuruvangad near Koyilandy in Kerala's Kozhikode. The deceased has been identified as Leela (68) and Ammukkutty (65), both natives of Kuruvangad. Around 25 injured persons were admitted to Koyilandy Taluk Hospital while two in critical condition were admitted to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital. anipur was brought under President’s Rule on Thursday five days after the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who stepped down amid internal dissent within the state BJP unit and mounting pressure from the Opposition Congress. The state Legislative Assembly has been placed in suspended animation. The Centre’s decision came after the ruling BJP party failed to reach a consensus on a new leader, plunging the violence-hit state into political uncertainty. A communiqué from the Rashtrapati Bhavan stated that President Droupadi Murmu, after reviewing the Governor’s report and other inputs, was convinced that “a situation has arisen in which the Government of that State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of India.” Biren Singh, a former footballer-turned-politician and two-term BJP Chief Minister, resigned on Sunday after meeting with the party’s central leadership in Delhi. His departure followed growing dissent within the state BJP, where a faction of MLAs had been calling for his replacement over governance issues and handling of the ongoing ethnic conflict between Meitei and Kuki communities. Despite efforts by BJP’s North-East in-charge Sambit Patra, who has been in Imphal negotiating JPC report on Waqf Bill tabled in Parliament amid Opposition ruckus STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 FEBRUARY with party MLAs, no consensus could be reached on a new Chief Minister. Initially, sources suggested a breakthrough on Tuesday, but differences among factions persisted, forcing the Centre to impose President’s Rule to prevent further instability. The political crisis in Manipur is unfolding against the backdrop of prolonged ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki communities. Over 250 people have been killed, and thousands displaced, as armed clash- Parliament adjourned, to reconvene on 10 March STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE After six months of nationwide consultations, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) report on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 was tabled in Parliament on Thursday amid strong protests from the Opposition. The Opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha amid the discussion on the report, alleging deletion of dissent notes. In the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah made it clear that the government would have no objection if the dissent notes of the Opposition are added to the JPC report on the Bill. BJP lawmaker and Chairman of the Waqf JPC Jagdambika Pal tabled the panel's report. Amid sloganeering by the Opposition members, Home Minister Shah said: "Some members of the Opposition have raised the objection that their dissent notes have NEW DELHI, 13 FEBRUARY not been fully included in the report. On behalf of my party, I would like to request that the disputes of the Opposition be included in the appropriate procedure of the parliamentary process; my party has no objection to this." Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he had included all the dissent notes after meeting with the Opposition leaders. "Whatever issues were raised by the members of the Waqf Board who met with me, I have included them in the annexure," he added. In the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Medha Vishram Kulkarni presented the report even as the Opposition staged a walkout while the discussion on the JPC report was going on, alleging that dissent notes from Opposition members were removed. Earlier, the Upper House was adjourned till 11.20 a.m. following a ruckus by Opposition members. As the Opposition MPs resorted to sloganeering after the House resumed, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urged them to maintain decorum. Parliament was adjourned on Thursday and will reconvene on 10 March, in the second and final half of the Budget session. The Budget session of Parliament kicked off on 31 January, beginning with President Droupadi Murmu’s Address to the joint sitting of both the Houses, followed by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presenting the Union Budget the next day. SeveralkeyBillswereintroduced during this session including the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and thenewIncomeTaxBill,tabled by Mrs Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha today. The report of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill was also tabled amidst protests by Opposition parties in both Houses. ‘Jurisdiction over impeachment of Allahabad HC judge lies with Parliament and President’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 FEBRUARY Weighing in on the move by Opposition MPs seeking the impeachment of Allahabad High Court judge Justice Shekhar Yadav for his controversial remarks at an event organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday said that only Parliament has the jurisdiction to remove a high court judge. Issuing a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha, the RS Chairperson and Vice President said: “I am seized of an undated notice for motion received on 13 December 2024, bearing 55 purported signatures of the members of the Rajya Sabha seeking removal