MONDAY 06 MAY 2024 www.thestatesman.com Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC INDIA’S NATIONAL NEWSPAPER SINCE 1818 Twitter.com/thestatesman Facebook.com/thestatesman KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR UNDERSTANDING A MONARCH ‘POK, AN INTEGRAL PART OF INDIA, IS BACK IN NAT’L CONSCIOUSNESS’ P7 P5 WEATHER Partly cloudy sky. Possibility of thundery development likely towards evening. Maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 36 °C and 29 °C respectively. RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 88 % TEMPERATURE P4 Entire Sandeshkhali row cooked up, says Mamata ‘PM must stop shedding crocodile tears as entire conspiracy has now come to light’ STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BIRBHUM/BURDWAN, 5 MAY Min. 54 % Max: 36.4°C (+1.0) Min: 29.3°C (+3.2) SUN RISES SUN SETS 05:2 hrs 18:5 hrs MOON RISES MOON SETS 02:50 hrs 15:16 hrs Full Moon on 08 May THUMBNAILS Tourists enjoy river rafting on the waters of Beas River, in Manali on Sunday. ANI Several detained in Poonch: Several persons were detained for questioning on Sunday as the Indian Army launched massive search operations in the Surankot Sector of the Poonch district where a soldier of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was killed and five others injured in an ambush by Pakistan backed terrorists on Saturday. The IAF has identified the martyred soldiers as Corporal Vikky Pahade and the Chief of Air Staff Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari. IAF personnel conveyed their condolences to the bereaved families. (Pg 5) lleging that the entire Sandeshkhali imbroglio was the handiwork of the BJP Chief Minister Mama, ta Banerjee on Sunday asked PM Narendra Modi to stop shedding crocodile tears as the entire conspiracy has now come to light. “You can get back the money but you can never never get back the selfrespect of mothers, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at an election rally in Birbhum today, referring to the alleged sting video footage of a BJP leader in which the latter purportedly admits that money was paid to some women to raise allegations against local Trinamul Congress leaders. Miss Banerjee said that BJP has mastered the art of scripting fake videos and the Sandeshkhali incident is their latest creation. “This party is now becoming uncontrollable. The PM is coming to Sandeshkhali and shedding his crocodile’s tears for the women of Sandeshkhali, though at the same time he remains mum on atrocities on A Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and TMC candidate from Bardhaman-Durgapur constituency Kirti Azad greet supporters during a rally in Bardhaman on Sunday. ANI women in Manipur or in the Revanna sex scandal case in Karnataka,” Miss Banerjee said. The entire incident of Sandeshkhali is cooked up and money power has been used, she alleged. In the coming days the real story and truth of the Sandeshkhali incident will be unveiled, the CM claimed. “It was a deliberate ploy to defame the ruling party of the state and get political gains in the elections,”she said. Addressing a TMC election campaign for Bolpur candidate Asit Mal in Birbhum district today, Miss Banerjee said that there has been a lot of development NADA SUSPENDS PUNIA FOR NOT GIVING DOPE SAMPLE FIR FILED AGAINST CHANDRABABU NAIDU work in the district due to team work.“Anubrata Mondal was an efficient organiser; he has been put behind the bars for a long time. If he had joined the BJP he would have been roaming freely outside. But it is a fact that one day definitely Anubrata Mondal will get bail and come out of prison. He has already been asked to work for the BJP in the polls and get bail.You just wait and see, after the polls of Birbhum are over Kesto will get bail,” Miss Banerjee said. The Chief Minister said that the BJP has even targeted Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, a pride of Birbhum district, through the for- mer vice chancellor of VBU over his land issue. He has got relief and the state supported him during those days. It was only an effort to defame the Bharat Ratna awardee because he opposes Narendra Modi, Miss Banerjee said. During her speech, she asked: “Why are all major cricket matches during this present NDA regime only held in Ahmedabad? Is there no alternative big cricket stadiums in other cities of the country like Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai?All three members of the Election Commission of India are selected by the BJP and they are changing (police) ICs, OCss, DIGs almost everyday on the basis of the complaint of the BJP the CM said. , Accusing the BJP itself of having links with the coal mafia, she questioned what steps the Border Security Force has taken to stop cow smuggling at the border. “Not only Anubrata Mondal is in Tihar Jail, so is Arvind Kejriwal. The central agencies like ED, CBI, Income Tax are working as BJP cadres but one day all of them will come out on bail in these false and fabricated cases,”she added. P12 Campaigning for 3rd phase ends; BJP, Opp leave no stone unturned STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 MAY Campaigning for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections that saw leaders of the BJP and the Opposition INDIA bloc leaving no stone unturned to woo voters in their favour, came to an end on Sunday evening. The polling for the third phase in 94 parliamentary constituencies spread across 12 states/Union territories, along with the Betul seat, will be held on