FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 32 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW Silent voter Trump says Lebanon, Israel agree to extend Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire by three weeks Page 8 Page 11 BJP will try and prevent people from voting on 29 April: CM Mamata STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE SATURDAY INTERVIEW ‘Politics must embrace spirituality’ Oppn intensifies pressure to oust CEC Gyanesh Kumar STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 24 April A group of 73 Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha has submitted a fresh notice of motion seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging “proven misbehaviour” and accusing him of undermining constitutional principles. In a statement, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the notice had been submitted to the Secretary General of the Upper House, urging that an address be presented to the President of India for the CEC’s removal. The motion cites Article 324(5) of the Constitution, read with Article 124(4), and Section 11(2) of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. Mr Ramesh said the notice details nine specific charges against the CEC based on “acts and omissions committed on and after March 15, 2026.” He stated that the allegations have been “documented in great detail” and “cannot be denied or whitewashed away.” “The continuation of the Chief Election Commissioner in office is an assault on the Constitution,” Mr Ramesh said, adding, “it is an absolute disgrace that the man continues to be in office to do the bidding of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.” • Details: Page 7 I people as intruders, Muslims as Pakistanis, and Sikhs as Khalistanis. Do not teach us religion.” She declared that the BJP’s end is near. “They failed to pass the Women’s Reservation Bill. Though the bill was passed in 2023, their sole purpose (this time) was delimitation. They lost on the floor of the House, and their downfall has begun. We will not stop until the BJP is ousted from Delhi.” Miss Banerjee further said, “The BJP did not participate in the freedom movement. Bengal produced the highest number of revolutionaries. BJP leaders wrote to the British administration, giving undertakings that they would not join the freedom struggle. This is their character, yet now they pose as the biggest nationalists.” She cautioned people against BJP’s divisive politics: “They have come here to divide society and destroy our communal peace and harmony. They will even try to regulate our food habits. We eat both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food ~ it is our choice. The BJP follows pseudo-Hinduism and hates people of other religions.” Saturday, 25 April 2026 Struggling Delhi Capitals face uphill task against unbeaten Punjab Kings Page 16 AAPocalypse in Rajya Sabha: 7 MPs join BJP New Delhi, 24 April Trinamul Congress chairperson and state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that the TMC performed strongly in the first phase of elections held yesterday, predicting that BJP leaders will leave the state once election results begin to pour in on 4 May. She was addressing a political rally at Jagatballavpur in Howrah this afternoon. Miss Banerjee alleged that, sensing defeat, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with senior administrative officials and would attempt to prevent people from casting their votes on 29 April. “Go to the polling stations in the morning and cast your vote. Rest assured, Trinamul Congress is coming back to power,” she said. Miss Banerjee accused BJP leaders of coming to Bengal “to spread lies and confuse people.” Urging voters to remain fearless, she added: “So long as we are here, there will be no NRC and no detention camps.” Miss Banerjee questioned BJP’s stance on religion: “Why should we learn religion from them? We belong to the land of Chaitanya and Sri Ramakrishna. We believe in inclusivity and do not hate the religion of others. We take part in every festival ~ religion is individual, but festivals are for all. The BJP brands Bengali-speaking | Page 9 VIBHA SHARMA Kolkata, 24 April SILIGURI SPORTS WORLD EDITORIAL | n a stunning political development that effectively gutted the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP in the Rajya Sabha, seven of its 10 MPs on Thursday joined the BJP, invoking the Constitutional provision that treats a two-thirds breakaway as a “merger” rather than a split. Addressing the media flanked by colleagues Sandeep Pathak and Ashok Mittal, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha alleged that the party (AAP) he had “nurtured with blood and sweat” had deviated from its core principles, values, and morals. He said that four other MPs ~ Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikram Sahney and Swati Maliwal ~ were also with them, taking the total number to seven. Mr Chadha said the MPs, making up more than twothirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha strength, had signed a letter submitted to the Chairman. “There are 10 AAP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, and more than two-thirds are with us. Seven MPs have submitted the required documents,” he added. Under the Tenth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (Anti-Defection Law), a merger is legally recognised, and members are not disqualified, if two-thirds or more of the SC hails high turnout, peaceful polls: New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday praised the roughly 92 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of the West Bengal assembly elections on Thursday. Chief Justice Surya Kant, heading a bench also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, said: “As a citizen of India, I was very happy to see the voting percentage. When people exercise right to vote, this strengthens the democratic setup.” Justice Bagchi noted: “There have been no incidents of violence also,” adding “When people acknowled-ge their power in the ballot, they do not indulge in violence.” Page 4 members of a legislative party agree to merge with another party. Later, the three former AAP MPs also met BJP president Nitin Nabin in the party headquarters “I am telling you the real reason why I distanced myself from party (AAP) activities. I did not want to be part of their crimes. We had only two options ~ either quit politics or continue public service. We have decided that two-thirds of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MPs will exercise constitutional provisions and merge with the BJP,” Mr Chadha said. The AAP had 10 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, including the three remaining ~ Sanjay Singh, N D Gupta, and Balbir Singh Seechewal. In the Lok Sabha it is represented by Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Raj Kumar Chabbewal, and Malwinder Singh Kang. Political corridors in Punjab are abuzz with speculations of “another split in the pipeline.” AAP leaders reacted sharply, calling the move a “gaddari” (betrayal) that the people of Punjab who sent them to the Rajya Sabha will never forget. In a post on X, Mr Kejriwal said: “BJP ne phir kiya Punjabiyon ke saath dhakka.” “People of Punjab will never forgive this betrayal,” Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said, describing the seven MPs as “traitors” who would gain nothing in the BJP. PM Modi shares stage with RG Kar victim’s mother, attacks TMC RAJIB CHAKRABORTY Kolkata, 24 April Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday shared the stage with the mother of the RG Kar hospital victim, who has been fielded as the BJP candidate from Panihati, as he attacked the ruling Trinamul Congress over alleged crimes against women and “lawlessness” in Bengal. Addressing an election rally at Amrabati ground in Panihati in North 24-Parganas, the Prime Minister held up Ratna Debnath’s hand as he urged the electorate to vote for her in the ongoing Assembly elections. Mr Modi said: “This mother had raised her daughter to become a doctor. The ‘jungle raj’ of the Trinamul snatched her away. We have made her mother a candidate.” He reiterated his charge that the state government was “anti-women” and asserted that, if voted to power, the BJP would reopen all cases of crimes against women that were allegedly “abruptly shut down”. “After 4 May, every such file will be reopened. This is Modi’s guarantee,” he said. Citing figures released by the Election Commission, he said the turnout during the first phase of polling yesterday had touched a record 92.71 per cent, describing it as an indicator of a political shift in the state. “Trinamul leaders are stunned seeing the turnout. A lamp flickers the brightest before it goes out. The same is happening with the Trinamul,” he remarked.