WEDNESDAY 20 MARCH 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 TEJASVI SURYA DETAINED DURING K’TAKA PROTEST PRESCRIPTIONS VARY P6 SENSEX 72,012.05736.38 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Rain or thundershower accompanied with gusty wind 30-40 kmph is very likely to occur. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 30 °C and 23 °C respectively. CONGRESS AUTHORISES KHARGE TO FINALISE MANIFESTO FOR POLLS P4 NIFTY 21,817.45238.25 GOLD 66,330460 ` vs $ 83.03 Supreme Court declines to impose interim stay on implementation of rules PARMOD KUMAR Max. 93 % NEW DELHI, 19 MARCH TEMPERATURE Max: 29.7°C (-5) SUN RISES 05:42 hrs MOON RISES 12:46 hrs Min: 23.7°C (0) SUN SETS 17:47 hrs MOON SETS 02:1 hrs Full Moon on 25 March THUMBNAILS Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi and Buddhist religious heads receive relics of Lord Buddha and those of his two main disciples at Air Force Station Palam on Tuesday. ANI India names Vinay Kumar as new Ambassador to Russia: Senior diplomat Vinay Kumar has been appointed India’s next Ambassador to Russia, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday. Kumar, a 1992 batch officer of Indian Foreign Service, serving as Indian Ambassador to Myanmar since 2021, is expected to take up the assignment shortly. he Supreme Court on Tuesday sought a reply from the Central government on a batch of petitions seeking stay on the operation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 that provides for the grant of Indian citizenship to the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Buddhist, Jains, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014 to escape religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Issuing notice to the Central government and seeking its response, a bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra posted the matter for further hearing on 9 April 2024. Even as lawyers appearing for the petitioners were persistent on stay of Rules in the meantime, the bench didn’t pass any such order. Seeking four weeks’ time to file “detailed” reply, the T Issuing notice to the Central govt and seeking its response, a bench of CJI, Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra posted the matter for further hearing on 9 April 2024. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Central government, told the court that there were 237 petitions and 20 applications. However, senior advocate Kapil Sibal appearing for lead petitioner Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) told the bench that the reply to these petitions have already been filed as notice in these matters was issued way back on 22 January 2020. Mr Sibal told the bench that once the citizenship is granted, then it cannot be reversed. If they have waited till now, they can wait till July or whenever this court Cong, DMK promote dynasty, stall development, says Modi STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 MARCH Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday accused INDI alliance partners of deliberately insulting Hindu dharma and said their statements against the Hindu religion are well thought out, while they do not utter a word against other religions, and abuse the Hindu dharma spontaneously. Mr Modi was addressing a large public meeting in Salem, Tamil Nadu. He greeted 11 'Shakti Ammas' who came to the dais to welcome P12 SILVER 77,300300 BRENT CRUDE (IN $) 86.120.070 SC seeks govt’s reply on Trinamul says it wants SC to monitor Lok Sabha polls pleas to stay CAA rules RAINFALL: 0.7mm RELATIVE HUMIDITY Min. 65 % P5 RASHID THREATENS TO WITHDRAW FROM BBL him at the public rally. The Prime Minister slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 'Shakti' remark and said that the election campaign has just started, and the INDI Alliance has revealed its plans in its first rally itself. "During their first rally in Mumbai, they made state- ments about destroying 'Shakti', about fighting against 'Shakti'. Their statement has been a sheer insult to the Hindu religion, Hindu faith," he added. They opposed installation of the holy Sengol in Parliament, he said. "Mariamman yahan ki Shakti hai. In Tamil Nadu, Kanchi Kamakshi is 'Shakti', Madurai Meenakshi is 'Shakti'. Congress, DMK and the INDI alliance say they will destroy this (Shakti). Hamare shastra sakshi hai ki vinash unka hota hai jo Shakti ko khatam karne ka vichar rakhte hai'. decides this matter. There is no great hurry. As Solicitor General Tushar Mehta hammered the point that no prejudice would be caused to any of the petitioners and none’s citizenship is going to be affected by enforcing CAA, senior advocate Indira Jaising said that it is a far more vital issue if the constitutionality of the CAA. Senior advocate Jaising said that if they are granted citizenship, they will get voting rights. Distancing himself from this, Mr Sibal said that far more serious issuers are involved. Asking what was the Notification for 1st phase LS polls today STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 19 MARCH The notification for the first phase of voting in the 18th Lok Sabha elections will be issued on Wednesday, setting the stage for the world’s largest electoral process. According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission (EC), polling will be held in 102 parliamentary constituencies spread across 21 States and Union Territories. The last date for filing nominations for candidates is 27th March except for Bihar, which is on 28th March. India rejects China’s ‘absurd claims’ over Arunachal NEW DELHI, 19 MARCH India on Tuesday reacted sharply to China “advancing absurd claims” over Arunachal Pradesh, saying the Northeastern state will always remain an integral and inalienable part of this country. “We have noted the comments made by the spokesperson of the Chinese Defence Ministry advancing absurd claims over the territory of the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. Repeating baseless arguments in this regard does not lend such claims any validity,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. He asserted, “Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Its people will continue to benefit from our development programmes and infrastructure projects.’’ Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, on Monday, said the southern part of Xizang ~ the Chinese name for Tibet ~ is an inherent part of the country’s territory, after raising objections to PM’s recent visit to Arunachal to inaugurate the strategically important Sela SNS tunnel. CMYK sudden urgency to notify the Rules nearly four years and three months after CAA was passed by the parliament, Mr Sibal told the bench: “What’s the urgency after four years and three months? If any process of citizenship starts and people get citizenship it will be irreversible. So, the process shouldn’t start. Once you grant citizenship, you can’t take it back.” The petitioners then said that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta be asked to give an assurance that the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024 Rules will not be implemented and citizenship will not be granted till the petitions are pending before the top court. However, Mehta refused to make any statement. In an effort to persuade the bench to stay the operation of CAA and CAR, as Indira Jaising urged the court to says that any grant of citizenship, during the pendency of the matter, would be subject to the outcome of the adjudication of the challenge to CAA/CAR. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, 19 MARCH The Trinamul Congress on Tuesday said it wants the general elections in the country to be held under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Derek O’Brien, Trinamul Congress Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson of the ruling party inWest Bengal, posted on his X handle: “We want Supreme Court monitoring election 2024.” “BJP’s filthy tricks destroying institutions like the Election Commission of India. Are BJP so nervous to face people that they are turning into a party office to target the Opposition? ECI or His Master’sVoice?” he posted.“Transferring officers of elected State govts. For free and fair elections,” his post stated. The ECI’s decision removing the state director general of police, Rajeev Kumar, and replacing him withVivek Sahay, director general (home guard) as the state police chief, is believed to have prompted the Trinamul demand. Interestingly, the Election Commission of India today removed Mr Sahay as DGP , within less than 24 hours, and replaced him with the director general (fire services), The demand comes a day after the Trinamul Congress filed a complaint against Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the ECI for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). director general of police. “Our party leadership is also considering the idea of the SC-monitored LS polls in the country. Derek has already floated the proposal through his X handle post today,” Trinamul Congress leaders Sagarika Ghosh said in Delhi while speaking to reporters today. The demand also comes a day after the TMC filed a complaint against Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the ECI for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). In a letter to the ECI, Mr O’Brien wrote: “It has come to our attention that the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, has purportedly penned a letter dated 15.03.2024 which has been addressed to “My dear family member”, wherein, he has highlighted various pro- grammes/schemes initiated by the BJP-led Central Government over the past decade. The said letter has been mass-circulated through WhatsApp directly to various citizens across the country.” He wrote,“Shockingly, Mr Modi’s letter is accompanied by a message which reads as follows: “This letter has been sent by the Government of India under the leadership of Hon’blePrimeMinisterNarendra Modi Ji. In the last 10 years, more than 140 crore citizens of India have directly benefited from different schemes of the Government of India and will continue to benefit in the future”. Admittedly, the message clarifies that the Government of India is sending the message under the aegis of Mr. Modi, who is also a contesting candidate set up by the BJP from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.”
The Statesman is one of India's oldest English newspapers. It was founded in Kolkata in 1875 and is directly descended from The Friend of India (founded 1818). The Englishman (founded 1821) was merged with The Statesman in 1934. The Delhi edition of The Statesman began publication in 1931. The Statesman Weekly is a compendium of news and views from the Kolkata and Delhi editions. Printed on airmail paper, it is popular with readers outside India. The Statesman (average weekday circulation approximately 180,000) is a leading English newspaper in West Bengal. The Sunday Statesman has a circulation of 230,000.