May 2019

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May 2019 

BJP misusing government 

machinery: Mayawati 

Lucknow : Bahujan 

Samaj Party (BSP) supremo 

Mayawati here on 

Wednesday accused the 

Bharatiya Janata Party 

(BJP) of misusing the government 

machinery to influence 

elections and slammed 

the Election Commission 

(EC) over its silence. 

"In states where the BJP 

is in power, the party has 

misused government 

machinery to influence 

elections. They cross all 

limits, particularly, on the 

voting day. Such examples 

are prominent in the case of 

UP, Tripura and 

Maharashtra. Despite this, 

why is the EC not taking 

cognisance of the matter?" 

she tweeted in Hindi. 

She went on to say the 

Prime Minister knew his 

party was staring at poll 

defeat this time and hence 

they were indulging in violence 

and misusing the 

Central Bureau of 

Investigation, the 

Enforcement Directorate 

and the Income Tax 

Department to intimidate 

leaders of opposition parties. 

BJP, Cong 

united against 

UP alliance 

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief 

Mayawati on Thursday accused the 

BJP and the Congress of fighting the 

Lok Sabha elections together against 

her party's alliance with Samajwadi 

Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal 

(RLD) in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing the 

media, she also said that the Congress 

and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 

were "cut from the same cloth". "Both 

the parties (Congress and BJP) are 

internally united and contesting the 

elections here together. The Congress 

leaders are saying that they will not let 

the SP-BSP candidate win, even if a 

BJP candidate wins," she said. 

Reminding the reporters of last 

year's incident when Congress 

President Rahul Gandhi hugged Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, 

she said: "We all saw how Rahul 

hugged the PM in Parliament, both of 

them are evidently in collusion." 

She also urged people to vote for the 

alliance candidate, instead of the 

Congress, to "ensure that the BJP's 

defeat is certain." 

India complains about 

diplomats' harassment 

in PAKISTAN 

New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) India has raised its concerns with 

Pakistan over harassment of two of its diplomats by intelligence 

personnel last month and asked it to conduct an inquiry 

and prevent recurrence of such incidents, sources said here on 

Saturday. 

It also conveyed its concerns regarding security of the Indian 

High Commission in Islamabad. 

Sources said that the concerns about the security of the mission 

were conveyed to Islamabad in a demarche. 

India also sent a note verbale last month protesting about the 

harassment of two of its diplomats and their being locked up in 

a room for over 20 minutes at Gurdwara Sacha Sauda 

Gurdwara near Lahore on April 17. The two Indian diplomats, 

who were at the gurdwara to facilitate Indian pilgrims, were 

also threatened and asked never come to the area again. 

They were locked up in a room by about 15 Pakistani intelligence 

personnel, their bags were searched and they were 

questioned. 

India had earlier this year also raised concern over harassment 

of its diplomats with Pakistan. 

Note ban a failure, cash in 

circulation up: Congress 

New Delhi : The Congress here on 

Saturday said the Narendra Modi-led government's 

claim of India increasingly 

becoming a cashless society after demonetisation 

has failed and the cash in circulation 

has increased. 

Citing the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 

data, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said 

cash in circulation had increased after the 

note ban decision and today it was more 

than Rs 21 lakh crore. In 2014 the cash in 

circulation was 7.8 lakh crore, in 2018 it 

increased to Rs 18.5 lakh crore. In 2016, 

just before demonetisation, it was 17.97 

lakh crore, he said. 

"Claims that demonetisation will eliminate 

fake notes and deal a fatal blow to 

terrorism have turned out to be hollow. The 

Ex-BSF man's 

nomination cancelled 

in VARANASI 

Varanasi : The Election Commission has cancelled the nomination 

of former Border Security Force trooper Tej Bahadur 

Yadav, who was set to contest from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat 

against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Tej Bahadur Yadav had been served a notice on Tuesday 

because he had given different reasons for leaving his job in the 

two sets of nomination papers filed -- one as an Independent and 

the second as a Samajwadi Party candidate. 

The former security personnel told reporters that his nomination 

papers were cancelled at the behest of the Centre even 

though he had replied to the notice explaining the difference in 

reasons. As soon as the news of the cancellation spread, 

Samajwadi Party workers gathered at the Collectorate. 

Later, talking to reporters, District Magistrate Surendra 

Singh said that Tej Bahadur Yadav had failed to give a satisfactory 

response to the notice served and hence his nomination was 

cancelled. 

Tej Bahadur Yadav said on Wednesday that he will take up 

the matter with the Supreme Court. 

people who had black money quietly converted 

currency through dubious 

and fraudulent means," 

the Congress leader said. 

The Congress also claimed 

after the demonetisation in 

2017, Rs 7,000 crore were 

deposited in the Zuric-based 

Swiss National Bank. "On one 

hand they are saying we will 

get back the black money, on 

the other black money is being 

stashed away," Sibal said. 

A reflection of what the 

demonetisation had achieved 

was the cash seizures, a few 

days before the first phase of 

Lok Sabha polls, had crossed 

Rs 377 crore, Sibal added.

2 May 2019 

ASIA 

www.theasianindependent.co.uk 

Parties blame BJP for attack on Kejriwal 

New Delhi : AAP and several other 

parties on Saturday blamed the BJP 

for the attack on Delhi Chief Minister 

Arvind Kejriwal during a road show in 

West Delhi today, calling it yet another 

instance of "negligence" in the 

security of the AAP leader. 

AAP said the "opposition-sponsored 

attack" won't be able to stop the 

party in Delhi. 

Delhi will go to the polls on May 

12 in the sixth phase of the general 

election. The AAP is contesting 

against the BJP and Congress. 

Deputy Chief Minister and AAP 

leader Manish Sisodia said Kejriwal 

has remained "unstoppable" in the last 

few years, alleging that "(PM) Modi 

and (BJP chief) Shah are trying to kill 

Kejriwal". AAP spokesperson and 

MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj too blamed 

the BJP. "Kejriwal is supposedly a Z+ 

security protectee, who has been 

attacked several times in a systematic 

and clearly visible pattern. Whenever 

there is an attack, BJP tries to justify it 

on national TV. They try to make a 

hero of the attacker," said Bhardwaj. 

"Many of the attackers in the past 

have had links with the BJP. The wife 

of today's attacker also confirmed that 

he is a Modi bhakt." He alleged the 

Delhi Police deliberately lowers its 

guard to make the CM vulnerable to 

such attacks. "No one talks of suspension 

of Commissioner of Police... this 

is in itself a glaring evidence that the 

Modi government is patronising these 

attacks." Several other parties too 

blamed the BJP and condemned the 

attack. Sharad Yadav, Loktantrik 

Janata Dal chief, said the slap will 

ensure the defeat of BJP. "The slap on 

Arvind Kejriwal today during the 

roadshow will ensure BJP's total 

defeat. The BJP has made politics in 

the country very dirty in the last five 

years. It will take years now to cleanse 

politics in our country," he tweeted. 

TMC chief and West Bengal Chief 

Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned 

the attack. 

"Political vandalism. Political 

goondaism. Political vendetta. 

Maligning and attacking Opposition 

leaders show that BJP has lost the 

election and is making desperate 

attempts. We condemn the attack on 

Arvind Kejriwal... we are all with you, 

Arvind," she said. CPI-M chief 

Sitaram Yechury also condemned the 

attack, saying: "This is highly condemnable. 

Delhi's security is controlled 

by Modi and his government. 

Even then a Chief Minister is not safe. 

But many middle-rung BJP and RSS 

persons have got top-level security." 

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief 

Minister Omar Abdullah called the 

attack "shocking and unacceptable." 

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. 

Chandrababu Naidu said after trying 

to defeat, demoralize, degrade, destabilize 

and dethrone Kejriwal, the 

forces that have destroyed institutions, 

derailed federal principles "are now 

attempting to physically attack Arvind 

Kejriwal". 

"This is an indication of their desperation 

& defeat. I strongly denounce 

such a dastardly act and Delhi Police 

must take responsibility for this act. 

Such attacks will only strengthen our 

resolve to fight for strengthening 

democracy." 

Former Union Minister Yashwant 

Sinha, Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders 

Tejashwi Yadav, Tanweer Hassan and 

Manoj Jha too condemned the attack. 

The Delhi police said the attacker 

was an AAP supporter and worked as 

an organiser of party's rallies and 

meetings. AAP spokesperson Saurabh 

Bhardwaj, however, said Delhi Police 

was doing everything at the behest of 

the Modi government. 

"Delhi Police planted that man. 

This is shameful... even wife of the 

attacker has herself said that her husband 

is a Modi bhakt and that he did 

not like anyone talking against Modi. 

This is same Delhi Police that had 

planted a man for the 'mirchi (chilli 

powder) attack' on the CM. The 

police's statement is a proof that Delhi 

Police is taking orders from the Modi 

government," he said in a statement. 

Kejriwal has been attacked multiple 

times. Last year, the CM was attacked 

with chilli powder outside his office in 

Delhi Secretariat. 

Odisha pulls off 'biggest' human 

evacuation during Fani: CM 

Team AI : 

Devinder Chander 

Editor-in-chief 

Columnists 

V.B. Rawat 

Farzana Suri 

Arun Kumar 

Rahul Kumar 

Harminder K. Bhogal 

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Bhubaneswar : Braced for 

the worst after Met declared 

Super Cyclone Fani to hit 

Odisha earlier this week, Chief 

Minister Naveen Patnaik on 

Saturday said "a record 1.2 million 

people were evacuated in 

24 hours" claiming to have carried 

out the "biggest human 

evacuation in history". 

He hailed each and every 

one of the 4.5 crore people 

involved in the entire process - 

- the evacuees and rescuers -- 

as he appreciated volunteers 

and officials working round the 

clock to pull off the feat. 

Cyclone Fani was one of the 

rarest summer cyclones, the 

Chief Minister said in a press 

release adding thta it was the 

first one in 43 years to hit 

Odisha and one of the three to 

hit in the last 150 years. 

"Because of this rarity, 

tracking and prediction were 

challenging. Till 24 hours of 

landfall of the cyclone -- one 

was not sure about the trajectory 

it was going to take," Patnaik 

said. "However, we prepared 

ourselves to face all the possible 

eventualities. This led to 

one of the biggest human evacuations 

in history - a record 1.2 

million people were evacuated 

in 24 hours. 3.2 lakh from 

Ganjam and 1.3 lakh people 

from Puri." "I would like to 

thank all the volunteers, PRI 

members, officials, and staff 

who have worked tirelessly and 

selflessly to get around 1.2 million 

people to safety. 

"Instead of being a tragedy of 

humongous proportions, we are 

in the process of restoring critical 

infrastructure. I thank the 

4.5 crore people who have made 

this possible," Patnaik said. 

'Fani' made a landfall in Puri 

with a wind speed of more than 

200 kmph and gusting speed of 

240 kmph. It tore apart critical 

infrastructure, especially power, 

telecom and water supply. 

"Lakhs of trees were uprooted, 

blocking roads, breaking homes 

and damaging public infrastructure. 

In Puri district and parts of 

Khurda, electricity infrastructure 

has been totally devastated 

and we have the challenge of 

having to set up the entire electrification 

afresh," Patnaik said. 

The districts of Cuttack, 

Bhadrak, Kendrapada, 

Jagatsinghpur, Balasore, 

Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, 

Dhenkanal, Nayagada have also 

been affected. Preliminary 

reports suggest kuccha houses 

have been completely destroyed 

in Puri, parts of Khurda and 

other districts. 

Scientists find 

cocaine in UK shrimp 

London : Researchers in the 

UK have found cocaine, pharmaceuticals 

and pesticides in all 

samples of freshwater shrimp in 

a rural area of eastern England. 

Scientists from King's College 

London and the University of 

Suffolk tested the exposure of 

freshwater shrimp to different 

micropollutants at 15 different 

sites in the county of Suffolk. 

Scientists were surprised to 

find illicit drugs in the samples 

in rural England, with ketamine 

also widespread. The full results 

of the study were published in 

the journal Environment 

International. 

"Such regular occurrence of 

illicit drugs in wildlife was surprising," 

Leon Barron from 

King's College London said in a 

press release. "We might expect 

to see these in urban areas such 

as London, but not in smaller 

and more rural catchments." 

Researchers also found traces of 

fenuron, a pesticide that has long 

been banned in the UK, added 

Barron, who said that the sources 

of the chemical are not clear. 

"Although concentrations 

were low, we were able to identify 

compounds that might be of 

concern to the environment and 

crucially, which might pose a 

risk to wildlife," said Thomas 

Miller from King's College 

London. "The impact of 'invisible' 

chemical pollution (such as 

drugs) on wildlife health needs 

more focus in the UK as policy 

can often be informed by studies 

such as these," said Nic Bury 

from the University of Suffolk. 

High levels of benzoylecgonine, 

the main metabolite of cocaine, 

have previously been detected in 

wastewater in London. 

Microplastics are also a concern, 

with the tiny plastic particles 

being found inside fish, sea 

turtles and even flying insects, 

the researchers said. Scientists 

have found evidence that they 

are entering the human body, 

with microplastics in human 

stools for the first time in 2018. 

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ASIA 


3 

Rise of the Right in Bengal 

will be a novel phenomenon 

Mamata Banerjees prime 

ministerial ambitions may 

have been severely jolted by 

the violence during the West 

Bengal elections which has 

recalled, according to a polling 

officer, what used to happen in 

Bihar a decade or so ago. 

Nor is the latest period of 

lawlessness the only time 

when the state has seen such 

unruliness. The panchayat 

polls a year ago were also 

marred by anarchic conditions 

so much so that a large number 

of opposition candidates could 

not file their nominations as 

the Trinamool Congress supporters 

ran amok. 

It was the sad experience of 

the panchayat polls which 

made the Election 

Commission spread the holding 

of the Lok Sabha elections 

in West Bengal over seven 

phases and ruled that the paramilitary 

forces must be present 

in every polling booth. 

Rarely has such lack of 

trust in the state police been 

displayed by a constitutional 

body in any other province. 

But the mayhem during the 

panchayat polls left no option 

for the Election Commission 

but to deploy police personnel 

from outside the state over 

whom the Trinamool Congress 

politicians will have no control. 

Since none of this 

enhances Mamata Banerjee's 

reputation, her claim to be a 

leader at the national level can 

hardly be taken seriously. 

There is little doubt that she 

has "inherited" the dubious 

legacy of her Leftist predecessors 

whose three-decade-long 

rule was characterized by a 

similar cadre raj. The only difference 

is that while the 

Marxists appeared to have 

greater control over their followers, 

the Trinamool 

Congress seemingly lets them 

run loose. As a result, nothing 

can be done in West Bengal, 

such as constructing a block of 

flats, without placating the ruling 

party goons. 

Arguably, if these rowdy 

elements have been given 

greater latitude, the reason is 

that the Trinamool Congress 

no longer feels as politically 

secure as when it ousted the 

Left. 

One explanation of its nervousness 

is the Bharatiya Janata 

Party's (BJP) rising clout as a 

result of the perception that 

Mamata Banerjee has been 

tilting rather too much towards 

the minorities to retain her 

hold on this large section comprising 

30 per cent of the population. 

Although she has lately 

been taking "corrective" 

measures by tilting towards 

the Hindus as well by undertaking 

the repair of temples, 

the BJP has apparently been 

able to establish a base of sorts 

in a state where it had hardly 

any presence earlier. 

BJP chief Amit Shah's boast 

of winning more than 20 of the 

42 seats may be exaggerated. 

But there is little doubt that, 

first, the BJP has succeeded in 

replacing the Left and the 

Congress as the Trinamool 

Congress's main opponent. 

And, secondly, that it is 

capable of making serious 

inroads into the Trinamool 

Congress's areas of influence 

in the urban and semi-urban 

localities to emerge as winners 

in eight or 10 seats. 

Aware of this possibility, 

Mamata Banerjee has done the 

worst thing possible - that of 

unleashing the cadres to intimidate 

the voters, as during the 

panchayat polls. 

It isn't only her pro-Muslim 

image which has made her act 

recklessly, but also the fact 

that under her rule, West 

Bengal has seen little development. 

A state which was once 

known for its big and small 

industries in Howrah, 

Durgapur, Asansol and 

Raniganj, and for its thriving 

mercantile offices in 

Dalhousie Square, has today 

reached a stage where Nobel 

laureate Amartya Sen was constrained 

to compare the virtually 

deserted Kolkata airport 

with Fatehpur Sikri, Emperor 

Akbar's abandoned capital. 