Tuesday (7 May). The states/UTs where polling will take place in the third phase are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. In all, 1,351 candidates are in the fray in the third phase. Prominent among the candidates from the BJP are Union ministers Amit Shah and Jyotiraditya Scindia, and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, while from Congress former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh is in the fray. Mr Shah is the BJP’s nominee from Gandhinagar (Gujarat) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with Telangana CM Revanth Reddy during a public meeting in Adilabad on Sunday. ANI seat, Mr Scindia from Guna (Madhya Pradesh), Mr Chouhan fromVidisha seat, while Mr Singh is contesting from Rajgarh seat. Other key contenders in the fray are Dimple Yadav, wife of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, from Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh) parliamentary constituency, and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal from Dhubri (Assam) seat. The campaign was marked by a war of words between the BJP and the Congress over the grand old party’s manifesto ‘Nyay Patra’ with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling Rahul Gandhi as Shehza- The campaign was marked by a war of words between the BJP and the Congress over the grand old party’s ‘Nyay Patra’ manifesto with the PM calling Rahul Gandhi Shehzada’ (prince). da’ (prince). Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi countered PM Modi’s jibe calling him ‘Shahenshah’ (emperor), who lives in palaces. The general elections are being held in seven phases between 19 April and 1 June. The first phase of polling was held on 19 April, and second on 26th April. The first phase recorded 66.14 per cent voter turnout while the second saw a turnout of 66.71 per cent. ‘False & malicious’: Govt on reports that FSSAI ‘No quota on basis of religion as long as I’m alive’ allows 10 times more pesticide residue in herbs STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE HARGAON (SITAPUR), 5 MAY STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 5 MAY The Union Health Ministry on Sunday said the media reports claiming that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) allows 10 times more pesticide residue than the allowed limit in herbs and spices, are false and malicious. The Ministry said that India has one of the most stringent standards of Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) in the world and MRLs of pesticides are fixed differently for different food commodities based on their risk assessments. "Pesticides are regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA and FW) through the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB and RC) constituted under Insecticide Act,1968. The CIB and RC regulate the manufacturing, import, transport, storage of pesticides and accordingly the pesticides are registered/ banned/ restricted," it said. The ministry said the Scientific Panel on Pesticides Residues of FSSAI examines the data received through CIB and RC and recommends the MRLs after performing risk assessment considering the dietary consumption of Indian population and health concerns in respect of all age groups. Total pesticides registered by the CIB and RC in India are more than 295, out of which 139 pesticides are registered for use in spices. Codex has adopted a total 243 pesticides out of which 75 pesticides are applicable for spices, it said. "A pesticide is registered on many food commodities with different MRLs based on risk assessment data. For instance, the use of Monocrotophos is allowed on many crops with different MRLs such as rice at 0.03 mg/kg, citrus fruits at 0.2 mg/kg, coffee beans at 0.1 mg/kg and cardamom 0.5 mg/kg, chilli at 0.2 mg/kg," the Ministry said. ‘Political conspiracy going on against me’, says HD Revanna The MRL of 0.01 mg/kg was applicable in case of pesticides for which MRLs have not been fixed. This limit was increased to 0.1 mg/kg only in cases of spices and is applicable only for those pesticides which are not registered in India by CIB and RC, it said. The Ministry said the MRLs fixed by CODEX for Myclobutanil used for chilli is 20 mg/kg whereas the limit set by FSSAI is 2mg/kg. Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is the food safety and quality standardsetting body created by the UN. For Spiromesifen, used for Chilli, Codex limit is 5 mg/kg whereas FSSAI limit is 1 mg/kg. Similarly, Codex standards for Metalaxyl and MetalaxylM used for black pepper is 2mg/kg whereas the limit set by FSSAI is 0.5 mg/kg, it added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that Congress wants to implement Karnataka model of reservation in the country and vowed that he would never allow it. “As long as Modi is alive, I will not allow reservation on the basis of religion," he declared at an election rally in Hargaon in Sitapur. The PM added that the Samajwadi Party and Congress are now eying women's Stridhan and Mangalsutra. PM Modi said that BJP works on the mantra of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas in which every section of the society is benefitted. But the princes of SP and Congress are doing appeasement politics to please a certain section of the society. The PM said Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur are called the sugar bowl of Uttar Pradesh Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Ram Janmabhoomi Temple on Sunday. ANI but the previous Samajwadi Party government