MONDAY 22 APRIL 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 WHO’S WHO AT TRUMP’S HUSH MONEY CRIMINAL TRIAL CENTRE CONSPIRING TO KILL KEJRIWAL: DELHI MINISTER P2 WEATHER KKR BEAT RCB BY 1 RUN ‘MODI, RAHUL SPEAK IN THE SAME TONE WHILE CRITICISING KERALA’ P9 P4 PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. POSSIBILITY OF DRIZZLE ACCOMPANIED WITH GUSTY WINDS (SPEED 2535 KMPH) AT ONE OR TWO PLACES. THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 38 & 24 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. People punishing Cong for its sins: PM in Jalore RAINFALL: nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY INDIA bloc hits out at Central govt over arrest of Kejriwal, Soren at ‘Ulgulan Nyay’rally STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Max. 59 % P12 NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL Min. 30 % TEMPERATURE Max: 36.8 °C-1) SUN RISES 5:48 hrs MOON RISES 17:32 hrs Min: 24.0 °C (1) SUN SETS 18:51 hrs MOON SETS 05:15 hrs THUMBNAILS A pair of zebras in a playful mood inside their enclosure on a hot summer day, at Tata Steel Zoological Park (TSZP), in Jamshedpur on Sunday. ANI Voting begins for Maldives parliamentary election: Maldivians started voting in parliamentary elections Sunday, marking a crucial ballot for President Mohamed Muizzu, whose policies are closely monitored by India and China, both vying for influence in the Island nation, The Washington Post reported. Both countries are looking forward to it because the strategic location of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean makes it a sought-after prize (Pg 9) for New Delhi and Beijing. Congress now incapable of contesting even 300 seats, says Narendra Modi Ranchi: Clashes between two groups at INDIA bloc rally P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, saying that the grand old party, which had once won 400 seats, is now incapable of contesting even 300 seats in this Lok Sabha polls. "The people of the country are punishing the Congress for its sins,” PM Modi said while addressing a public rally in Rajasthan's Jalore. The Prime Minister said that in the first phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, half of Rajasthan has taught a good lesson to the Congress. “You have given your blessings to the BJP every time, this time too, the people of Jalore-Sirohi are saying 'Phir ek baar Modi sarkar'. The patriotic people of Rajasthan know that the Congress couldn't provide a strong government at the Centre. Their government used to run on remote control. The country does not want the conditions before 2014 to return," PM Modi said. Without naming Sonia Gandhi, the Prime Minister slammed the former Congress president for choosing the Rajya Sabha route to reach Parliament. NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL The INDIA bloc rally in Ranchi was marred by violent clashes on Sunday as two groups came to blows, resulting in injuries to several people. While the leaders of the INDIA bloc were addressing a massive gathering, a clash ensued reportedly between the workers of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress over some issues. Workers of both parties engaged in violent clashes and hurled chairs and sticks at each other. Security personnel intervened but by the time they reached the spot, some people were already AGENCIES injured. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren during the INDIA Bloc's 'Ulgulan Nyaya Maha Rally'. ANI NIKHIL VYAS NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares a light moment with BJP candidate Lumbaram Choudhary during a public meeting in Jalore on Sunday. ANI “The Congress party bears sole responsibility for its current state. Earlier, Rajasthan sent former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Rajya Sabha, and now you have another leader of Congress in Rajya Sabha (Sonia Gandhi). People who knew that they could not win ran away from the race and reached the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. Congress has eroded the country's integrity by spreading the termites of 'parivaarwad' and corruption. The youth of the country are so angry with the Congress that it doesn't want to see their face again," the PM said. He further said that the Congress party, which is a symbol of instability, and its alliance can never run the country properly. “Congress was in power for 60 years; once they used to win 400 seats, but today they can't even find candidates for 300 seats. They are paying the price of their wrongdoing. Now they have made an opportunistic alliance in the name of the INDIA bloc which got its wings clipped before it could take flight. The socalled allies are contesting against each other in states and at least in 25 per cent of seats," Mr Modi said. The prime minister further said that it is the mis- sion of his government to ensure that water reaches every household and farmer across the country. "It is my mission to ensure water reaches every household and farmer in the country. In the last five years, over 11 crore families have benefited from the Jal Jeevan mission. Unfortunately, the Congress government in Rajasthan did corruption in this also.” “The Bhajanlal government is conducting a probe into this. Had there been no Congress government in Rajasthan, we could have achieved our targets under the 'Har Ghar