Despite Mamata Banerjee's 

several attempts to reach out to 

the corporate sector, there has 

been little response because 

few have forgotten her 

peremptory ousting of the 

Nano factory of the Tatas from 

Singur. If the rise of the Left in 

the 1960s saw a "flight of capital" 

because of militant trade 

union tactics based on 

"gherao", a word which has 

found its way into the English 

language, as the former 

Marxist chief minister 

Buddhadev Bhattacharjee 

proudly said, the "flight" has 

continued, turning West 

Bengal into an industrial 

wasteland. Hence, Narendra 

Modi's jibe that Mamata "didi' 

is a speed-breaker where 

development is concerned. 

Mamata Banerjee may have 

made the Leftists flee with her 

own brand of militancy, but 

countering the challenge from 

the Right with the same tactics 

is ill-advised at a time of 24x7 

television coverage. If the BJP 

is able to reach double figures 

in respect of the seats, it will 

be a blow not only to Mamata 

Banerjee, but also to West 

Bengal's vaunted reputation as 

a "progressive"-minded, Leftoriented 

state, which has little 

time for a north Indian gods 

like Ram, as the Trinamool 

Congress's Chandan Mitra 

said. To many in the state, the 

political transition from the 

Congress to the Left in the 

1960s was a natural process, 

given the state's intellectual 

pretensions. But the rise of the 

Right will be an entirely novel 

phenomenon. How the argumentative 

Bengalis deal with it 

in their "addas" will be keenly 

watched. 

Space rock hit 

Moon at 61,000 km 

an hour in January 

London : A space rock collided 

with the Moon at 61,000 

km an hour, making a 10-15 

metres crater during January's 

total lunar eclipse, say 

astronomers. Unlike the Earth, 

the Moon has no atmosphere to 

protect it and even small rocks 

can hit its surface. Since these 

impacts take place at huge 

speeds, the rocks get instantaneously 

vaporised at the impact, 

producing an expanding plume 

of debris whose glow can be 

detected from our planet as 

short-duration flashes. 

Observers watching the 

January 21 total eclipse saw a 

short-lived flash as a meteorite 

hit the lunar surface, according 

to a study published in the journal 

Monthly Notices of the 

Royal Astronomical Society. 

Observers in North and South 

America and Western Europe 

enjoyed the best view of the 

lunar eclipse. Just after the 

beginning of the eclipse, a flash 

was seen on the lunar surface. 

Amateur astronomers indicated 

that the flash was bright enough 

to be seen with the naked eye. 

The Moon Impacts Detection 

and Analysis System (MIDAS), 

which uses eight telescopes in 

south of Spain to monitor the 

lunar surface, recorded the 

moment of impact. Spanish 

astronomers Jose Maria 

Madiedo of the University of 

Huelva and Jose L. Ortiz of the 

Institute of Astrophysics of 

Andalusia operate the MIDAS. 

The impact flash lasted 0.28 seconds 

and is the first filmed during 

a lunar eclipse, despite a 

number of earlier attempts. 

MIDAS telescopes observed the 

impact flash at multiple wavelengths 

(different colours of 

light), improving the analysis of 

the event. 

Madiedo and Ortiz concluded 

that the incoming 30-60 cm 

rock had a mass of 45kg and hit 

the surface at 61,000 km an hour. 

"It would be impossible to reproduce 

these high-speed collisions 

in a lab on Earth. Observing 

flashes is a great way to test our 

ideas on exactly what happens 

when a meteorite collides with 

the Moon," Madiedo said. The 

impact site is close to the crater 

Lagrange H, near the westsouth-west 

portion of the lunar 

limb, the study said. 

Nepali, Rohingya 

Muslim girls rescued 

in Mizoram 

Aizawl : The Mizoram Police have rescued 

31 teenage Nepali and Rohingya 

Muslim girls, suspected to be victims of 

human trafficking, an official said on 

Wednesday. "Police last week rescued 23 

Nepali and eight Rohingya Muslim girls. 

We suspect these girls, aged between 15 to 

22 years, are victims of human trafficking," 

Inspector General of Mizoram Police (Law 

and Order), L.H. Shanliana, told IANS. 

The Nepali girls were rescued from 

Champhai in eastern Mizoram near the 

Myanmar border while the Rohingya girls 

were detained at Vairengte in northern 

Mizoram. The police official said that one 

Lal Bahadur, who was accompanying the 23 

Nepali girls, has been arrested. "Mizoram 

Police is investigating the matter and interrogating 

the detainees. The girls are now in 

government protection shelters," Shanliana 

said. The Nepali girls informed the police 

that they were told to visit tourist spots in 

the state and to also attend a festival there. 

"The Rohingya girls told the police that 

they were abducted by human traffickers 

from a refugee camp in Bangladesh to be 

sent to Malaysia for jobs. We suspect these 

girls were to be forced into prostitution," a 

police official said on condition of 

anonymity. 

Mizoram has an unfenced international 

border -- 510 km with Myanmar and 318 

km with Bangladesh. 

Explosives found buried in 

Sri Lanka mosque backyard 

Colombo : Three locally made bombs and 100 

grams of ammonia have been found buried in a 

backyard of a mosque in a Sri Lankan district, the 

police said. The explosives were recovered at 

Welipenna on Friday night during a joint operation 

carried out by the Special Task Force and the police, 

the Daily Mirror reported. The police said a 42- 

year-old suspect was arrested after the recovery of 

explosives. Officials also seized 16 circuit boards of 

high technology, 16 SIM cards, several compacts 

discs, computer accessories and a car in a house at 

Pirivena Mawatha in Mount Lavinia. 

According to the police, each circuit board had 

the capacity to contain 12 SIM cards. A 52-year old 

man was detained along with the items. The recovery 

was made after the authorities cancelled weekend 

masses in the capital due of fears of fresh bomb 

attacks. The Archdiocese of Colombo spokesman 

Fr. Edmond Tilakaratne had said that the decision 

was made by Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal 

Malcolm Ranjith to cancel the masses on Saturday 

and Sunday based on the latest security reports.


ASIA 


RSS devises strategy for higher, 

pro-BJP turnout in Rajasthan 

Jaipur : With its 3,500 to 

4,000 shakhas across 

Rajasthan, the Rashtriya 

Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is 

trying to play an active role in 

the state during the ongoing 

Lok Sabha elections. 

With around 20-100 active 

workers in each shakha, the 

RSS began doing its homework 

for the parliamentary elections 

right after the December 

Assembly polls, which saw the 

Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government 

voted out. 

Since January, the organisation 

has been working on the 

ground to ensure that the voting 

percentage in the state increases 

during the Lok Sabha elections. 

Thirteen of the 25 Lok 

Sabha constituencies in 

Rajasthan voted in the fourth 

phase of elections on April 29 

while the remaining 12 seats 

will go to the polls in the fifth 

phase on May 6. As part of its 

plans, the RSS has categorised 

the voters into four categories - 

- A, B, C and D. While the first 

two categories include RSS 

workers and people connected 

to the organisation and BJP 

workers and those who vote for 

the party, the 'C' category comprises 

people who keep shifting 

parties. This section has at 

times voted for the Congress, 

while at other times, it went 

with the BJP. The last category 

are those who vote for the 

Congress or the other opposition 

parties. The RSS workers 

believe that there is no point in 

appealing to the last category of 

voters as it would be a waste of 

time. However, they definitely 

want to spend time with the 'C' 

category which, they feel, can 

be influenced towards supporting 

the BJP. While the outfit is 

in constant touch with people 

belonging to the 'A' and 'B' categories, 

it is putting in extra 

efforts to convince those falling 

Centre opposes 

reopening of Rafale 

matter in SC 

New Delhi : The government on Saturday filed a fresh 

affidavit in the Supreme Court in the Rafale case, opposing 

reopening of the whole matter by contending that the petitioners 

were attempting to get "a fishing and roving inquiry 

ordered". The government said the the top court has "specifically 

declined" to have a "fishing and roving inquiry" into 

the matter "based on perceptions of individuals". 

The affidavit, filed by Joint Secretary and Acquisition 

Manager in the Defence Ministry on behalf of the government 

said the application filed by petitioners, former Union 

Minister Yashwant Sinha and others, for reopening the case 

is "misconceived and not maintainable". 

"..The applicants are not entitled to any relief" and their 

application is "liable to be dismissed," the affidavit said. 

"It is submitted that in the garb of seeking review of the 

judgement (of last December), and placing reliance on some 

media reports and some incomplete internal file notings procured 

unauthorisedly and illegally, the petitioners cannot 

seek to reopen the whole matter by asking for production of 

documents in review petition since the scope of review petition 

itself is extremely limited," the affidavit said. 

under the 'C' category. 

As part of its mobilisation 

plans, Krishna Gopal, the 

national Joint Secretary of the 

RSS, had convened two meetings 

in the state in January and 

March. In between, the RSS 

workers also held meetings in 

February to chalk out a clearcut 

strategy for the elections, 

state RSS prachar pramukh 

Manoj Kumar said. Even 

before the dates for the Lok 

Sabha polls were announced on 

March 10, the RSS had worked 

out a three-tier plan for the 

elections. The first stage 

included holding meetings, the 

India complains 

about diplomats' 

harassment in 

Pakistan 

New Delhi : India has 

raised its concerns with 

Pakistan over harassment of 

two of its diplomats by intelligence 

personnel last month 

and asked it to conduct an 

inquiry and prevent recurrence 

of such incidents, sources said 

here on Saturday. 

It also conveyed its concerns 

regarding security of the 

Indian High Commission in 

Islamabad. 

Sources said that the concerns 

about the security of the 

mission were conveyed to 

Islamabad in a demarche. India 

also sent a note verbale last 

month protesting about the 

harassment of two of its diplomats 

and their being locked up 

in a room for over 20 minutes 

at Gurdwara Sacha Sauda 

Gurdwara near Lahore on 

April 17. The two Indian diplomats, 

who were at the gurdwara 

to facilitate Indian pilgrims, 

were also threatened 

and asked never come to the 

area again. They were locked 

up in a room by about 15 

Pakistani intelligence personnel, 

their bags were searched 

and they were questioned. 

India had earlier this year 

also raised concern over 

harassment of its diplomats 

with Pakistan. 

second stage involved distributing 

pamphlets while the third 

stage focused on ensuring that 

the voters exercised their franchise. 

As many as 40 different 

branches of the RSS, including 

Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, are 

working with the tribals in the 

state while a separate unit is 

active in the border areas. 

However, Kumar said that the 

RSS is focusing more on areas 

where its network is strong. 

"We have also chalked out a 

clear plan for social media to 

ask voters to cast their votes. 

We went from door-to-door and 

met people in different areas," 

he said. However, not everyone 

is ready to beleive that the RSS 

is working hard on the ground. 

Senior Congress leader 

Suresh Chaudhary said that 

RSS, which was once a social 

organisation, has now turned 

into a political unit supporting 

the BJP and trying to get plush 

portfolios for its people. "It 

(RSS) works for the BJP and is 

now enjoying it's due share in 

politics," he alleged. 

He also said that in 2003, 

Vasundhara Raje had come to 

power in the state with the help 

of RSS after it helped dethrone 

the then Chief Minister Ashok 

Gehlot. 

'FOR YOUR FAMILIES': 

Abhinandan poses for 

selfies with colleagues 

New Delhi : IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, 

who spent 

some days in 

Pakistani custody 

when his 

MiG-21 was 

shot down in 

a dogfight 

with PAF jets 

a day after the 

February 26 

Balakot 

s t r i k e , 

appeared in 

high spirits as 

he posed for 

selfies with 

colleagues 

and other servicemen. 

In an undated video, Varthaman, who was visiting his former 

colleagues in Jammu and Kashmir recenty - for the first time 

after his ordeal, happily posed for selfies with everyone who 

wanted, even after repeatedly saying that it was the last one. 

He then joined the group in chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" 

and cheers for the Indian Air Force, its 1 Wing and the Defence 

Security Corps. 

In a short address after the selfies, Varthaman said that he had 

happily posed for the photographs with his colleagues since they 

were not for them, "but their families". 

"All these photographs are not for you but for your families I 

could not meet. All of you and your families prayed for my 

health and I want to thank them all," he said. 

After his return to India on March 1, Varthaman, the son of a 

former high-ranking IAF official, underwent tests in Delhi and 

was subsequently posted out of Jammu and Kashmir as part of 

service policy as well as security reasons.


ASIA 


It's celebrity card again in Punjab's border constituency 

Gurdaspur (Punjab) : 

Amid blistering heat, a sea of 

people thronged actor-turnedpolitician 

Sunny Deol's roadshows 

vying for a selfie with 

their favourite candidate. True 

to star gesture, the Gadar star is 

also not missing an opportunity 

to get off from his vehicle to 

meet children. It's star power in 

Punjab Lok Sabha elections 

again, literally. The BJP-Akali 

Dal has fielded the 62-year-old 

from Gurdaspur, the seat represented 

four times by yesteryear 

actor Vinod Khanna, who died 

in April 2017 due to cancer. 

Khanna, a native of Punjab, 

was a sitting MP at that time of 

his death. Son of veteran actor 

Dharmendra, Deol, who does 

not have any direct connection 

with Gurdaspur city -- though 

his father hails from Sahnewal 

town near Punjab's industrial 

town Ludhiana, has a strong 

Punjabi appeal. He is a Jat 

Sikh. Deol, whose main priority 

is creating employment for 

the youth, entered the Hindi 

film industry with "Betaab" in 

1983 and his best hits include 

"Border", "Damini" and 

"Gadar: Ek Prem Katha". 

Deol's unforgettable dialogue 

from 1990's Hindi film 

"Ghayal": "Jab yeh dhai kilo ka 

haath kisi pe padta hai na, toh 

aadmi uthta nahi... utth jata hai" 

(When this hand weighing 2.5 

kg is kept on some person, they 

don't get up, they go up (they 

will die) echoes through out his 

meandering campaign trail 

here. One of his fans handed 

him a hand-pump at a roadshow, 

a scene in his 2001 

blockbuster movie "Gadar..." in 

which Deol uproots a similar 

pump to fight off a crowd, who 

were trying to attack a woman. 

Deol is unfazed by the criticism 

and despite being dubbed 

an "outsider" by the Congress, 

the actor says: "I'm Punjab da 

puttar (son of Punjab) and 

farming is in my blood." 

Landing here on Wednesday 

straight from Mumbai, Deol 

met families of soldiers who 

sacrificed their lives for the 

nation at a border village in 

Dinanagar area. "I am not a 

hero as I only acted as a soldier. 

The real heroes are those who 

sacrificed their lives for the 

country," he told a family. 

Gurdaspur lies in the north 

of Punjab, sharing an international 

border with Pakistan and 

the troubled state of Jammu and 

Kashmir. The area is not as 

developed as other areas in 

Punjab. Deol, who is not missing 

an opportunity to pay obeisance 

to Sikh shrines and 

Hindu temples during his campaigning, 

is pitted against 

Congress state unit President 

Sunil Jakhar, who won the 

October 2017 by-election with 

a margin of 1.92 lakh votes. 

The bypoll was necessitated 

with sitting MP Vinod 

Khanna's death. The BJP did 

not give the ticket for the byeelection 

to Khanna's widow, 

Kavita Khanna, a strong 

claimant for the seat. 

With the fielding of Deol, 

Kavita Khanna expressed her 

disappointment, saying she felt 

"betrayed" by the party. 

The Gurdaspur constituency, 

which has 14,68,972 voters, 

including 72,6363 women, has 

nine assembly constituencies. It 

has a high number of serving 

and retired defence personnel 

and the BJP is trying to woo 

them by using the 'fauzi' image 

of Deol. The former members 

of Parliament from Gurdaspur 

are Sukhbuns Kaur Binder of 

the Congress, who won the seat 

five times in a row till 1996 

when she faced her defeat from 

BJP's Jagdish Sawhney; from 

BJP's Khanna (1998 to 2009) 

and Congress' Pratap Singh 

Bajwa from 2009 to 2014. 

Khanna got elected for the 

first time in 1998, followed by 

wins in 1999, 2004 and 2014. 

He lost the poll in the 2009 

general election to Congress 

leader Bajwa with a slender 

margin. In 2014, Khanna had 

again won by a thumping margin 

of over 1.38 lakh votes. A 

local BJP leader told IANS: 

"Khanna won his last election 

not due to his stardom but 

because of Modi wave. This 

time too his magic will work 

here. Moreover, Deol is known 

for playing nationalist." 

Locals believe the Modi 

wave might work for Deol, too. 

"Deol, who is a Jat Sikh, will 

help winning the state as the 

constituency is dominated by 

the Jat Sikhs," a senior BJP 

leader said. A confident 

Congress candidate Sunil 

Jakhar, though, said: "I have 

been a Dharmendra fan. I like 

Sunny Deol as an actor. The 

people will prefer a local than 

an outsider (Deol). I wish him 

all the best." "He is unaware of 

the issues of Punjab and 

Gurdaspur. He should share his 

vision for Gurdaspur. What is 

his agenda for the people 

here?" asked Jakhar. The 

Gurdaspur constituency has 

seen two major militant attacks 

by Pakistan-backed militant 

outfits in the recent past. 