from office of Justice Shekhar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court GOLD 88,295.00 President’s Rule imposed in Manipur ABHIJIT DEB Min. 33% under Article 124(4) of the Constitution.” “The jurisdiction over the stated subject matter constitutionally lies in exclusivity with the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and eventually with the Parliament and the President,” he said. “It is expedient that the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha share this information with the Secretary General of the Supreme Court of India,” he said. In December last year, 55 Opposition MPs submitted an impeachment motion in the Rajya Sabha, calling for the removal of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court following his controversial comments at an event organised by the VHP, where he advocated that the “will of the majority” should govern the country. The motion, initiated by Independent MP Kapil Sibal, has been signed by several prominent figures, including Congress leaders P Chidambaram, Digvijaya Singh, Jairam Ramesh, Vivek Tankha, and Randeep Singh Surjewala; AAP’s Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha; TMC’s Saket Gokhale and Sagarika Ghose; RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha; SP’s Javed Ali Khan; CPI(M)’s John Brittas; and CPI’s Sandosh Kumar. The Supreme Court had earlier sought a report from the Allahabad High Court Chief Justice on the remarks made by Justice Yadav and had later asked him to appear before senior judges of the court. GAMBHIR WANTS HARSHIT, ARSHDEEP TO STEP UP P12 After BJP MLAs in state failed to reach consensus on Biren successor RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 56% NIFTY AMBANIS TOP LIST OF ASIA’S RICHEST FAMILIES es, arson, and targeted attacks have rocked the state. Despite heavy deployment of central security forces, sporadic violence has continued. The crisis has also seen the involvement of armed militant groups, with security forces launching crackdowns on these outfits. The Congress, sensing an opportunity amid BJP’s internal strife, had been preparing to move a noconfidence motion against the Biren Singh government. The opposition accused the BJP of mishandling the ethnic conflict and failing to restore normality. Mr Singh’s resignation was seen as a preemptive move to avoid a political embarrassment in the state assembly. However, the BJP's inability to decide on a new leader has exposed deep divisions within the party. The Centre’s decision to impose President’s Rule suggests a temporary pause as it seeks to resolve internal conflicts and chart a way forward. (Representational Image) P16 SILVER 1,07,000 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 74.18q1.00 PM meets Tulsi Gabbard, US NSA, Elon Musk ahead of talks with Donald Trump STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 13 FEBRUARY Ahead of his crucial talks with President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held key meetings with the newly appointed US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (photo), US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Tesla CEO and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday. The meeting with Ms Gabbard was held just hours after she was sworn in as US Director of National Intelligence at a ceremony in the White House. After the meeting which took place late Wednesday night, PM Modi in a post on microblogging platform X said: “Met USA’s Director of National Intelligence, @TulsiGabbard in Washington DC. Congratulated her on her confirmation. Discussed various aspects of the India-USA friendship, of which she’s always been a strong votary." The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said: “PM @narendramodi met with USA’s Director of National Intelligence, @TulsiGabbard in Washington DC. They discussed various aspects of the India-USA friendship." “The discussions touched on enhancing bilateral intelligence cooperation, partic- ularly in counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, emerging threats, and strategic intelligence sharing. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest, reaffirming their commitment to a secure, stable, and rulesbased international order,” the PMO said. US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz later called on Mr Modi at the Blair House, where they held bilateral talks on deepening strategic ties between India and the USA and addressing global security challenges. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval are also present at the meeting. PM Modi called defence, technology, security "important aspects" of ties between India and US and said that his discussion with Mr Waltz were held around these issues. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, accompanied by three of his children, later met with Mr Modi. On the meeting, PM Modi posted: “Had a very good meeting with Elon Musk in Washington DC. We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology and innovation. I talked about India's efforts towards reform and furthering ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’.” All eyes are now on the Prime Minister's meeting with President Donald Trump which will take place late tonight. The two leaders are expected to discuss a whole range of bilateral issues and global developments. After the bilateral meeting with Mr Trump at the White House, both leaders will deliver a joint press statement followed by a dinner hosted by the US leader late tonight.