Jal' scheme," he said. In a show of strength, top leaders from the Opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday hit out at the BJP-led Central government over the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Addressing the 'Ulgulan Nyay' rally in Ranchi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the BJP and asserted that the 'Shakti' of the INDIA bloc is so strong that the people of BJP cannot break it. "They keep saying 500, 400 (seats). But this time, the 'Shakti' of the alliance is so strong that whether it is PM Modi or whoever, the people of BJP cannot break our Shakti. We are that strong. They are trying to scare us. But we will not get scared if Hemant Soren is sent to jail for refusing to part ways with the INDIA bloc," Mr Kharge said. Earlier, AAP leader Sanjay Singh attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that Mr Modi's washing powder cleans all corruption. “Narendra Modi speaks against corruption. He put Hemant Soren, and Arvind Kejriwal in jail under false accusations. When he (PM Modi) and BJP speak on corruption, it is like Osama Bin Laden and Gabbar Singh preaching non-violence. A Modi washing powder has come which cleans all your corruption. Their slogan is 'Jo jitna bada bhrashtachari, wo utna bada padadhikari," the AAP leader said. Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, said: "Arvind Kejriwal has no desire for power. He just wants to serve the nation. He wants to make the country no.1. He says if educated people don't come into politics, how will the country progress?" Mrs Kejriwal alleged that there is a conspiracy to kill her husband. "Many people say politics is a very dirty thing, and it's true. There is a camera over his food, his every morsel is being monitored...He is a sugar patient, and he has been taking 50 units of insulin every day for the last 12 years. But he is not being given insulin in jail. They want to kill Delhi's CM," she said. Amit Shah promises justice for Gorkhas Rajnath Singh: No power in the world can stop introduction of CAA in country STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SILIGURI, 21 APRIL STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA/ SILIGURI, 21 APRIL Campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today launched a fierce attack on Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee over the Sandeshkhali controversy. "She's now just Mamata by name. In character and conduct, her 'Mamata' has been lost," Mr Singh said at a rally at Sagarpara Narasinghapur club playground in Murshidabad. He asked: "What has happened to West Bengal since Mamata Didi became chief minister? Lawlessness has spread throughout the state. Criminals and hooligans are running rampant while the decent people are terrified. West Bengal has become infamous for crime and communalism. If incidents like Sandeshkhali happen in a state with a woman chief minister, what can one understand?" Mr Singh was addressing a gathering to campaign for BJP Lok Sabha candidate Gourishankar Ghosh. “No power in the world can stop the introduction of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the country,” Mr Singh added. Two days ago, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that she will not allow CAA or NRC in this state as long as she is alive. Rajnath Singh was believed to have given his answer in Sunday’s meeting. Mr Singh claimed that BJP will get more than 30 seats in the Lok Sabha polls in the state this time. He then promised the people of the state a crimefree West Bengal under the BJP's leadership, stating, “I am telling you, this time fly the flag of the BJP in West Bengal. Whoever has caused incidents like Sandeshkhali will face competition. When the ED and CBI came to investigate, they were attacked by these goons. There's no law and order left in West Bengal. The first con- dition for any state's development is strict law and order. And what can be said about the incidents like Sandeshkhali? Not just India, the whole of humanity feels ashamed.” He then attacked Mamata Banerjee directly, saying: "Even in SSC, TET exams, there is corruption. Even in lotteries, there is corruption. Wherever you go, there is corruption! Mamata Didi, I want to tell you, you're just Mamata by name. Mamata is supposed to be motherly. Why don't you see the suffering of the people? Where has your motherly compassion gone? Now you're just Mamata by name." "She wants to form a government by dividing Hindus and Muslims. This politics of caste and religion should stop. If you want to do politics, do it with justice and humanity, Mamata Didi," Mr Singh said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah today promised that the Gorkhas in Darjeeling would get justice under the provisions of the Indian Constitution. Union home minister Amit Shah was scheduled to attend a public meeting at Lebong in Darjeeling to campaign for his party candidate Raju Bista today but his helicopter could not land there due to inclement weather conditions despite attempts since morning. He was in Siliguri and after waiting for a long time since 10 am he started for Darjeeling around 1 pm but the pilot chose not to take the risk of trying to land his helicopter due to frequent climate changes in Darjeeling. Finally Mr Shah headed to Katihar to attend another programme there. After reaching Katihar, Mr