It is believed by the BJP that 

DESERTED by MLAs, AAP 

looks a sinking ship in Punjab 

5 

terror attacks and Deol's stardom 

will trigger the BJP magic. 

"As Modi has sent the air 

force to destroy terror camps in 

Pakistan after the Pulwama 

attack, so is Deol who has 

thrashed militants with iron 

hands in movies. So people in 

Gurdaspur like both Modi and 

Deol. His stardom will catch 

votes for BJP," a local BJP 

leader said. Tough road for 

Congress Hindu candidate 

Jakhar to retain the seat. Jakhar, 

who started his campaigning 

well ahead of Deol, won the 

seat when the Congress government 

in the state just came at 

the helm. Now after two years, 

the government has anti-incumbency. 

This factor will make 

Jakhar's victory tough, admitted 

a senior Congress leader. 

In 2017, most of the state 

ministers had campaigned for 

him. Now, even Jakhar doesn't 

enjoy a good relation with 

Chief Minister Amarinder 

Singh. The BJP in the state has 

an alliance with the Shiromani 

Akali Dal in Punjab. 

It is contesting three Lok 

Sabha seats (Amritsar, 

Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur), 

while the Akali Dal is contesting 

the remaining 10 seats. 

Punjab will vote on May 19. 

Cyclone Fani kills 

6 in Bangladesh 

Dhaka : At least six people were killed as cyclone Fani 

slammed into Bangladesh's coastline after striking the Indian 

states of Odisha and West Bengal, officials said. 

Bangladesh State Minister for Disaster Management Enamur 

Rahman said that 63 people were injured in the storm, 

bdnews24.com reported. However, local TV channel NTV put 

the death toll at seven, adding that around 1,000 homes were 

damaged. Officials said Fani damaged houses, uprooted trees, 

snapped power and communication lines and disrupted rail, road 

and air traffic. TV footage showed widespread flooding in 

coastal areas where hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated. 

However, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Director at the 

Bangladesh Meteorological Department, said that Fani had 

weakened and was being gradually reduced to a depression. 

Officials said the cyclone did not prove to be as devastating as 

feared. At least 1.6 million people who were taken to storm centres 

were told to return to their homes, reports said. The severe 

cyclonic storm, one of the strongest to batter the Indian subcontinent 

in decades, weakened before entering Bangladesh on 

Saturday morning from West Bengal. 

It first made landfall in Odisha on Friday morning. It crossed 

Tangail and Mymensingh region as a deep depression at noon, 

said the Met office. The storm will become weaker after rain. 

Fishing boats, trawlers and maritime vessels over the bay 

were advised to remain in shelter till further notice. Under the 

influence of Fani, strong winds with rain started to lash many 

parts of coastal Bangladesh from Friday night, destroying 

homes, damaging crops and roads and uprooting trees. 

Chandigarh : The Aam 

Aadmi Party (AAP) had 

emerged a dark horse in Punjab 

in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, 

winning four seats and 

stunning rivals with its performance 

in the nine other 

seats. But it's a different story 

this time. The infighting-ridden 

party is struggling to save its 

sinking ship with several leaders 

either quitting or being suspended 

in the last four years. 

AAP's four prominent rebels -- 

sitting Patiala MP Dharamvira 

Gandhi, former Leader of 

Opposition Sukhpal Khaira, 

MLA Baldev Singh and 

Punjabi singer-turned-politician 

Jassi Jasraj -- are contesting 

Patiala, Bathinda, Faridkot 

and Sangrur Lok Sabha seats as 

the Punjab Democratic 

Alliance (PDA) candidates. 

Except Bathinda, the AAP 

had won the other three seats in 

2014 with a vote share of 24.4 

per cent. The PDA, a six-party 

coalition, was formed by 

Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who led 

the rebellion against AAP 

national convener Arvind 

Kejriwal after being removed 

from the post of Leader of 

Opposition in Punjab Assembly. 

They aim to defeat the AAP, 

which is contesting all 13 seats 

with a mix of youth, experienced 

and trusted hands, and emerge as 

the third alternative in the state. 

The trouble began when two 

AAP MPs, cardiologist Gandhi 

(Patiala) and Harinder Singh 

Khalsa (Fatehgarh Sahib), were 

suspended from the party in 

May 2015 for "anti-party activities". 

Likewise, the AAP 

removed its then state unit chief 

Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who 

played a crucial role in 

strengthening the party's base 

in the state, on flimsy bribery 

charges in August 2016. 

In the February 2017 

Assembly elections, the AAP 

finished second as the main 

opposition party with 20 legislators 

in the Congress-ruled 

117-member Assembly. Of the 

20, eight have defected till date. 

The latest dissident MLA to 

quit the AAP is Amarjit Singh 

Sandoya. He joined the 

Congress on Saturday and 

alleged he was feeling disenchanted 

due to the top AAP 

leadership's high-handed 

approach towards Punjab. 

Welcoming Sandoya into the 

Congress-fold, Chief Minister 

Amarinder Singh said the 

Congress had got a major boost 

due to exodus in opposition 

parties in the state. Suspended 

AAP legislator Kanwar Sandhu 

said, "In this election, the AAP 

is a low key player in the state 

and is not getting the response 

it got in the 2014 and 2017 

polls. At that time people were 

looking for a change. Now they 

are upset with the infighting in 

the AAP". Countering it, AAP 

legislator Aman Arora said the 

"silent voters" were still with 

the party. In Sangrur, state 

AAP chief and comedian 

Bhagwant Mann is facing popular 

singer and party rebel Jassi 

Jasraj. In Patiala, Neena Mittal 

is facing AAP rebel MP 

Dharamvira Gandhi who had 

defeated three-time MP Preneet 

Kaur, wife of Chief Minister 

Amarinder Singh, by over 

20,000 votes in 2014. Kaur is 

also in the fray. 

in Faridkot, dissident AAP 

legislator Baldev Singh is taking 

on outgoing party MP Sadhu 

Singh as the Punjab Ekta Party 

candidate. This time, rich 

Punjabi non-resident Indians 

(NRIs) too are conspicuos by 

their absence as the AAP supporters. 

In 2014 general elections, 

many NRIs came out 

openly by offering cash but also 

campaigning with people to support 

the AAP. This time they 

have switched their loyalties and 

are backing Mann's Congress 

opponent Kewal Singh Dhillon 

and are campaigning for him, 

riding an air-conditioned bus 

called the 'NRI Express'. 

Karamjit Singh Dhaliwal, 

who runs gas stations in New 

York, said, "In 2014 and 2017 

elections, we campaigned for 

AAP candidates. Now the AAP 

has drifted away from its ideology 

of 'Swaraj', so we decided 

not to support it". Countering 

dissidence and defection within 

the party, Mann, AAP's only 

hope to retain his seat, issued 

an emotional video message to 

party cadres. In his message, he 

accused rebel leader Khaira of 

being an agent of both the 

Congress and the Akali Dal and 

for engineering defections of 

AAP legislators to the 

Congress. Punjab will vote on 

May 19.


ASIA 


Additional 'factual' 

evidence ensured banning 

New Delhi : Additional "factual" 

evidence provided to the 

UN Security Council (UNSC) 

lately ensured lifting of ‘technical 

hold by China on sanctioning 

of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) 

chief Masood Azhar and the 

decision was "obviously" linked 

to the Pulwama attack as the 

process was initiated after that, 

diplomatic sources said here on 

Friday. 

The additional information 

was provided to the UNSC's 

1267 Sanctions Committee collectively 

by "some countries" 

along with India, which "convinced, 

not only China, but the 

whole world community", they 

said about the May 1 decision to list Azhar, 

a Pakistani national, as a global terrorist. 

China had been blocking the move for over 

10 years and even after the February 14 

Pulwama attack, it retained its 'technical 

hold' when the proposal came up for consideration 

in the Sanctions Committee in 

March. The sources said the process to list 

Azhar as a global terrorist was initiated after 

the Pulwama attack but refused to go into 

details as to why the terror attack did not 

find a mention in the Resolution of the 

Sanctions Committee. 

"The link to Pulwama is pretty obvious 

since the process (to proscribe Azhar) was 

started after this terror attack," the sources 

of Azhar: Sources 

Akhilesh moots 

Mulayam's name 

for PM post 

Lucknow : Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has put 

up his father and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadavs name for the 

Prime Ministers post. "It will be good if Netaji (Mulayam) gets the 

honour though he says he is not in the race," he said in an interview. 

Akhilesh Yadav 

had earlier indicated 

that he would back 

BSP supremo 

Mayawati for the 

Prime Minister's 

post and had clearly 

said that the alliance 

would give India its 

next Prime Minister. 

Mayawati has 

also spoken more 

than once about her 

national ambitions and has said that true empowerment of Dalits 

would take place only when a Dalit becomes Prime Minister. She 

has even said that becoming an MP is not necessary to become the 

Prime Minister. Akhilesh Yadav further said, "The alliances in several 

states have choices but the BJP does not have any other leader. 

Our alliance wants to give India a new Prime Minister. My party 

will decide about the PM when the final seat tally is out." 

Asked about his own prime ministerial ambitions, Akhilesh 

Yadav said: "I want to increase the number of SP MPs in the Lok 

Sabha. I want to be among those who want to make a new Prime 

Minister. I want UP to contribute in the next government formation 

right now." He said his focus is on the UP Assembly elections, 

due in 2022. 

underlined while talking about the UNSC 

Resolution. The fresh process to ban Azhar 

stemmed out of a strong statement issued by 

the UNSC condemning the Pulwama attack 

and calling for action against the perpetrators 

of the crime, they said. 

The process was initiated by France and 

was joined by the US and UK, which also 

strongly pushed for sanctioning of Azhar. 

"Additional information" linking Azhar 

directly with JeM, a terror outfit which 

already stood banned by the UNSC, was 

provided to the Sanctions Committee post- 

March meeting after which his listing as a 

global terrorist became possible, the sources 

said while answering questions on what 

Mumbai : To safeguard equity investors 

from another NSE co-location type fiasco, 

the security market regulator has directed the 

stock exchange major to review all third 

party agreement having a data sharing component 

entered by it from year 

2009 onwards. Accordingly, the 

NSE has been directed to take 

necessary legal actions against 

Athe parties with whom such 

agreements were signed "wherever 

any actions of irregularity, 

breach of terms and conditions 

and other provisions of such 

agreements are observed". 

On April 30, the market regulator 

in a marathon five orders in 

the matter came down heavily 

on the NSE. "Noticee No.1 

(NSE) is further directed to submit 

an action taken report in this 

regard along with the observation 

of its Governing Board to SEBI, within 

three months from date of this order," a SEBI 

order in the matter of NSE-Corporate 

Governance. 

Regulator further directed the NSE Ato 

prepare a detailed documented policy with 

respect to data usage and data sharing with 

external entities with due provisions for disclosures 

of conflict of interest to be made at 

made China change its 

stand. 

The "factual evidence", 

which was additional to that 

furnished earlier, was provided 

to the Committee collectively 

by "some countries", 

they said but refused 

to identify them. 

Earlier, the evidence was 

not provided collectively by 

the countries pushing for a 

ban on Azhar but after the 

March meeting of the 

Sanctions Committee, "sufficient" 

and "more factual" 

evidence was furnished to it, 

the sources said. 

They noted that "everybody 

knows" who Masood Azhar is but only 

sufficient evidence was required to be reinforced, 

inking him directly to JeM which 

was already banned. 

They expressed gladness that Pakistan, 

which primarily has to implement the 

UNSC Resolution since Azhar is based 

there, was reportedly "satisfied" with the 

decision. On questions how the ban could be 

implemented since Pakistan has never 

enforced a similar ban imposed in 2008 on 

Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit chief 

Hafiz Saeed who continues to roam freely, 

the sources said the assets of such people 

have to be confiscated by the UN member 

countries and their travel barred. 

RJD, allies slam 

journalist for tweet 

on Rabri Devi 

Patna : Leaders of the 

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and 

its allies in Bihar on Friday 

slammed a derogatory tweet 

about RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s 

wife and former Bihar Chief 

Minister Rabri Devi by a senior 

journalist of a 

Hindi TV news 

channel. 

With the Lok 

Sabha polls 

underway, Rabri 

Devi has been 

attacking and 

targeting her 

political rivals, 

including Prime 

Minister 

Narendra Modi 

and Chief Minister Nitish 

Kumar, through her Twitter handle. 

Nishant Chaturvedi, who is 

the editor of a Hindi TV news 

channel, retweeted a small piece 

that questioned Rabri Devi’s 

academic skills and mocked at 

her ability to use Twitter. 

“So, Rabri Deviji also tweets. 

Can anyone tell her to just spell 

out the word Twitter thrice,” he 

tweeted on a post by Rabri Devi 

that mocked PM Modi. Replying 

to Chaturvedi’s post, Rabri Devi 

wrote: “Son, I have seen a lot of 

journalists like you. I was democratically 

elected the Chief 

Minister of India’s secondlargest 

state for eight years. Why 

are you pained if I question 

the level of any employee of NSE. 

The direction on disclosures of conflict of 

interest assumes significance after a massive 

breach of corporate governance norms was 

observed in the case in connection to noted 

public policy academician Ajay Shah for collusion 

to access confidential market information 

for business purposes. Shah and his wife 

Susan Thomas are credited with co-creating 

the NSE Nifty50 index. He has had an illustrious 

stint at various high-level positions, 

including Ministry of Finance. 

However, in what could have been a criminal 

conspiracy worthy of celluloid screen, 

Modi? Are you okay?” 

Rabri Devi’s younger son and 

Leader of the Opposition in the 

Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav 

also questioned Chaturvedi. 

“So what motivated you to 

spend your precious time in asking 

a former 

CM to pronounce 

a 

word? Have 

you ever 

asked any 

elite upper 

caste politician 

from 

your pay master’s 

party 

who are less 

educated than 

my mother to pronounce a word? 

It reflects your casteist, racist 

and classist mindset,” the former 

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister 

tweeted. RJD allies — Rashtriya 

Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief 

and former Union Minister 

Upendra Kushwaha and 

Hindustani Awam Morcha 

(HAM) chief and former Chief 

Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi — 

said the incident exposed the 

mindset of a section of pro-BJP 

mediapersons and the respect 

they have for a woman politician 

from a Backward Caste. Last 

month, a senior anchor of a TV 

news channel addressed Lalu 

Prasad as “Lalua” drawing angry 

protests from the RJD cadres. 

NSE to review data sharing 

3rd party pacts since 2009 

Shah along with some of his immediate family 

members created a virtual family enterprise 

and used their connections with NSE 

officials to gain a computing contract for 

Liquidity Index. 

But, the real intent was to use the 

NSE's confidential data gained from 

the computing contract to develop 

algorithmic trading software for sale 

in the securities market, thereby 

compromising the integrity of securities 

market. 

In addition, the order read: "The 

(data usage and sharing) policy shall 

be comprehensive with proper 

maker and checker system with provision 

for a periodic review to 

ensure prevention of misuse of the 

data/information". The misuse of the 

bourse's co-location facility came to 

light in 2015 when a whistleblower 

alleged collusion between a few 

employees of the stock exchange and brokers. 

It was alleged that collusion and lax of 

oversight allowed a few brokers faster access 

to market data.A In one of the orders the regulator 

directed the NSE to disgorge Rs 

624.89 crore in the co-location case and also 

barred it from accessing the securities market 

directly or indirectly for a period of six 

months.


A Hindi reporter of a brahmanical 

channel yesterday tweeted about former 

Bihar Chief Minister Rabari Devi 

whether she knows the spelling of 

'tweet' ? We all know well the background 

of Mrs Rabari Devi who was 

the chief minister of Bihar for two 

terms. A few days back, another channel 

termed Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav as 

'Lalua' in a public meeting. Those 

who knows about Bihar's caste prejudices 

know well that the anchor 

speaking 'Lalua' was deliberate to hurt 

the OBCs and Dalits in Bihar. The 

CBI in the Supreme Court speak 

against Lalu Yadav that he is indulged 

in politics and must be prohibited 

from doing so. Yes, the same CBI has 

now provided clean chit to all the 

criminals of Gujarat accused for 2002 

massacre and other related cases. It is 

the same CBI, which is unable to pursue 

against Pragya Thakur who is 

allowed to contest from Bhopal. 

Indian media's caste identities are 

well known. The Janue that they wear 

even while claiming to be a 'progressive' 

has been exposed very well. This 

is an age of information and nobody is 

depending on these paid trolls of 

Sangh Parivar masquerading as journalists. 