in the state has added bitterness to the lives of sugarcane farmers. “The sugarcane was wasted and payment was not made. Yogi government has removed all these shortcomings and has given the same amount of money to sugarcane farmers in seven years that SP and BSP did not give ON A HOT DAY Molestation allegations cheap drama, says Governor Ananda Bose AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE BENGALURU, 5 MAY Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Revanna, who was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in a kidnapping case linked to the obscene video scandal in which his son is embroiled, said on Saturday that it is a political conspiracy against him and he has never seen anything like this in his political career. Mr Revanna was brought to the Bowring & Lady Curzon Hospital for medical examination after he was arrested yesterday by SIT officials. “It’s a political conspiracy going on against me. In my 40 years of political life, I have never seen anything like this,” he said to the reporters outside the hospital. “There is no blame on me in politics. A complaint was made against me on April 28. However, no evidence was found in this case. With the malicious intent of arresting me, they filed a kidnapping case against me and arrested me," Mr Revanna added. Additional Chief Metro- to the sugarcane farmers in their 10 years of rule," the PM claimed. PM Modi said that government was also working on making this area a hub for banana farming. Referring to Nighasan to Dhaurahara road and Gola to Shahjahanpur road, Mr Modi said that the people of Sitapur and Lakhimpur can proudly say that they are no THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, 5 MAY JD(S) leader HD Revanna being taken into custody by SIT officials in Bengaluru on Saturday. ANI politan Magistrate Arvind B. Kattimani later in the day allowed the SIT custody of Mr Revanna till 8 May. During his questioning by SIT officials on Saturday night and Sunday morning, sources said, Mr Revanna refuted the charges of kidnapping and sexual harassment levelled against him. Mr Revanna maintained that he was not involved in any of the cases and it was a conspiracy to finish him and his family off, the sources added. HD Revanna and his son, Prajwal Revanna, who is the sitting MP and candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency are facing a probe by a SIT, constituted by the Karnataka government, over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation following a complaint by a woman who worked in their household. Earlier, a special court in Bengaluru rejected the interim bail application of Mr Revanna and Prajwal Revanna in connection with the alleged "obscene videos" case. The Holenarsipura MLA and his associate were booked under Sections 364A (kidnapping for ransom), 365 (kidnapping with intent to cause harm), and 34 (common intention) of the IPC. less than anyone in the case of development . Hargaon is adjacent to Lakhimpur district Hargaon town of Sitapur is about three kilometres from the border of Lakhimpur district on the Lakhimpur-Sitapur road. The PM's election meeting is being linked to the electoral equation of Sitapur, Dhaurahara and Lakhimpur Kheri Lok Sabha seats. Meanwhile, PM's roadshow in Ayodhya was a splendid spectacle that underscored the deep cultural and political significance of the ancient city. Against the backdrop of fervent devotion to Lord Ram, the roadshow took on symbolic importance, blending religious sentiment with political messaging. In other words, the event in Ayodhya ahead of the third phase of LS polls underscored the intricate interplay between religion, identity, and electoral politics in the country. Women, with cloth covering their heads, walk on the Kartavya Path on a hot summer day, in New Delhi on Sunday. ANI CMYK West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has said the molestation allegations against him are a “cheap political drama” at the behest of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Speaking to a Malayalam news channel, Ananda Bose said that many people are trying to pull him down. However, they would fail in their attempts, he added. “Many people are trying to pull him down. No one should think that I will fall like that,” he said. “The state government has no power to announce a probe against the governor. Will take strict action if it crosses the legal limits,” the governor said. The Governor’s response came in the wake of West Bengal Police launching an inquiry after a contractual woman employee lodged a complaint on Thursday evening, accusing him of molesting her. The Kolkata Police on Friday set up a team to probe the allegations of sexual harassment against Bose by a contractual employee of Raj Bhavan. In her written complaint to the Hare Street police station, the woman alleged that the governor sexually harassed her, first on 24 March and later on 2 May after summoning her to his chamber on the pretext of offering her a permanent job. The West Bengal Raj Bhavan has not responded even though the investigation team has written to it seeking CCTV footage of the two rooms where the molestation is said to have taken place. The Raj Bhavan employees, who were given notices to testify, have reportedly not appeared before the investigation team No criminal procedures can be initiated against the President of India and Governors of States while they are in office as per Article 361 of the Constitution.
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