Shah phoned Raju Bista Provisional net direct tax collections for Financial Year 2023-24 exceed Budget Estimates by ` 1.35 lakh crore STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 21 APRIL The net direct tax collections (provisional) for the Financial Year (FY) 2023-24 have exceeded the Union Budget Estimates (BE) by Rs 1.35 lakh crore (7.40 per cent), the Ministry of Finance said on Sunday. The provisional figures of direct tax collections for the FY 2023-24 show that net collections are at Rs 19.58 lakh crore as compared to Rs 16.64 lakh crore in the preceding Financial Year, i.e., FY 2022-23, representing an increase of 17.70 per cent. “The Budget Estimates (BE) for Direct Tax revenue in the Union Budget for FY 2023- 24 were fixed at Rs 18.23 lakh crore which were EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS Net Direct Tax collections (provisional) for Financial Year (FY) 2023-24 exceed Union Budget Estimates by Rs. 1.35 lakh crore i.e. by 7.40per cent Net Direct Tax collections (provisional) for the FY 2023-24 exceed Revised Estimates by Rs. 13,000 crore Gross Direct Tax collections (provisional) for FY 2023-24 stand at Rs. 23.37 lakh crore registering a growth of 18.48per cent Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) revised and the Revised Estimates (RE) were fixed at Rs 19.45 lakh crore. The provisional direct tax Net Direct Tax collections (provisional) for the FY 2023-24 stand at Rs. 19.58 lakh crore marking a growth of 17.70per cent Y-o-Y Refunds aggregating to Rs. 3.79 lakh crore issued in FY 2023-24 collections (net of the refunds) have exceeded the BE by 7.40 per cent and RE by 0.67 per cent,” the Ministry said in a statement. The Gross collection (provisional) of direct taxes (before adjusting for refunds) for the FY 2023-24 stands at Rs 23.37 lakh crore showing a growth of 18.48 per cent over the gross collection of Rs 19.72 lakh crore in FY 2022-23. The Gross Corporate Tax collection (provisional) in FY 2023-24 is at Rs 11.32 lakh crore and has shown a growth of 13.06 per cent over the gross corporate tax collection of Rs 10 lakh crore of the preceding year. The Net Corporate Tax collection (provisional) in FY 2023-24 is at Rs 9.11 lakh crore and has shown a growth of 10.26 per cent over the net corporate tax collection of Rs 8.26 lakh crore of the preceding year. The Gross Personal Income Tax collection (including STT) (provisional) in FY 2023- 24 is at Rs 12.01 lakh crore and has shown a growth of 24.26 per cent over the Gross Personal Income Tax collection (including STT) of Rs 9.67 lakh crore of the preceding year. The Net Personal Income Tax collection (including STT) (provisional) in FY 202324 is at Rs 10.44 lakh crore and has shown a growth of 25.23 per cent over the Net Personal Income Tax collection (including STT) of Rs 8.33 lakh crore of the preceding year. Refunds of Rs 3.79 lakh crore have been issued in the FY 2023-24, showing an increase of 22.74 per cent over the refunds of Rs 3.09 lakh crore issued in FY2022-23, the statement added. and decided to address the audience in Darjeeling over the phone. “I want to inform the Gorkha family that we are with your struggle for justice. I promise you will be getting justice. Indian Constitution will provide you justice,” Mr Shah said over the phone. “The Bharatiya Janata Party is determined to resolve all problems in the Hills. The demand for tribal status for 11 left-out communities in the Hills is under consideration and discussion is going on the matter,” Mr Shah said, adding, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched several schemes for tourism, to bring in development for Darjeeling and workers of tea gardens.” Expressing his respect to the Gorkhas for their sacrifice in the interests of the country, Mr Shah said: “BJP always prioritises the interests of Gorkhas. Only the BJP can restore peace in the Hills. Please stay with us and elect a Gorkha candidate Raju Bista for the second time and for Narendra Modi as third time Prime Minister.” Mr Shah will address two public meetings in Raiganj and Malda on 23 April. Speaking to reporters, Mr Bista said he may request Mr Shah to attend a roadshow in Siliguri on 23 April. Besides Hill-based political leaders, Satpal Maharaj from Uttarakhand was present at Gorkha Stadium in Lebong to campaign for Raju Bista. Satpal Maharaj emphasized the Central government’s commitment to ensure justice for this region and people under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. He highlighted the major works undertaken by the Central government in the region and stated that his blessings are always with the people from Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooar. According to Mr Bista, in a telephonic message, Amit Shah stated that BJP is the only party that is committed to ensuring peace, progress and development in the region. The issue of 11 left-out Gorkha sub-tribes as Scheduled Tribe is under consideration, and that the people of Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars will definitely get justice under the Constitution of India. Mr Shah has shared his regrets and stated that he will meet with the people of the region very soon, according to Mr Bista. KIDS’ DAY OUT Children enjoy ice cream bars on a hot summer day, in Agartala. ANI
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