Media these days speak deliberately 

the language of the contempt 

towards those who challenged the status 

quo and assertive, who did not surrender 

to brahmanical hierarchical 

order. Lalu Yadav is one of the biggest 

political leader in our political history 

since independence who challenged 

this order in Bihar and gave people a 

voice but the brahmanical narrative of 

Lalu Yadav is as being 'most corrupt'. 

They dont see corruption in Modi who 

even if you give full 

proof, they will just 

start engaging in 

absolutely below the 

belt discussion. 

Remember how this 

media legitimised those 

who abused Ms 

Mayawati and spoke 

about her in absolutely 

filthy language. Even 

today, read the comment 

section of any 

news item related to Ms 

Mayawati and you will 

find the hidden hatred 

of the Janeudharis 

towards her. Phoolan 

was humiliated in the 

very similar way for 

long but all those who 

demolished Babari 

Mosque are heroes. The same media 

people are unable to remind BJP its 

absolutely filthy role in defending the 

rape accused of Unnao, Kuldeep Singh 

Sengar. The Kathua story of the brahmanical 

lies and crookedness is well 

known to be said here. The Savarna 

media is prostrating before the 

Maharajas of Hindutva. They cant do 

anything wrong. They are now the 

'greatest' of our leaders. A leader who 

was despised by the media several 

years ago as criminal is today the 

hero of media, its chanakya and 

ASIA 

Shameless arrogance 

those fighting against his politics of 

hatred and divisiveness are being 

abused. 

Why has media become a party in 

propaganda of hatred and contempt. 

Yes, they have lost their credibility. 

Frankly, they never had and can only 

be said to be destroying the lives of 

millions. You watch 

these channels and 

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat 

social and human rights activist 

pop-up the few tablets to 

reduce your blood pressure. 

Indian media lack diversity 

in its newsrooms. Its 

blatantly casteist and racist 

in nature particularly the 

electronic media. Its 

Hindustan is twice born. Its 

nationalism is nothing but 

brahmanical nationalism. It 

caters to these twice born, 

build up narrative as per 

their thinking. Today, the 

entire media is building up 

narrative to suit the interest 

of BJP and Hindutva and 

for that it is going extramiles. 

It is most afraid of 

the rise of the 

Ambedkarites and Dalits 

who have challenged the 

savarna narratives and 

building up their own. It hates them. 

Ms Mayawati, Lalu Yadav, Rabari 

Devi, Phoolan Devi, Akhilesh Yadav 

are the target because they challenge 

the monopoly of the savarnas, contested 

it and break their ego which 

feel deeply hurt. More than 30 years 

after Mandal Commission report was 

accepted, the Savarnas still hate V P 

Singh the most which explain their 

mindset and fear of losing power. 

Fact is that you can not hold to this 

power for long. Whether bring Rama 

or Hindutva, the political power will 


7 

have to be shared with India's 

Bahujans and remember they will not 

be self servient but equal partners in 

India's decision making bodies. In the 

21st century, your contempt and misuse 

of privileges will not work in long 

term. The Dubeys, Jhas, Chaubes, 

Tripathis, Chaturvedis, Guptas, 

Chawals, Aggarwals will have to 

respect people's mandate as well as 

constitution to treat people in equality 

and must be made to feel that casteism 

is as dangerous as racism. In any other 

country, these party propandists 

would have been thrown out of the 

orgasnisations to protect the credibility 

of the institution but in Indian 

media houses are 'bania kee dukan' 

run by the brahmins so they remain 

without any action being taken 

against their mischief and caste prejudices. 

No issue Mr Dubey. Just write a 

few words about the merit of Sharma 

ji whose 'more' i.e. peacock get 

impregnated with her tears' or wisdom 

of those claiming to have first plastic 

surgery in the form of Ganesha and 

many more. India's media houses and 

their anchors will stoop low and use 

all the caste filth to humiliate them 

further as they know well that their 

time is now gone but they are fighting 

this war on behalf of the ruling establishment 

and protecting their caste 

privileges. 

We hope the people will give them 

a good answer. 

Vidya Bhushan Rawat is a social 

and human rights activist. He blogs 

at www.manukhsi.blogspot.com 

twitter @freetohumanity 

Email: vbrawat@gmail.com 

Gujarat potato growers want 

compensation from PepsiCo 

Ahmedabad : Even though PepsiCo 

India has announced it is withdrawing lawsuits 

against Gujarat's potato growers, the 

affected farmers on Friday demanded compensation 

for the harassment they were 

subjected to, while a newly-formed entity 

Bij Adhikar Manch (forum for rights over 

seeds) called for boycott of PepsiCo products. 

Simultaneously, the farmers 

also demanded that the withdrawal 

of cases against them by the food 

and beverages giant should be 

unconditional since the statement 

issued by the company did not 

speak about ensuring non-infringement 

of the rights of the potato 

growers over what they produced. 

PepsiCo had filed suits against 

nine farmers -- four cases this year 

and five last year -- from the potato-growing 

belt in north Gujarat, 

claiming they had grown the 

FL2027 or FC5 variety of potatoes, which 

were the company's intellectual property 

under the Indian law. PepsiCo uses the 

potatoes to manufacture chips under its 

popular brand Lay's. Demanding compensation, 

Bipin Patel, one of the farmers 

against whom the company had filed legal 

suits, told reporters: "Its (PepsiCo) real 

intention might have been to wipe out competitors 

from the market but it chose to 

harass the farmers. The company has to 

pay us compensation for all the harassment 

we were put through." 

The farmers also asked the state government, 

which has agreed to support them in 

the issue, not to get influenced by "corporate 

interests" and pressurise the company 

to agree to their demand for compensation. 

Besides this, the farmers and leaders of 

the organisations for farmers want a clear 

proposal from the company while withdrawing 

the cases. "It is high time that 

PepsiCo should come out with a clear proposal 

so that we can read between the lines 

too," Maganbhai Patel of RSS-affiliated 

Bharatiya Kisan Sangh said. 

"If you look at the statement issued by 

PepsiCo on Thursday, it talks of finding 

long-term amicable solution for seed protection. 

What does it mean by that? The 

issue is now not just about withdrawal of 

cases but to firmly establish rights of farmers 

over the seeds and no one in the future 

should even think of challenging this 

right," Kapil Shah, coordinator, Bij 

Adhikar Manch, asserted. "We would 

request the government to intervene and 

clearly state this fact," he added. 

These statements come amidst a meeting 

of a PepsiCo India delegation with 

Chief Secretary of Gujarat and Additional 

Chief Secretary, Agriculture, in the state 

capital Gandhinagar on Friday. "We had 

just come to update the state government 

about the decision we 

announced on Thursday. It 

was a good meeting and talks 

veered around finding an 

amicable solution for everyone 

going forward," Jagrut 

Kotecha, Vice President - 

Foods, PepsiCo India, told 

reporters. Kotecha said 

PepsiCo India would withdraw 

the cases as and when 

they come up for hearings 

before the courts, which in 

case of four farmers is on 

June 12. 

When asked why they have called for 

boycott of PepsiCo products since the issue 

was limited to the immediate dispute 

between the company and the potato farmers, 

Kapil Shah said though PepsiCo had 

issued public statements, it was yet to withdraw 

the cases. 

"It is a private case and none of the 

farmers has been informed. In fact, we 

would ask the government to ensure that 

PepsiCo gives it to us in writing that it is 

withdrawing the cases unconditionally and 

they also apologise to the farmers," Shah 

said. 

WhatsApp tells SC: Will 

comply with RBI norms 

New Delhi : The WhatsApp on Friday told the Supreme 

Court that it would 

comply with all the 

RBI norms when it 

would formally 

launch its payment 

services and for now 

it was having a trial 

run of the same that 

would complete by 

July. 

"We can't launch 

the product without 

compliances", senior 

counsel Kapil Sibal 

told the bench of 

Justice Rohinton Fali 

Nariman and Justice 

Vineet Saran, pointing out that at present WhatsApp was running 

payment service on its one million users on a trial basis. 

However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that 

WhatsApp was not complying with data localisation norms on 

its payment services being carried out on trial basis and has also 

not appointed the grievance officer in India. Referring to the 

response filed by the Reserve Bank of India, Solicitor General 

Mehta told the bench that WhatsApp was not complying with 

data localization norms as is clear from the affidavit filed by 

RBI. Appearing for the Centre, Mehta also pointed to the nonappointment 

of grievance officer by WhatsApp in India. 

Appearing for the petitioner NGO Centre for Accountability 

and Systemic Change (CASC), counsel Virag Gupta told the 

court that the trial data too cannot be kept outside India and this 

may be violative of permission granted by National Payment 

Corporation of India (NPCI). Gupta referred to the provisions of 

the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 and sought 

action against WhatsApp for violation of data localization 

norms during the trial period. The petitioner NGO CASC has in 

its petition said that WhatsApp having over 20 crore active 

users was the largest messaging platform, yet it had no grievance 

officer and was largely unregulated as laws were not being 

complied with. The court directed the further hearing of the 

matter in the third week of July.


ASIA 


Burqa, ghoonghat are same, 

ban both: Javed Akhtar 

Bhopal : Amid demand over ban 

on burqa (loose garment covering the 

whole body from head to feet worn by 

MUslim women), noted lyricist Javed 

Akhtar on Thursday advocated ban it 

as well as ghoonghat (a veil or headscarf 

worn by some married Hindu, 

Sikh and Jain women). The Shiv Sena 

on Wednesday in its mouth-piece 

"Saamana" called for a ban on the 

burqa at public places. 

Reacting to the call, Akhtar said: 

"All women in my family have been 

professionals. My mother taught at 

Hamidiya Collage of Bhopal. I have 

never seen the burqa at my home. 

That's why my knowledge about it is 

New Delhi : The Election 

Commission (EC) on Wednesday 

issued a show cause notice to 

Congress leader and Punjab Minister 

Navjot Singh Sidhu over his remarks 

against Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi. The EC notice was based on a 

complaint by Neeraj, a Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP) worker in Gujarat, 

who alleged that Sidhu described the 

Prime Minister as a 'thief' while 

brief." "There is a controversy over 

the burqa. Iran is a hardliner Muslim 

country, but women don't cover their 

faces there. A new law in Sri Lanka 

bars women from covering their faces. 

Whatever is your attire, the face 

should be visible," he said. 

"If someone wants this kind of law 

here, and if this is somebody's opinion 

I don't have any objection. But before 

the end of last phase of (Lok Sabha) 

elections, the government must 

announce that no woman will be 

allowed to use ghoonghat in 

Rajasthan," Akhtar said. 

Akhtar said: "Faces covered with 

the burqa or the ghoonghat, it's same. 

If both would be removed, I would be 

happy". 

EC notice to Sidhu for calling PM Modi a 'thief' 

Musharraf's treason trial 

postponed to June 12 

Islamabad : A special court 

accepted former Pakistan 

President Pervez Musharraf's 

request on Thursday to postpone 

the hearing of a treason trial 

against him until after the month 

of Ramzan owing to his poor 

health. A threemember 

bench 

headed by Justice 

Tahira Safdar 

adjourned the 

case hearing till 

June 12 after the 

former military 

dictator's counsel 

Salman Safdar 

told the court that 

his client could 

not travel to 

Pakistan to attend 

the hearing due to his medical 

condition, Geo News reported. 

The counsel, in an application on 

behalf of Musharraf, stated that 

despite "strong willingness and 

eagerness to return to Pakistan, 

life-threatening ailments and 

medical complications had 

forced him not to appear before 

the special court". "He is 

ashamed and apologetic for not 

being able to reach (in time). He 

is unable to walk," the counsel 

said, adding that he had spent 

three days with Musharraf and 

was "shocked to see that he 

could barely even speak". "The 

doctors have said it is not safe 

for him to travel in this condition," 

the counsel said. 

He then asked the court to 

postpone the hearing until after 

Ramzan. The court also issued a 

notice to the government over a 

plea for acquittal of Musharraf in 

the case. The Pakistan Muslim 

League-Nawaz (PML-N) government 

had filed the treason 

case against Musharraf over the 

President's imposition of extraconstitutional 

emergency in 

November 2007. 

In line with the 

Supreme Court's 

directive, the trial 

court is scheduled 

to record 

Musharraf's statement 

under 

Section 342 of the 

C r i m i n a l 

Procedure Code to 

complete the treason 

trial. 

Musharraf left 

for Dubai in 2016 to "seek medical 

treatment" and has not 

returned since. Earlier in March, 

he was admitted to a hospital in 

Dubai after suffering a reaction 

from a rare disease for which he 

is already under treatment. 

The application stated that 

Musharraf is suffering from cardiac 

amyloidosis (congestive 

heart failure), chronic kidney 

disease (high creatinine in renal 

system), excessive somnolence 

(hypersomnia), spinal injury and 

fracture. It also recalled that the 

former President came to 

Pakistan on March 24, 2013, on 

his own to face the Benazir 

Bhutto assassination case, 

judges' detention case and Akbar 

Bugti case and that the high treason 

case was initiated subsequent 

to his arrival in the country, 

Dawn online reported. 

addressing a poll rally in Ahmedabad 

on April 17. As per the EC notice, 

dated April 30, Sidhu has to submit his 

reply by 6 p.m. on May 2. If he fails to 

do so, the panel would take a decision 

without further reference to him. 

The poll body also told Sidhu the 

model code of conduct bars candidates 

and leaders from making personal 

remarks against rivals during campaigning. 

CJI appears before probe panel 

in sexual harassment case 

Srinagar : Former Jammu and Kashmir 

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday 

expressed bitterness over the Congress giving 

a walkover to the Bharatiya Janata Party 

(BJP) in the state during campaigning. 

The National Conference (NC) Vice- 

President tweeted: "It says a lot about the 

Congress and its approach to J&K. There 

hasn't been a single election meeting by its 

leadership." 

"Contrast this with the number of rallies 

addressed by (Prime Minister Narendra) 

Modi and (BJP President) Amit Shah. They 

may not have come to the Valley, but they 

People, not Modi, responsible 

for growth: Rahul 

Gurugram : In an attempt to dent the 

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) vote 

bank, Congress chief 

Rahul Gandhi, here on 

Saturday, criticised Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi 

for making false promises, 

like depositing Rs 15 lakh 

in bank accounts of people 

and creating over 2 crore 

jobs."In last Lok Sabha 

elections, Modi had promised 

to provide 2 crore jobs 

every year, deposit Rs 15 lakh in the 

bank accounts of people and bring 'ache 

din'. What happened to them," he asked. 

Ridiculing Modi's claim on development, 

he said was the BJP responsible 

New Delhi : With the BJP highlighting 

the issue of nationalism in the Lok Sabha 

elections, the Congress on Thursday said 

that multiple surgical strikes were carried 

out during the tenure of Congress-led UPA 

government. Senior Congress leader 

Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a tweet: 

"Multiple surgical strikes took place during 

our tenure too. For us, military ops 

were meant for strategic deterrence & giving 

a befitting reply to anti-India forces 

than to be used for vote garnering exercises." 

He also attached an interview of former 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 

given to a national daily. Giving a 

New Delhi : Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi 

on Wednesday appeared before the inhouse 

committee led by Justice S.A. 

Bobde, looking into allegations of sexual 

harassment against him by a former staffer 

of the Supreme Court, said an official 

source familiar with the proceedings. The 

source said the committee had asked the 

Chief Justice Gogoi to appear for the incamera 

proceedings. "He met the committee 

regarding the allegations leveled 

against him," said the source. 

The woman, who has alleged sexual 

harassment, withdrew from the proceedings 

of the committee on Tuesday. In a 

statement to the media, she expressed serious 

reservations over the panel, saying it 

was "an in-house committee of sitting 

judges junior to the CJI and not an external 

committee as I had requested." The committee 

comprises Justices S.A. Bobde, Indu 

Malhotra and Indira Banerjee. The panel 

was re-constituted after the woman objected 

to the inclusion of Justice N.V. Ramana 

on the committee, as he was apparently a 

close friend of the Chief Justice. Justice 

Ramana immediately withdrew from the 

panel, and he was replaced by a woman 

judge. In the three hearings scheduled until 

Tuesday, the woman said she felt "quite 

intimidated and nervous" in the presence of 

the three judges of the Supreme Court. 

The woman, in her statement to the 

media also said during the panel's hearing 

didn't ignore the state," Abdullah said. 

Stating that the Congress had a fighting 

for growth of cities like Gurugram? "It's 

the people of the country who are 

responsible for this development," 

he said. 

He also raised the issue 

of Rafeal jet purchase deal, 

demonetisation and the 

goods and services tax GST 

fiasco. Gandhi was 

addressing an election rally 

in support of Congress candidate 

Ajay Singh Yadav. 

In his 30-minute speech, 

Gandhi said, "He is 'chowkidar' but not 

for the poor. He is the 'chowkidar' of his 

corporate friends, like Anil Ambani, 

Mehul Chowksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay 

Mallya." 

Several surgical strikes executed during UPA: Congress 

sequence of the surgical strikes during its 

tenure, the party said that on June 19, 

2008, a military operation was carried in 

the Bhattal Sector in Poonch, while during 

August 30-September 1, 2011, Sharda 

Sector across Neelam River Valley in Kel 

(Pakistan-administered Kashmir) was targeted. 

On January 6, 2013, a third surgical 

strike was carried out in which Sawan 

Patra checkpost in Pakistan was targeted, 

Surjewala said. Between July 27 and 28, 

2013, military operations were carried out 

in Nazapir Sector, on August 6, 2013, 

Neelam Valley was targeted, he added. 

on April 26, the judges told her that it was 

neither an in-house committee proceeding 

nor a proceeding under the Vishakha 

Guidelines and that it was an informal proceeding. 

"I was asked to narrate my 

account which I did to the best of my ability 

even though I felt quite intimidated and 

nervous in the presence of three Hon'ble 

Judges of the Supreme Court and without 

having a lawyer or support person with 

me," said her statement. 

The committee was formed after the 

woman levelled allegations against the 

Chief Justice reportedly in a letter to 22 

judges of the Supreme Court. After the 

allegations of sexual harassment surfaced 

on April 20, the CJI held an urgent hearing 

and he categorically denied the woman's 

allegations. The CJI termed it as an attack 

on the independence of the judiciary. 

"There has to be bigger force behind this, 

they want to deactivate office of Chief 

Justice," he had said during the hearing. 

Congress giving BJP walkover in J&K campaign: Omar 

chance in four of the six seats and in three 

the main opponent was the BJP, Abdullah 

tweeted, "It's inexplicable how the BJP was 

simply given a walkover as far as the optics 

of the campaign were concerned." 

His comments assume significance as the 

NC and the Congress have an electoral 

alliance in the Lok Sabha elections in the 

state. While the Congress did not field candidate 

against NC President Farooq Abdullah 

in Srinagar, the NC responded by leaving 

Jammu and Udhampur seats for the 

Congress. They are having a "friendly contest" 

in Baramulla and Anantnag seats.

www.theasianindependent.co.uk ASIA May 2019 9 

Narendra Modi’s Backward Class 

Credentials – Renewal of Controversy: 

Authentic Facts and Real Challenge before Parties after Lok Sabha Elections of 2019 

The issue of Prime Minister Shri 

Narendra Modi’s “Backward Class” 

credentials has become the subject of 

active controversy. This controversy 

arose on a lower key in 2014 during the 

run-up to the Lok Sabha elections 

2014. At that time I wrote an article 

titled “Narendra Modi’s BC Caste 

Credentials – Authentic Facts” and sent 

it on 10.05.2014 to one of the prominent 

national dailies for publication. In 

keeping with the lack of interest of 

national print and electronic media in 

matters, especially in-depth matters, 

pertaining to Socially and 

Educationally Backward Classes 

(SEdBCs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs) 

and Scheduled Tribes (STs), that daily 

did not publish it. As the controversy 

has recurred more strongly now, I am 

writing this Paper, updating my Paper 

of 2014, and placing it in the public 

domain in order to provide authentic 

information on this, as the present and 

the past controversy suffer from inadequate 

information. 

Those attributing fakeness to Shri 

Narendra Modi’s Backward Class credentials 

base their allegation on the fact 

that his caste was not originally included 

in the list of SEdBCs, and it was 

later got included. It is alleged that his 

later inclusion was got done by him 

using his influence as Chief Minister. 

In the entire controversy, the name of 

his caste is not mentioned, which is 

“Ghanchi”. Ghanchi is the Gujarati 

name for Teli, which is the Hindi name 

of a caste, known by different names in 

different States and languages, linked, 

according to the caste system, with the 

traditional occupation of oil-pressing 

and vending. 

The caste, with oil-pressing and 

vending as the traditional occupation, 

has always been in the list of SEdBCs 

in every unit of India – well before 

Independence in Southern States and 

later in Northern States and the Centre 

–, entered by their local name(s), “Teli” 

in most States. In Gujarat they are 

known as Ghanchi, Teli and, in some 

parts, also as Ghancha. 

This community was included in the 

List of BCs for Gujarat (then divided 

into Saurashtra, Kutch and partly 

Bombay) by the first Central Backward 

Classes (Kaka Kalelkar) Commission 

(1953-55), as “Ganika, Ghanchi, Teli” 

with the traditional occupation of “Oil 

pressing” under Bombay, “Ghanchi, 

Ghancha” with the traditional occupation 

of “Oil pressers and sellers” under 

Saurashtra, and “Ghancha” with the 

traditional occupation of “Oil pressesrs” 

under Kutch. The Second 

Backward Classes (Mandal) 

Commission (1979-80) included this 

community in its Gujarat BC list as 

“Teli, Modh Ghanchi”. After the 

Supreme Court’s Mandal judgement 

upheld Central Government’s OM of 

13-08-1990 providing for 27% reservation 

for BCs, a first-phase Central List 

of BCs was prepared by the Expert 

Committee on BCs, of which I was a 

Member, and notified States-wise by 

the Central Government in 1993 based 

on the criterion of “commonality”, i.e., 

inclusion in the first-phase Central List 

(CL) only of those castes present both 

in the State List (SL) and the Mandal 

List (ML) for that State. In this firstphase 

CL, only “Ghanchi (Muslim)” 

was included and not “Teli, 

Modh Ghanchi” because 

the latter, though in the 

ML, was not in the SL. The 

Gujarat State BC List at 

that time, based on the 

Bakshi Commission’s recommendations, 

contained 

only “Ghanchi (Muslims)”. 

The criterion of “commonality” 

was suggested by me 

in 1990 when I was 

Secretary, Ministry of 

Welfare, in which capacity 

I processed the long-pending 

recommendations of 

the Mandal Commission 

and prepared the Note, 

which was the basis for the 

then Government’s decision 

to provide 27% reservation 

for the SEdBCs. My 

suggestion of the principle 

of “commonality” was 

agreed to by the then 

Minister and Prime 

Minister and was followed 

by the succeeding 

Government also. 

Later, Shri N. S. Chaudhari, General 

Secretary, Gujarat State Tailik Sahu 

Mahasabha, made Request to the 

National Commission for Backward 

Classes (NCBC) for inclusion in the 

CL of “Teli” and its 16 sub-castes/synonyms, 

among them “Modh Ghanchi 

Teli” and “Ghanchi Teli”. A 2-Member 

Bench of the NCBC held a Public 

Hearing on 28. 8. 1997 at Ahmedabad 

to examine this Request, in accordance 

with the transparent procedure evolved 

at the outset by the NCBC. By then, 

“Teli, Modh Ghanchi” had been included 

in the SL. The Bench found “Teli, 

Modh Ghanchi” to be socially and educationally 

backward with the traditional 

occupation of “Tel Ghani” or oilextraction 

by traditional crushing 

device, and to be inadequately represented 

in services. Those present – 

who were from different sections of 

society and State Government representatives 

– not only did not oppose, 

but supported the inclusion of “Teli, 

Modh Ghanchi” in the CL. The Full 5- 

Member Commission of which I was 

Member-Secretary, and the Chairman 

was a retired and reputed High Court 

judge, considered the Bench Findings 

and tendered Advice to the Central 

Government, communicated by my 

DO letter Advice No. Gujarat 4-5/97 

dated 15.11.1997, to include “Teli, 

Modh Ghanchi” as synonyms of 

Central List entry No. “23. Ghanchi 

(Muslim)”. Accordingly, the Central 

Government, in 1999, notified inclusion 

of “Teli, Modh Ghanchi” in the 

CL of BCs. 

“Modh” is the prefix added to their 

caste name by castes who are followers 

of Modheshwari Devi, a popular 

Gujarat deity. Modh is not a caste or 

caste name, but denotes a religious sect 

across different castes. 

When the Kaka Kalelkar 

Commission included this community 

in the BC list, Shri Narendra Modi was 

P. S. Krishnan 

a child of about 5 years. When the 

Mandal Commission included it with 

the name “Modh Ghanchi”, Shri Modi 

must have been about 30 years old and 

could not have been in a position to 

“influence” the Mandal Commission. 

The subsequent stages of NCBC’s 

Examination and Advice and Central 

Government’s inclusion of “Modh 

Ghanchi” in the CL of SEdBCs all 

occurred before he became the Chief 

Minister. I am also in a position to 

make it clear from my personal experience 

of the period when I was 

Member-Secretary of the NCBC from 

its inception in 1993 till 2000, that the 

NCBC formulated its statutory Advices 

objectively on the basis of facts and the 

primary criterion of “social backwardness”, 

after a pre-advertised transparent 

public enquiry in every case, without 

allowing any Chief Minister’s, 

Union Minister’s or Prime Minister’s 

personal preference to intrude. Even 

after I left the NCBC, in 2013-14 when 

the leaders of the then Union 

Government wanted to include a certain 

community in the CL for a number 

of States where it is not socially backward, 

for extraneous reasons, apparently 

with an eye on the impending Lok 

Sabha elections of 2014, the NCBC 

under the Chairmanship of another 

retired High Court judge, gave its 

detailed Findings and Advice against 

the inclusion of that community in the 

CL of SEdBCs. The Government overruled 

it and issued orders in March 

2014 including that community in the 

CL for a number of States. 

Organizations of genuine SEdBCs 

challenged the Government’s order in 

the Supreme Court, and the 

Supreme Court struck 

down the Government’s 

order in 2015. 

Thus, there is no reason 

for questioning the inclusion 

of “Modh Ghanchi” in 

the list of SEdBCs or suspecting 

manipulation or 

questioning Shri Modi’s 

BC credentials. 

While controverting the 

allegation of manipulation, 

Shri Modi has claimed that 

he belongs to a Most 

Backward Class. In support 

of this he has said that 

members of his caste are 

very few in numbers in 

each village. The population 

of a caste is not a criterion 

to decide whether it 

is More Backward or Most 

Backward or Extremely 

Backward. This is a matter 

of categorization of 

SEdBCs, with sub-quotas, 

in order to ensure that there 

is no unequal competition between 

backward castes at different levels of 

backwardness. This task has not been 

completed at the Centre and in most of 

the States of the North, including 

Gujarat, and East, while it has been 

existing since long in the Peninsular 

States. The Rohini Commission which 

was appointed by the Government of 

India in 2018 for categorisation of 

SEdBCs has not completed its task and 

the latest extended date for its Report is 

31st May 2019.. At this stage, it will 

not be possible to say whether the 

Ghanchi or Teli community will be categorized 

as Backward, or More 

Backward or Most Backward, in the 

CL for Gujarat or in the SL of Gujarat. 

It is a happy situation that in 

Gujarat, this community has both 

Hindu and Muslim wings. One hopes 

this is a harbinger of future harmony 

based on justice, resolving of their 

common socio-economic deprivations 

covering both wings of the community 

as well as all other SEdBCs and SCs 

and STs of all religions, helping them 

to reach Constitutionally mandated 

Equality through Constitutionally mandated 

comprehensive Social Justice 

measures, including, but not only, 

Reservation. 

I have set out the above facts, with 

my good wishes to all Parties, and the 

same Social Justice expectation from 

all of them, only so that this pointless 

dispute about one leader’s BC caste 

credentials does not continue. In 2014, 

when the election results was still 

awaited, I pointed out that, what is 

important was whether the post-election 

Government and Prime Minister 

would take comprehensive Social 

Justice measures for SCs, STs and 

SEdBCs including SEdBCs of minorities 

to achieve the above goal of 

Equality. I had already given my Road- 

Map of comprehensive Social Justice 

measures required for SCs, STs and 

SEdBCs to S/Shri Modi, Rahul 

Gandhi, and other leaders of their 

Parties as well as a number of other 

Parties. The alibi of ignorance was not 

available. In January-February 2019, I 

have sent to all of them the same Road- 

Map, updated on the basis of subsequent 

developments, for inclusion in 

their respective Party Manifestos and 

implementation after the elections of 

2019. Now too, the alibi of ignorance 

is not available. 

In early 2014, before he was nominated 

as the BJP’s PM candidate, Shri 

Modi had declared on 9.2.2014 that the 

coming decade will be the decade of 

Dalits, Adivasis and Picchade Varg 

(SEdBCs). He had also said that in the 

six decades after Independence, the 

SCs, STs and SEdBCs had not got their 

due and it was for him to fulfil the task. 

Similarly, Dr Manmohan Singh, as 

Prime Minister, in his Address to the 

51st meeting of the National 

Development Council (NDC) on 

27.7.2005 laid down the task that the 

gap between the SCs and STs and others 

should removed within 10 years. 

Shri Modi had, in his speeches of 2014, 

outlined what he would do for weavers 

(who are Muslim SEdBC in Varanasi 

and most of North India, Hindu SEdBC 

in Peninsula, SCs in the West and 

North-West, Hindu and Muslim 

SEdBCs in the East and STs in the 

Northeast) and fisher-folk (Hindu, 

Christian and Muslim SEdBCs in 

Peninsula and SCs in the East and 

North East). Similar economic measures 

have to be actually taken for each 

and every SEdBC caste and for SCs 

and STs, apart from educational and 

other measures. 

The question now is how far these 

tasks well-enunciated by the two leaders, 

who were successive Prime 

Ministers, have been fulfilled and what 

they and their Parties and Government 

will do to complete the long-overdue 

and long-neglected unfinished tasks if 

they come to power at the Centre after 

the elections of 2019 and in the States 

where they are in/will come to power. 

The same question arises in respect of 

other Parties also. This was the real 

post-May 2014 challenge. I had suggested 

to Parties and leaders of the ruling 

Coalition and of the Oppositon to 

take interest in and focus on that challenge. 

That continues to be the real post- 

May 2019 challenge for the future for 

all Parties and leaders of ruling 

Coalition as well as the Opposition in 

the Centre as well as each State. The 

Road-Map which I have communicated 

to them in updated form early in 2019 

will of help to them in doing their duty 

for SCs, STs and SEdBCs, comprehensively 

and holistically without losing 

sight of crucial issues. My Road-Map 

is in the public domain. Copy can be 

furnished to anyone who is interested.


ASIA 


More code complaints against Modi 

than any other PM: Congress 

New Delhi : Congress has 

filed 10 complaints against 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi 

with the Election Commission 

for alleged violation of Model 

Code of Conduct (MCC) and the 

party says it is the highest number 

of complaints faced by any 

Prime Minister in a Lok Sabha 

election. The Election 

Commission has given a decision 

on six of these complaints 

so far, giving a clean chit to the 

Prime Minister in all the cases. 

Sources said in two of these 

cases the decision was not unanimous 

with one of the two election 

commissioners registering 

his verbal dissent with the matter 

having been decided according 

to the opinion of the majority. 

The complaints, which cover 

a period from March 20 to April 

30, relate to several speeches of 

Amaravati : Andhra Pradesh Chief 

Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on 

Monday demanded that the Election 

Commission take action against Prime 

Minister Narendra Modi for his claim that 

40 lawmakers of West Bengal's ruling 

Trinamool Congress were in touch with 

him. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) 

chief alleged that Modi's remarks made 

during campaigning in West Bengal 

SIDHU criticises 

MODI for running 

away from promises 

Narsinghpur (MP) : Punjab 

minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on 

Monday launched into a tirade 

against Prime 

Minister Narendra 

Modi saying if he 

became the Prime 

Minister again then 

India would be 

destroyed. 

"There is no 

employment, youth 

and farmers have 

lost the ground and 

if Modi becomes the Prime 

Minister again then 'Hindustan' 

will be destroyed," said the 

cricketer-turned-politician while 

addressing a poll gathering in the 

Hoshangabad parliamentary 

amount to horse-trading and demanded 

the poll body to take action against him. 

"Betraying the spirit of democracy, 

belittling the office of a Prime Minister, 

and touching the height of absurdity, the 

PM of India stooped so low and claimed 

that 40 Trinamul Congress MLAs are in 

touch with him," Naidu said in a series of 

tweets. "This is nothing but horse trading, 

that too, when the election process is on 

constituency. 

"There are three Modis in the 

country. Out of them Nirav Modi 

and Lalit Modi have 

absconded, and the 

third Modi is running 

away from his promises," 

he said. 

Praising the 

NYAY scheme of the 

Congress, Sidhu said: 

"Poor families will 

get Rs 72,000 per 

annum under the 

scheme, while the BJP policies 

have worsened their condition." 

Hoshangabad will go to the 

polls on May 6 in the fifth phase 

of the seven-phased Lok Sabha 

election. 

Andhra CM urges EC to act against Modi over Bengal claims 

EC gets notice on plea challenging 

jail term for questioning EVMs 

New Delhi : Congress 

New Delhi : The Supreme 

Court on Monday issued a notice 

to the Election Commission on a 

plea challenging the legal provision 

mandating six months jail 

for questioning Electronic 

Voting Machines (EVMs). 

On a petition filed by 

Sunil Ahya, an SC bench 

headed by Chief Justice 

Ranjan Gogoi heard the 

arguments and issued the 

notice to the Election 

Commission. 

According to Section 

49 MA of the Code of 

Election Rules, if a person 

files a complaint regarding 

discrepancy in the 

EVM, and if after investigation 

it is found to be false or 

incorrect, then the complainant 

can be prosecuted under Section 

177 of the Indian Penal Code for 

"furnishing false information". 

This section invites "six months 

in jail or a fine of Rs 1,000 or 

both". Ahya contended that such 

Modi including those in 

Maharshtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan 

and Uttar Pradesh. There is also 

a complaint about "illegal" roadshow 

in Gujarat on April 23. 

On Saturday the poll panel 

gave Modi clean chit on compliant 

concerning his election 

speech at Patan in Gujarat on 

April 21. Congress spokesperson 

Shobha Oza said Modi has 

made history in terms of complaints 

filed against him with the 

a provision in election rules will 

act as a deterrent for voters experiencing 

faults in the EVMs from 

lodging a formal complaint. 

Claiming that the provision 

was not fair and that it will discourage 

voters with genuine 

complaints from coming forward, 

the petitioner said, "This 

infringes upon a citizen's right to 

freedom of expression, which is 

a fundamental right guaranteed 

under Article 19(1)(a) of the 

Constitution of India," said the 

petition. "Deviant behaviour of 

Election commission and no 

other prime minister from the 

time of Jawaharlal Nehru has 

"violated" the election norms in 

this manner. "No other prime 

minister has shown this disregard 

to constitutional authorities 

whether it is CBI, RBI or 

Election Commission. That 

shows his mindset. A Prime 

Minister should lead by example, 

should be a role model. 

Varun K, Chopra, an advocate 

representing the party before the 

commission, said the poll panel 

has taken decision in some cases. 

"For the remaining indecision is 

also a decision. Being watchdog 

of free and fair elections in the 

country, ECI should prudently 

exercise parity and level-playing 

field," he said. He said only 

about 180 of 543 Lok Sabha 

seats are left to vote. 

the electronic machine should 

not go against the electorate and 

lodging a complaint is an essential 

ingredient in a continuous 

exercise for improving the electoral 

process," Ahya said. The 

petitioner also included some 

suggestions to 

improve the overall 

electoral exercise. 

He said, "One of the 

possible ways to 

address the issue of 

reporting the aforesaid 

discrepancy in 

the future would be 

to keep the ballot 

unit lamp against 

the blue button of 

EVM glowing and 

at the same time, to let the 

VVPAT printed slip remain 

hanging in the transparent window 

without it being automatically 

cut after 7 seconds, unless 

and until the voter is completely 

satisfied and comes out of the 

polling booth." 

President Rahul Gandhi on 

Monday asked the Supreme 

Court to dismiss the contempt 

petition filed against him by the 

BJP, terming it a political move 

and also an attempt to gag him in 

a political discourse 

during 

ongoing elections. 

Gandhi, in his 

affidavit, contended 

that the contents 

of the explanation 

submitted 

to the court on 

April 22 were 

comprehensive 

and may be read as a part and 

parcel of the present reply. 

Although both explanations submitted 

in court are similar in 

nature, the affidavits do express 

regret but don't offer an apology. 

Gandhi urged that Meenakshi 

Lekhi, by filing the contempt 

petition, was trying to drag the 

court into a political controversy 

and taking political mileage. He 

and the model code of conduct is in force. 

The Election Commission of India shall 

immediately and suo-motu take cognizance 

of these shameful remarks by the 

Prime Minister and initiate action against 

him." 

"These comments vindicate our stand 

that, after destroying all the Institutions, 

the Prime Minister is now trying to 

destroy democracy itself," Naidu added. 

Rahul doesn't apologize for 

Rafale remarks linking SC 

said that Lekhi should pay for 

abusing the judicial process by 

filing this contempt petition. 

The Congress President had 

filed a similar affidavit in the 

court to explain his reaction on 

the April 10 court order on the 

use of leaked 

Defence Ministry 

documents for the 

Rafale review petition. 

Gandhi had said 

that the court said 

"Chowkidar chor 

hai", repeating a slogan 

that he and his 

party have used to 

target Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi. He justified the slogan as 

his party's stand on the defence 

deal. Gandhi expressed regret 

for ascribing the comments to 

the court and said this happened 

in the "heat of campaigning". 

Gandhi in his affidavit told 

the court that his remarks were 

not meant to scandalise the court 

in any manner. 

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IMF delegation arrives 

in Pakistan for talks 

Islamabad : A delegation of the 

International Monetary Fund (IMF) 

arrived in Pakistan on Monday to 

continue discussions for a relief 

package for the cash-strapped country. 

According to adviser and 

spokesman for the Ministry of 

Finance, Dr Khaqan Najeeb, the IMF 

team will meet officials of the 

Ministry, the Federal Board of 

Revenue and 

the State Bank 

during its visit 

to Pakistan. 

The two 

sides will discuss 

the possibility 

of a $7 

to $8 billion 

loan for the 

country, Geo 

News reported. 

"Extensive 

preparation 

for data and 

macroeconomic 

framework finalization and 

structural reforms are ongoing," 

Najeeb had said last week. 

He said that the Ministry of 

Finance had held in-depth discussions 

with all key stakeholders, 

including the State Bank of Pakistan, 

Power and Gas Division, 

Privatization Commission, Federal 

Board of Revenue and Benazir 

Income Support Programme. 

Prime Minister Imran Khan had 

met IMF Director Christine Lagarde 

on Friday on the sidelines of the second 

Belt and Road Forum in China. 

During the meeting, the two sides 

had agreed on the importance of the 

IMF programme for the country and 

reviewed the relationship between 

Pakistan and the global lender. 

Khan had identified areas of 

reforms and initiatives being undertaken 

by his 

government to 

stabilize the 

economy, control 

inflation 

and achieve 

fiscal balance. 

The two parties 

had also 

agreed on the 

need for a 

social safety 

net for vulnerable 

groups of 

the society. 

After the 

meeting, the 

IMF Director had said that she was 

glad to meet the Pakistani Premier in 

a meeting where a comprehensive 

policy package was discussed to alleviate 

the country's economy. 

"We discussed prospects for a 

comprehensive policy package and 

international financial support to help 

stabilize the economy of Pakistan, 

and also the need to strengthen governance 

and protect the poor," she 

said in a social media post. 

PAKISTAN ARMY WARNS 

Pashtun Tahafuz Movement 

Rawalpindi : The Pakistani 

Army on Monday said that it 

wanted to make every effort to 

resolve the issues faced 

by the Pashtuns in tribal 

areas, but warned that the 

"manner" adopted by the 

Pashtun Tahafuz 

Movement (PTM) to 

voice such grievances 

would no longer be tolerated. 

Addressing a press 

conference at the General 

Headquarters, Asif 

Ghafoor, the Director 

General of Pakistan Army's 

media wing Inter-Services 

Public Relations (ISPR), said: 

"We want to do everything for 

the people (of tribal areas), but 

those who are playing in the 

hands of people, their time is up. 

Their time is up." "The instructions 

of the Army chief will be 

fully followed. People will not 

face any sort of problem and neither 

will any unlawful path be 

adopted," Ghafoor said, suggesting 

possible action against the 

PTM, according to Dawn online. 

ASIA 

Sirisena names 

new police chief 

Colombo : Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena 

on Monday named a new police chief and appointed a new 

advisor to the Defence Ministry. Senior Deputy Inspector 

General C.D. Wickremeratne, the second-in-command in 

the police force, has been appointed the acting Inspector 

General and former Inspector General N.K. Illangakoon 

has been appointed an advisor to the Defence Ministry, the 

President's office said. 

Sirisena last week blamed intelligence failures for the 

April 21 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 253 people 

and promised a major shake-up in the country's security 

apparatus, Efe news reported. He had sought resignations 

from Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and IGP 

Pujith Jayasundara amid growing public outrage over the 

government's apparent failure to act on intelligence reports 

indicating that Islamist groups were planning to target 

churches in the island nation. The Defence Secretary 

resigned on April 25, saying he had systematically "disseminated 

the intelligence information received about the 

attacks on the competent officials and departments" and 

that he had complied with his duties. Meanwhile, 

Jayasundara has been sent on compulsory leave, the Daily 

Mirror quoted sources as saying. The Defence Secretary 

occupies the third position in the chain of command of 

office after the country's President, who also holds the post 

of Defence Minister. 

Last week, Sirisena said that there were as many as 140 

Islamic State suspects in the country and 70 of them had 

already been apprehended. 

"Everything will be done lawfully." 

The spokesperson said 

that the Army refrained from 

taking action against 

the PTM's "controversial" 

slogans because 

of its consideration for 

common Pashtuns who 

are being provoked. 

The PTM is a rightsbased 

alliance that, 

besides calling for the 

de-mining of the former 

tribal areas and 

greater freedom of 

movement in the latter, 

has insisted on an end to the 

practices of extrajudicial 

killings, enforced disappearances 

and unlawful detentions, 

and for their practitioners to be 

held to account. 

Pakistan 'frees 55 Indian fishermen, 5 civilians' 

Islamabad : 

Pakistan has released 

55 Indian fishermen 

and five civilians as a 

"goodwill gesture", the 

media reported on 

Monday. 

According to the 

Express Tribune, the 

Indian fishermen and 

civilians were released 

from Karachi's Malir 

jail on Sunday. 

Fifty five of the 

men were arrested for 

illegal fishing in 

Pakistan's territorial 

waters, while the other 

five were detained for 

crossing the border 

illegally. 

All of them were 

taken to Lahore in a 

train where they are 

expected to be handed 

over to the Indian 

authorities at Wagah 

border. 


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BUSINESS 


Jet staff confident of securing Rs 

3,000 cr fund, seek SBI nod to bid 

New Delhi : Sensing the options to 

revive the grounded Jet Airways are 

fast running out, a group of airline 

employees has written to SBI seeking 

permission to allow a consortium of 

employees and external investors to 

bid for the management control of the 

company. The employee representatives 

have said they will secure an 

investment of up to Rs 3,000 crore 

from "outside investors." The associations 

that have sent the proposal are 

Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots 

(SWIP) and Jet Aircraft Maintenance 

Engineers's Welfare Association 

(JAMEWA). The associations have 

promised that employees would contribute 

towards revival of the airline 

from their future earnings and 

increased productivity. "As per our 

initial estimate. the contribution of 

employee group over a hypothetical 5- 

year Employee Stock Ownership 

Programme (ESOP) is likely to 

upward of Rs 4,000 crore," a joint letter 

to SBI Chairman stated. 

They said that the decision has been 

taken through extensive discussion 

with various employee groups across 

the company, and also with colleagues 

who have in the past successfully held 

senior management positions. 

"We recognize that legacy issues of 

high operating costs, overstaffing, 

unfavourable vendor/lease agreements 

and adverse debt/equity ratio etc are 

involved," the proposal letter said. 

The associations have also urged 

the lenders to ensure the process of deregistration 

of aircraft and re-allocation 

of airport slots be immediately 

reversed. "...if not reversed quickly, 

(it) would spell doom for any future 

prospects of reviving the company," 

the associations warned. 

Lenders of Jet Airways led by SBI 

are currently in the process of selling 

the airline to recover their dues of over 

Rs 8,400 crore. Private equity firm 

TPG Capital, Indigo Partners, 

National Investment and 

Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and Etihad 

Airways are in the race to buy a stake 

in the grounded Jet Airways. 

CHINA'S yuan 

edges higher 

against US dollar 

Beijing : The central parity 

rate of the Chinese currency 

renminbi, or the yuan, 

strengthened 24 basis points 

to 6.7286 against the US dollar 

on Tuesday, according to 

the China Foreign Exchange 

Trade System. 

In China's spot foreign 

exchange market, the yuan is 

allowed to rise or fall by 2 

percent from the central parity 

rate each trading day, 

Xinhua reported. 

The central parity rate of 

the yuan against the US dollar 

is based on a weighted 

average of prices offered by 

market makers before the 

opening of the interbank market 

each business day. 

Heat wave, deficit rain affect normal life in NE 

Agartala/Guwahati : The 

normal life in the northeastern 

region has been affected due to 

heat wave in several areas and 

deficit pre-monsoon rains, officials 

said on Monday. 

According to the India 

Meteorological Department 

(IMD), the maximum temperature 

in several N-E states, especially 

Assam, Mizoram and 

Tripura, since the past one 

week is hovering between 35 

degrees Celsius and 38 degrees 

Celsius -- two-five degrees 

above the normal for this time 

of the season. 

The IMD, since March 1, 

also recorded 36 mm deficit 

pre-monsoon (March to May) 

rainfall in the seven N-E states, 

excluding Sikkim. The 

Arunachal Pradesh meteorological 

sub-division recorded 

highest 47 mm deficient premonsoon 

rainfall, followed by 

Assam and Meghalaya subdivision 

with 33 mm and 

Nagaland-Manipur-Mizoram- 

US stocks close higher; Alphabet falls 

New York : US 

stocks closed higher as 

Wall Street braced for a 

busy week, featuring a 

new wave of corporate 

results. The Dow Jones 

Industrial Average was 

up 11.06 points, or 0.04 

percent, to 26,554.39 on 

Monday. The S&P 500 

rose 3.15 points, or 0.11 

percent, to 2,943.03. 

The Nasdaq Composite 

Index increased 15.46 

points, or 0.19 percent, to 

8,161.85, Xinhua reported. Of 

the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors, 

financials and communications 

outperformed while real 

estate and utilities underperformed. 

About 150 S&P 500 

companies are scheduled to 

report their quarterly results this 

week, including US tech giants 

Tripura sub-division 28 mm. 

Sikkim and adjoining areas 

have recorded 152 mm premonsoon 

rainfall since March 

1. IMD Director Dilip Saha 

said in view of deep depressions 

over the Indian Ocean 

and adjoining Bay of Bengal, 

and subsequent cyclone 'Fani', 

the heat wave had continued in 

the mountainous northeastern 

region. "After the end of the 

cyclone's affect, the wind pattern 

is likely to change and the 

Apple and Qualcomm. Googleparent 

Alphabet reported earnings 

results after Monday’s 

close. The stock fell more than 

6 percent in afterhours trading 

shortly after the company delivered 

disappointing quarterly 

revenue. Of the S&P 500 companies 

that have reported quarterly 

results so far, about 77.5 

heat wave is expected to subside. 

We expect the situation to 

normalise within two-three 

days," Saha told IANS. 

According to the IMD official, 

cyclone 'Fani' has been 

gaining strength in the southeast 

Bay of Bengal and is likely 

to intensify into a very 

severe cyclonic storm on 

Tuesday. Agricultural officials 

in Assam, Mizoram and Tripura 

said various summer crops 

would be affected due to the 

percent have 

topped analyst 

expectations, 

according to data 

from FactSet. 

On the economic 

front, U.S. personal 

income rose 

0.1 percent in 

March, following 

a 0.2-percent 

increase in 

February, according 

to estimates 

released Monday by the Bureau 

of Economic Analysis. The personal 

consumption expenditures 

increased 0.9 percent in 

March, said the report. 

Economists surveyed by 

MarketWatch had been expecting 

a 0.8-percent gain in consumer 

spending and a 0.4-percent 

gain in income. 

deficit pre-monsoon rainfall. 

"If the rain does not occur in 

the next few days, the damage 

to the summer crops would be 

much larger," agricultural 

expert Samar Mitra told IANS. 

The deficit in rainfall also 

resulted in water scarcity, 

including supply of drinking 

water. Tripura Drinking Water 

and Sanitation Department 

Chief Engineer Baishapayan 

Chakraborty said the department 

had been providing drinking 

water through tankers in the 

scarcity-prone areas as well as 

remote, isolated hamlets and 

tribal areas. 

"We are setting up deep tube 

wells in the areas where the 

level of ground water has gone 

down, mostly in the hilly 

areas," Chakraborty told IANS. 

The Health Departments in 

the region have been alerted 

and suggested to take precautionary 

measures besides 

organising special health camps 

to tackle the seasonal diseases. 

TDB mulls fresh 

AFFIDAVIT in 

Sabarimala bond row 

Thiruvananthapuram, The Travancore Devasom Board 

(TDB) may file a new affidavit following a fresh controversy 

that erupted over the manner in which they justified the parking 

of funds in bonds of Dhanlaxmi Bank. 

The TDB in the affidavit claimed that Lord Ayyappa had foreseen 

calamities (floods and women’s entry) and this paved the 

way for some kind of compensation by way of these bonds. 

The TDB is the custodian of the Sabarimala temple. TDB 

president A. Padmakumar, a former CPI-M legislator, on Sunday 

said, “We are now considering a fresh affidavit after pulling out 

the first one. There was no reason for giving such a reason in the 

first affidavit.” 

Trouble has been brewing ever since the Kerala Audit 

Department revealed that the TDB purchased Rs 150 crore 

bonds of the Thrissur-headquartered Dhanlaxmi Bank using the 

Devaswom Employees Provident Fund and the Temple 

Employees Provident Fund without even conducting a risk 

analysis. 

After the audit revealed that the lapses were serious as the rating 

of this bond was poor and one could have earned higher 

interest by parking the funds in the government treasury, to cool 

things the TDB has decided to file a fresh affidavit. 

Since the apex court allowed entry of menstruating women to 

the temple, this temple town has seen upheavals with the Sangh 

parivar forces up in arms trying to stop the police while they 

took two menstruating women to pray at the temple. 

The temple town for almost two months has been silent in 

view of the elections. But it remains to be seen, what would happen 

when the temple again opens next month.


HEALTH 


13 

Suffering from high BP? 

Don’t take work stress lightly 

London : If you are finding it hard 

to deal with the pressure at the workplace, 

there is more reason to worry. 

New research has found that work 

stress and impaired sleep are linked to 

a threefold higher risk of cardiovascular 

death in employees with hypertension. 

“Sleep should be a time for recreation, 

unwinding, and restoring energy 

levels. If you have stress at work, 

sleep helps you recover,” said study 

author Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Professor 

at Technical University of Munich, 

Germany. “Unfortunately poor sleep 

and job stress often go hand in hand, 

and when combined with hypertension 

the effect is even more toxic,” 

Ladwig said. 

The study included around 2,000 

hypertensive workers aged 25-65, 

without cardiovascular disease or diabetes. 

Compared to those with no work 

stress and good sleep, people with both 

risk factors had a three times greater 

likelihood of death from cardiovascular 

disease, showed the findings published 

in the European Journal of Preventive 

Cardiology. People with work stress 

alone had a 1.6-fold higher risk while 

those with only poor sleep had a 1.8- 

times higher risk, the study said. 

In the study, work stress was defined 

as jobs with high demand and low control—for 

example when an employer 

wants results but denies authority to 

make decisions. 

“If you have high demands but also 

high control, in other words you can 

make decisions, this may even be positive 

for health,” said Ladwig. 

“But being entrapped in a pressured 

situation that you have no power to 

change is harmful,” Ladwig added. 

Body can adapt to occasional 

short-term overeating 

Why your wife won't admit 

she snores as loud as you 

New York : Overeating has been found to impair blood sugar 

(glucose) control and insulin levels but a new study suggests that 

the duration of a bout of overeating can affect how the body adapts 

to glucose and insulin processing when calorie intake increases. 

Obesity and type 2 diabetes have increased significantly worldwide 

within the past 30 years. 

Lifestyle factors such as overindulging in high-calorie foods 

play a large role in the development of these two serious health 

conditions. For the study, researchers from Deakin University in 

Australia studied a small group of healthy and lean men with an 

average age of 22. Volunteers participated in a short-term trial consisting 

of five days -- indicative of humans overeating during festivals 

and holidays -- and a long-term model of chronic overeating 

lasting 28 days. The "overfeeding" portion of the diet included 

high-calorie snacks such as chocolate, meal replacement drinks 

and potato chips to add approximately 1,000 more calories to the 

men's normal food consumption each day. 

Published in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology 

and Metabolism, the study suggests that "early adaptations in 

response to carbohydrate over-feeding are directed at increasing 

glucose disposal in order to maintain whole-body insulin sensitivity". 

"Long-term overindulgence in fatty foods, instead of more 

nutritionally balanced foods, may be an important factor that causes 

rapid changes in blood sugar control," the study added. 

New York : Women are more likely to 

under-report their snoring problem as compared 

to men, says a new study. 

In the study, published in Journal of 

Clinical Sleep Medicine, the researchers 

observed that women snored as loudly as 

men. However, "social stigma" prevented 

them from reporting about the problem, 

which contributed to the under-diagnosis or 

misdiagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea, a 

serious sleep disorder. 

"We found that although no difference 

in snoring intensity was found between 

genders, women tend to under-report the 

fact that they snore and to underestimate 

the loudness of their snoring," said Nimrod 

Maimon, Professor at Soroka University 

Medical Center in Israel. 

"Women reported snoring less often and 

described it as milder," Maimon added. 

For the study, the researchers included 

1,913 participants for sleep evaluation. 

The study's findings revealed that objectively 

measured snoring was found in 88% 

of the women (591 of 675), but only 72% 

reported that they snore (496 of 675). 

Whereas in men, objective snoring (92.6%) 

and self-reported snoring (93.1%) were 

similar. The study also found that women 

snored as loudly as men, with a snoring 

intensity of 50 decibels and 51.7 decibels 

among men. About 49% of the women had 

severe or very severe snoring (329 of 675), 

but only 40% of the women rated their 

snoring as severe (269 of 675). 

"The fact that women reported snoring 

less often and described it as milder may be 

one of the barriers preventing women from 

reaching sleep clinics for a sleep study," 

Maimon said. 

Women suffering from sleep apnoea are 

more likely to report symptoms including 

daytime fatigue, the researchers said. 

Familial breast cancer may be preventable by medication 

Vienna : Breast cancer passed down 

in families may be preventable by the 

medication Denosumab, which is 

undergoing a five-year study in Austria. 

The Austrian Breast and Colorectal 

Cancer Study Group is leading the work 

as it examines the drug's effectiveness 

on 2,950 patients with a hereditary disposition 

to this particular form of cancer, 

according to an Austria Press 

Agency report. Speaking at a press conference 

on Thursday, Professor 

Christian Singer from the Vienna 

General Hospital said the study will also 

examine the effects of Denosumab on 

healthy women who have a mutation in 

the BRCA1 gene, reports Xinhua news 

agency. 

These women have a 1.8 per cent 

chance of developing breast cancer each 

year, or about an 80 per cent chance during 

their lifetime. In addition, they have 

a 50 per cent chance of developing 

ovarian cancer. Up to now the only preventative 

measure against both cancers 

has been surgical removal of the affected 

breast tissue or the ovaries. 

The participants in the drug trial will 

receive either a Denosumab injection or 

a placebo every six months, Singer said. 

Denosumab is known as a monoclonal 

antibody and has been used in particular 

to treat osteoporosis, due to its 

capacity to prevent the development of 

cells that break down bone. 

Earlier Austrian studies have given 

strong indications that Denosumab may 

be effective against breast cancer, 

experts said.


HEALTH 


Drugs show promise in stroke, dementia prevention 

London : Two drugs, in use for treating 

heart disease and angina, have 

shown promise in an early trial in preventing 

stroke and dementia caused by 

damage to small blood vessels in the 

brain. 

The drugs — cilostazol and isosorbide 

mononitrate — were tested in a 

group of patients in Britain. The results 

published in the journal 

EclinicalMedicine showed that patients 

tolerated the drugs, with no serious sideeffects, 

even when they were given in 

full doses or in combination with other 

medicines. 

“The results of this trial show promise 

for treating a common cause of 

stroke and the most common cause of 

vascular dementia, since currently there 

Cyclone Fani 

likely to turn 

‘very severe’ 

Visakhapatnam : Cyclone Fani, 

currently over the southeast Bay of 

Bengal and the adjoining East 

Equatorial Indian Ocean, is likely to 

intensify into a “very severe cyclonic 

storm” on Monday, the Indian 

Meteorological Department (IMD) 

said on Sunday. 

Fani is centred about 750 km eastsoutheast 

of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka), 

1,080 km southeast of Chennai and 

1,260 km south-southeast of 

Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh). 

“It is very likely to intensify into a 

‘Severe Cyclonic Storm’ during the 

next 12 hours and into a ‘Very Severe 

Cyclonic Storm’ during the subsequent 

24 hours. It is very likely to move 

north-westwards till April 30 and 

thereafter recurve north-eastwards 

gradually,” the IMD said in a bulletin. 

The Met officials said the cyclone 

may come 200 to 300 km close to the 

Andhra coast before changing its 

course to head towards the coasts of 

Odisha and Bangladesh. 

Under the impact of the cyclone, 

Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are 

likely to receive heavy rains on April 

30 and May 1. 

The Met office has forecast thunderstorm 

with heavy rain and gusty 

winds with the speed of 40-50 kmph at 

isolated places in all coastal Andhra 

districts. 

Authorities has issued warnings at 

the Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam, 

Krishnapatnam and Nizampatnam 

ports. 

are no effective treatments. Further trials 

are underway,” said lead researcher 

Joanna Wardlaw, Professor at 

University of Edinburgh in Britain. 

Damage to small blood vessels in 

brain is responsible for around a quarter 

of strokes. It is also a common cause of 

memory problems and dementia. At 

present, the only way to reduce risk of 

the disease is by controlling blood pressure 

and cholesterol, stopping smoking 

and managing symptoms of diabetes. 

For the study, researchers recruited 

57 patients who had experienced stroke 

caused by damaged small blood vessels, 

known as a lacunar stroke. They took 

the two medicines either individually or 

in combination for up to nine weeks, in 

addition to usual treatments aimed at 

MELBOURNE : Indulging in high-calorie 

‘comfort’ foods when you are stressed can lead to 

more weight gain than usual, scientists say. 

Researchers from the Garvan Institute of 

Medical Research in Australia discovered a molecular 

pathway in the brain, controlled by insulin, 

which drives the additional weight gain. 

Using an animal model, the team showed that a 

high-calorie diet when combined with stress resulted 

in more weight gain than the same diet caused in 

a stress-free environment. “This study indicates 

that we have to be much more conscious about 

what we’re eating when we’re stressed, to avoid a 

faster development of obesity,” said Herbert 

Herzog, who led the study. 

Some individuals eat less when they’re stressed, 

but most will increase their food intake—and crucially, 

the intake of calorie-dense food high in sugar 

and fat. To understand what controls this ‘stress 

eating’, the team investigated different areas of the 

brain in mice. While food intake is mainly controlled 

by a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, 

another part of the brain—the amygdala—processes 

emotional responses, including anxiety. “Our study 

showed that when stressed over an extended period 

and high calorie food was available, mice became 

obese more quickly than those that consumed the 

same high fat food in a stress-free environment,” said 

Kenny Chi Kin Ip, lead author of the study published 

in the journal Cell Metabolism. 

At the centre of this weight gain, the scientists discovered, 

was a molecule called NPY, which the brain 

preventing further strokes. 

They completed health questionnaires 

and had regular blood pressure 

checks, blood tests and brain scans. The 

findings suggest the drugs are safe for 

use in stroke patients, taken alone or in 

combination, at least in the short term. 

There were also signs that the treatment 

helped improve blood vessel function 

in the arms and brain, and may 

improve thinking skills, but researchers 

stressed further studies to test this. 

Experts believe the findings pave the 

way for larger studies to check if the 

treatment can prevent brain damage and 

reduce risk of stroke and vascular 

dementia. A larger study, called LACI- 

2, is underway, said a statement from 

University of Edinburgh. 

Comfort food leads to more 

weight gain during stress 

Sydney, Eating too much high-calorie food is 

anyway bad for health but under stress, sugary 

and high-fat diet can lead to more weight gain 

than in normal situations, says a study. 

During an experiment on mice, the team discovered 

that a high-calorie diet when combined 

with stress resulted in more weight gain than the 

same diet caused in a stress-free environment. 

“This study indicates that we have to be much 

more conscious about what we’re eating when 

we’re stressed, to avoid a faster development of 

obesity,” said Professor Herbert Herzog said, 

Head of the Eating Disorders laboratory at the 

Garvan Institute of Medical Research in New 

South Wales (NSW). According to the findings 

published in the journal-Cell Metabolism, some 

individuals eat less when they are stressed but 

most will increase their food intake — and crucially, 

produces naturally in response to stress to stimulate 

eating in humans as well as mice. “We discovered that 

when we switched off the production of NPY in the 

amygdala weight gain was reduced. Without NPY, the 

weight gain on a high-fat diet with stress was the same 

as weight gain in the stress-free environment,” said Ip. 

“This shows a clear link between stress, obesity 

and NPY,” he said. To understand what might control 

the NPY boost under stress, the scientists analysed the 

nerve cells that produced NPY in the amygdala and 

found they had receptors, or ‘docking stations’, for 

the intake of calorie-dense food high in sugar and fat. 

insulin—one of the hormones 

which control our food intake. 

Under normal conditions, the body 

produces insulin just after a meal, 

which helps cells absorb glucose 

from the blood and sends a ‘stop 

eating’ signal to the hypothalamus 

feeding centre of the brain. 

In the study, the scientists discovered 

that chronic stress alone 

raised the blood insulin levels only 

slightly, but in combination with a 

high-calorie diet, the insulin levels 

were 10 times higher than mice that 

were stress-free and received a normal 

diet. 

The study showed that these prolonged, 

high levels of insulin in the 

amygdala caused the nerve cells to 

become desensitised to insulin, 

which stopped them from detecting 

insulin altogether. In turn, these desensitised nerve 

cells boosted their NPY levels, which both promoted 

eating and reduced the bodies’ normal response to 

burn energy through heat, the study showed. 

“Our findings revealed a vicious cycle, where 

chronic, high insulin levels driven by stress and a 

high-calorie diet promoted more and more eating,” 

said Herzog. “This really reinforced the idea that 

while it’s bad to eat junk food, eating high-calorie 

foods under stress is a double whammy that drives 

obesity,” he added. 

Eating comfort food in stress will add extra kilos 

To understand what controls this ‘stress eating’, 

the researchers investigated different areas of the 

brain in mice. While food intake is mainly controlled 

by a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, another 

part of the brain — the amygdala — processes 

emotional responses, including anxiety. 

The scientists discovered that chronic stress alone 

raised the blood insulin levels only slightly but in 

combination with a high-calorie diet, the insulin levels 

were 10 times higher than mice that were stressfree 

and received a normal diet. 

“We were surprised that insulin had such a significant 

impact on the amygdala,” said Professor 

Herzog. “It’s becoming more and more clear that 

insulin doesn’t only impact peripheral regions of the 

body but that it regulates functions in the brain. 

We’re hoping to explore these effects further in 

future,” Herzog added.


Smartphone game can help 

detect Alzheimer's risk 

London : A specially designed smartphone game can detect 

people at the risk of developing Alzheimer's, say researchers. 

The game 

called Sea Hero 

Quest, downloaded 

and 

played by over 

4.3 million people 

worldwide, 

h e l p e d 

researchers from 

the University of 

East Anglia 

(UEA) better 

understand 

dementia by seeing 

how the brain 

works in relation 

to spatial navigation. 

The game has 

been developed 

by Deutsche 

Telekom in partnership 

with Alzheimer's Research UK, University College London 

(UCL) and the University of East Anglia. 

"Dementia will affect 135 million people worldwide by 2050. 

We need to identify people to reduce their risk of developing 

dementia," said Lead researcher Professor Michael Hornberger 

from UEA's Norwich Medical School. 

As players made their way through mazes of islands and icebergs, 

the research team translated every 0.5 seconds of gameplay 

into scientific data. The team studied how people who are 

genetically pre-disposed to Alzheimer's play the game compared 

with those who are not. 

The results, published in the journal PNAS, showed people 

genetically at risk of developing Alzheimer's can be distinguished 

from those who are not on specific levels of the Sea 

Hero Quest game. The findings are particularly important 

because a standard memory and thinking test cannot distinguish 

between the risk and non-risk groups. "Our findings show we 

can reliably detect such subtle navigation changes in at-geneticrisk 

of Alzheimer's compared with healthy people without any 

symptoms or complaints," said Hornberger. 

The team studied gaming data taken from 27,108 UK players, 

aged 50-75 years and the most vulnerable age-group to develop 

Alzheimer's in the next decade. They compared this benchmark 

data with a smaller lab-based group of 60 people who underwent 

genetic testing. 

NEW YORK : A personal 

encounter with the “ultimate reality” 

or God—spontaneous or under the 

influence of a psychedelic drug—can 

bring positive changes in psychological 

health even decades after the initial 

experience, says an interesting study. 

In a survey of thousands of people 

who reported having experienced personal 

encounters with God, 

researchers from Johns Hopkins 

University report that more than twothirds 

of self-identified atheists shed 

that label after their encounter, regardless 

of whether it was spontaneous or 

while taking a psychedelic. 

The findings, described in a paper 

in the journal PLOS ONE, add to evidence 

that such deeply meaningful 

experiences may have healing properties. 

“Experiences that people describe 

as encounters with God or a representative 

of God have been reported for 

thousands of years, and they likely 

form the basis of many of the world’s 

religions,” said lead researcher Roland 

Griffiths, professor of psychiatry and 

behavioural sciences at Johns 

Hopkins’ School of Medicine. 

“Although modern Western medicine 

doesn’t typically consider ‘spiritual’ 

or ‘religious’ experiences as one 

of the tools in the arsenal against sickness, 

our findings suggest that these 

encounters often lead to improvements 

in mental health,” he argued. 

People over the millennia have 

HEALTH 

London : If you are finding it 

hard to deal with the pressure at 

the workplace, there is more reason 

to worry. New research has 

found that work stress and 

impaired sleep are linked to a 

threefold higher risk of cardiovascular 

death in employees with 

hypertension. 

"Sleep should be a time for 

recreation, unwinding, and 

restoring energy levels. If you 

have stress at work, sleep helps 

you recover," said study author 

Karl-Heinz Ladwig, Professor at 

Technical University of Munich, 

Germany. "Unfortunately poor 

sleep and job stress often go hand 

in hand, and when combined 

with hypertension the effect is even more 

toxic," Ladwig said. The study included 

around 2,000 hypertensive workers aged 

25-65, without cardiovascular disease or 

diabetes. Compared to those with no work 

reported having deeply moving religious 

experiences either spontaneously 

or while under the influence of psychedelic 

substances such as psilocybin-containing 

mushrooms or the 

stress and good sleep, people with both risk 

factors had a three times greater likelihood 

of death from cardiovascular disease, 

showed the findings published in the 

European Journal of Preventive 

Amazonian brew ayahuasca. 

The researchers say a majority of 

respondents attributed lasting positive 

changes in their psychological 

health—life satisfaction, purpose and 


Encounter with ‘God’ may bring long-lasting health 

15 

Asthma-causing toxins 

found in e-cigarettes 

New York, Expecting 

mothers, take note. As smoking 

during pregnancy is linked with 

negative health outcomes, a 

team of researchers has found 

that smoking cessation during 

pregnancy may reduce the risk 

of pre-term birth. 

The findings, published in 

the JAMA Network Open journal, 

showed that the probability 

of pre-term birth decreased 

with earlier smoking cessation 

in pregnancy — up to a 20 per 

cent relative decrease if cessation 

occurred at the beginning 

of pregnancy. 

“Of concern, though, 

given the substantial benefits 

of smoking cessation 

during pregnancy is that the 

proportion of pre-pregnancy 

smokers who quit smoking 

during pregnancy has 

remained essentially stagnant 

since 2011,” said lead 

author Samir Soneji from The 

Dartmouth Institute for Health 

Policy and Clinical Practice in 

the US. For the study, the 

researchers conducted a crosssectional 

study of more than 25 

million pregnant women who 

gave birth to live neonates during 

a six-year period — measuring 

their smoking frequency 

Cardiology. 

People with work 

stress alone had a 1.6- 

fold higher risk while 

those with only poor 

sleep had a 1.8-times 

higher risk, the study 

said. 

In the study, work 

stress was defined as 

jobs with high demand 

and low control -- for 

example when an 

employer wants results 

but denies authority to 

make decisions. 

"If you have high 

demands but also high 

control, in other words 

you can make decisions, this may even be 

positive for health," said Ladwig. "But 

being entrapped in a pressured situation 

that you have no power to change is harmful," 

Ladwig added. 

Quit smoking to lower risk of premature birth 

three months prior to pregnancy 

and for each trimester during 

pregnancy. The negative health 

impacts of cigarette smoking 

during pregnancy, including 

low birth weight, delayed 

intrauterine development, preterm 

birth, infant mortality, and 

long-term developmental 

delays, are well known. 

But the good news is that the 

proportion of women who start 

their pregnancy as smokers has 

been declining in recent years, 

the researchers said. 

meaning—even decades after their 

initial experience. 

For the new study, the scientists 

used data from 4,285 people worldwide 

who responded to online advertisements 

to complete one of two 50- 

minute online surveys about God 

encounter experiences. 

The surveys asked participants to 

recall their single most memorable 

encounter experience with the “God of 

their understanding,” a “higher 

power,” “ultimate reality” or “an 

aspect or representative of God, such 

as an angel.” They also asked how 

respondents felt about their experience 

and whether and how it changed their 

lives. Of those who reported using a 

psychedelic, 1,184 took psilocybin 

(“magic mushrooms”), 1,251 said they 

took LSD, 435 said they took ayahuasca 

(a plant-based brew originating 

with indigenous cultures in Latin 

America), and 606 said they took 

DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine), also 

a naturally occurring substance found 

in certain plants and animals. 

About 75 per cent of the respondents 

in both the non-drug and psychedelics 

groups rated their “God 

encounter” experience as among the 

most meaningful and spiritually significant 

in their lifetime.


ENTERTAINMENT 


Sargun’s make-up man 

If we talk about happy marriages in the television industry, 

then celebrity couple Ravi 

Dubey and Sargun Mehta’s 

would surely be on the top 

of our list. Ravi’s quite a 

doting husband and his 

Insta posts are a testimony 

to this. Be it her career in 

the Punjabi film industry, 

her glowing looks or killer 

personality, Sargun surely 

has all of Ravi’s attention, 

and we love it! 

His latest post is awwworthy 

as well. The two 

are getting ready for an 

event and Ravi seems to be 

doing Sargun’s make up! 

Well, that’s the kind of husband every girl wants! Twinning in 

white, the couple looks absolutely gorgeous. 

Guess who returns to Udann? 

Colors’ longest running social drama, Udann has enthralled 

viewers for almost five years 

with its intriguing narrative. 

The post leap drama has also 

seen a lot of new entrants in the 

show. Now, another interesting 

twist is about to spruce up the 

drama, as Vijayendra Kumeria 

will make a comeback in the 

show as Raghav. Sharing 

details on his comeback, 

Vijayendra Kumeria says, “I 

have been associated with this 

show for many years, and now 

I am making a comeback with 

a new angle to my character 

which is going to be quite 

interesting. The new storyline had a creative requirement of 

Raghav.” 

Taimur first 

Here’s why Kareena Kapoor delays 

Angrezi Medium’s shoot 

Our Bollywood celebrities don’t get plenty of time to spend 

with their families because of the hectic schedules. Fortunately, 

Kareena Kapoor 

Khan isn’t one of 

those mommies 

who does not get 

time with her 

child Taimur Ali 

Khan as she has 

always prioritised 

the little 

munchkin. 

However, 

Kareena has had 

a number of projects 

lined up for 

her which has 

kept the actress 

away from 

Taimur. Bebo 

also is teaming 

up with Irrfan for 

the first time in 

A n g r e z i 

Medium. Now 

Bebo has decided 

to postpone 

the shooting of 

Angrezi Medium 

to June. As per 

reports, Kareena 

has deferred the shoot of the movie to June instead of May since 

she wants to spend more time with Taimur. 

Taimur is currently in a playgroup whose vacations are scheduled 

to start from May. Thus, Bebo wants to be in Mumbai to be 

with him. Also, once Taimur’s holidays begin, Kareena might 

take him to London with her when she leaves for Angrezi 

Medium’s shoot. Talking about the film, Kareena and Irrfan are 

coming together for the first time and Kareena will be seen playing 

the role of a cop in the film. 

Ayushmann is glad that his 

films go ‘beyond borders’ 

He’s having a dream run at 

the box office. His last two films 

— Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho 

— have garnered critical and 

commercial acclaim. And 

Ayushmann Khurrana’s popularity 

is travelling beyond borders 

along with his films. Andhadhun 

has neared the ?250-crore mark 

at the Chinese box office! On 

how important an achievement 

this is for him, he tells us, “It is a 

huge feat for me, and a great 

achievement. There’s validation 

that the scripts I am choosing are 

not just resonating with the 

masses in India but also internationally. 

This shows that the content 

I am choosing is beyond borders, 

cultures, and has an international 

appeal. I feel acknowledged. 

Gratitude is the word!” 

What comes as a surprise is 

that Ayushmann wasn’t thinking 

about it at all when he got the 

news about the release in China. 

“I was not thinking about 

anything. I just got to know from 

a tweet (from one of the producers) 

that it is releasing there. My 

only reaction was ‘Let’s see how 

it goes’, but it has surpassed my 

expectations for sure. I was, in 

fact, not thinking at all about the 

Chinese release or how it would 

fare there. It’s like a great, happy 

surprise,” he says. Currently, he 

has his hands full with Dream 

Girl; Article 15, in which he 

plays a cop for the first time; and 

Akshay begins shooting for 

Kanchana’s Hindi remake 

Mumbai : Actor 

Akshay Kumar, roped 

into the Hindi remake 

of the Tamil film 

“Kanchana” along with 

actress Kiara Advani, 

kick started the first 

schedule of the movie 

on Sunday. 

After helming the 

Tamil franchise, 

Raghava Lawrence is 

directing the horrorcomedy 

film in Hindi titled “Laaxmi Bomb”. Lawrence took to social media 

to share the news along with a photo of himself with Akshay. 

He wrote: “Hi dear friends and fans! Shooting of Hindi remake of 

‘Kanchana’, starring the great Akshay Kumar Sir, has began. Need all your 

blessings.” Apart from Akshay and Kiara, the Hindi remake will also star 

actor Tusshar Kapoor. It has also been reported that megastar Amitabh 

Bachchan will portray a transgender in the film. 

Rishi explores vote possibility during NY stay 

New York : Veteran actor Rishi 

Kapoor, undergoing medical treatment 

in the USA, on Sunday sought help 

from the Indian Consulate in New York 

for casting vote in the Lok Sabha elections. 

“Called the Indian Consulate’s office 

here to enquire if there was any facility 

for people like us to vote (away from 

home),” Rishi tweeted. But after finding 

out that there is no such facility for 

people living abroad temporarily, the actor urged citizens to “not forget to 

vote wherever and whenever you have to”. Last year, the “Mulk” actor had 

shared with his fans the information that he was flying to the USA for medical 

treatment. “Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to 

go to America for some medical treatment. 

I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. It’s been 

45 years ‘plus’ of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes, 

I will be back soon,” Rishi tweeted in September 2018. 

Bala, in which he plays a guy 

suffering from premature balding. 

All his roles are distinct 

from each other, and it is by 

design. 

“I don’t want to repeat roles,” 

he says and elaborates on what 

he keeps in mind when choosing 

a script, “The only thing I care 

for is that the script has to be 

normal and should have no reference 

point in either Hindi or 

international cinema.” “So I am 

glad to be getting scripts which 

are unique, and which resonate 

with the masses... either about 

breaking a taboo or dealing with 

social stigmas. These kind of 

scripts appeal to me.” 

When in showbiz, it’s easy to 

give in to the notion that ‘box 

office is the only king’. But, not 

for Ayushmann. “I’d only do 

films which are also into value 

creation, and not just into commerce 

or moolah creation at the 

box office. I’ve aspired to do 

‘middle of the road cinema’, 

which is a great combination of 

commerce and content. I just follow 

my heart and gut every single 

time.” “Most of my decisions 

are impulsive, but I am quite 

intuitive like that. I hope it works 

in the future also,” he says. 

When asked, Ayushmann, who 

sings, does live shows and writes 

poems, says, “I’d like to produce 

one day, and also write and 

direct a film, but as of now, it’s a 

lot of fun to be just a performer!” 

I love dancing, 

says Shraddha 

2019 started on a special note for Shraddha Kapoor as 

she got the chance 

to team up with her 

ABCD2 (2015) costar 

Varun Dhawan. 

Shraddha and 

Varun are childhood 

friends and 

share a close bond. 

So, Shraddha says 

that working with 

Varun is always a 

blast. The second 

instalment required 

both of them to 

master several 

dance techniques, 

something that 

Shraddha absolutely 

enjoyed doing. 

Now with the latest 

film, Street Dancer 

3D which has finished 

a London schedule, she is looking forward to finishing 

the rest of the film in which she reportedly plays 

a dancer from Pakistan. 

“I love dancing. It’s one of my favourite things to do 

in the world. Of course, there are challenges but that’s 

what makes it more fun because then you love it even 

more. It’s fun to be back with the ABCD2 gang”, says 

the actor who shot with Varun for a dance sequence on 

the famous O2 arena rooftop in London, UK. 

Another co-star she is reuniting with this year is Tiger 

Shroff. The two were a part of Baaghi (2016) after which 

Disha Patani was chosen to play the lead in Baaghi 2. 

And now, the actor is back to the franchise, thanks to her 

hit pairing with Tiger. “ 

“I’m super excited to return to the Baaghi franchise as 

well although I won’t really be doing action in this film. 

Tiger will be seen in all the action sequences and I am 

sure people will enjoy the same,” says the actor.


ENTERTAINMENT 


17 

‘I’M A HUGE FAN OF 

MICHAEL JACKSON’ 

When Hrithik Roshan 

debuted in 2000, he was hailed 

as the next superstar of 

Bollywood. Apart from his 

good looks and acting prowess, 

the actor also established himself 

as an exceptional dancer in 

his very first film. Ever since, 

there has been no looking back 

for the actor, who is considered 

to be one of the best dancers in 

Bollywood by most of his contemporaries. 

Tiger Shroff looks 

up to the actor for his dancing 

skills as do so many other 

young actors. On International 

Dance Day, we caught up with 

the actor to talk about everything 

related to his passion — 

dance. 

What are your earliest 

memories of dancing? 

My earliest memories of 

dance are from school. We 

would have annual day shows 

where all the kids would perform 

together and there would 

be dance competitions and performances. 

There used to be a lot of dancing 

to Bollywood songs at birthday parties, 

where each one of us would do hook steps of 

popular songs and show our best moves. I 

took keen interest in dance while I was 

preparing for my debut film, Kaho Naa 

Pyaar Hai (2000). 

Growing up, who was your inspiration? 

I have always been a huge fan of Michael 

Jackson, Shammi Kapoor and Govinda. 

Each of their dancing style is different from 

‘Glad Indian 

films gaining 

audience in 

CHINA’ 

Actor Vicky Kaushal is glad that his 

film Love Per Square Foot was showcased 

at the Beijing International Film Festival 

2019, and 

says it is 

wonderful to 

see Indian 

films gain 

audiences in 

China. 

“It’s wonderful 

to see 

Indian films 

gain audiences 

in 

China. Love 

Per Square 

Foot is a 

film that’s 

close to my heart and with its universal 

theme of the quest for a roof over the head, 

I’m delighted to hear that it resonated with 

viewers at the Beijing Film Festival,” 

Vicky said. 

Love Per Square Foot, India’s Netflix 

Original film, was screened at the Beijing 

International Film Festival, which ran from 

April 13 to April 20. Produced by Anand 

Tiwari and Amritpal Bindra under their 

banner Still and Still Media Collective in 

collaboration with RSVP, the film was 

showcased under The Belt and Road. 

the other. I have grown up imitating their 

styles in front of the mirror. 

If you had the choice to do a dance off 

with any person living or dead, who would 

it be? 

Maybe not a dance off, but I would have 

loved to share the stage with the legendary 

Michael Jackson. I have been a huge fan of 

his since childhood and he is the reason I 

started dancing. 

What does dance mean to you? 

Priya bags second 

Bollywood movie 

Priya Prakash Varrier, who became an internet sensation 

overnight with her famous wink in a song from the 

film Oru Adaar Love, has now bagged her second venture 

in Bollywood. While the actress will already be seen 

in Sridevi Bungalow soon, she is expected to have come 

on board for a venture named Love Hackers. In recent 

interactions, Priya confirmed the news and also spoke 

about her being the protagonist in the movie. 

Revealing details about Love Hackers, Priya said the 

film is based on real life incidents. It revolves around a 

girl who is trapped in an unfortunate situation. 

I feel dance is a very powerful 

medium to draw people 

towards physical fitness. 

There was a time in my life 

when the doctors had told me 

that I will never be able to 

dance again. I danced my way 

through that phase, too 

(smiles). Dancing is a great 

way to stay fit. It helps you 

burn calories, strengthen muscles, 

increase flexibility, and 

also keeps one upbeat and 

happy. I have also introduced 

my mom and kids to it and 

they love it. 

You have a lot of dance 

numbers to your credit. 

Which is your personal 

favourite? 

It is tough to choose just 

one favourite song of mine to 

dance to. But my top 

favourites are Deva Shree 

Ganesha (Agneepath; 2012), 

Dhoom Again (Dhoom 2; 

2006), Bang Bang (Bang 

Bang; 2014) and Ek Pal ka 

Jeena (Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai; 2000). 

What do you think about dance reality 

shows that are the rage on television channels 

currently? 

Dance reality shows are a great platform 

to discover and promote new talent from 

across India. It gives people an opportunity 

to showcase their talent. I have judged a 

dance reality show in the past and I will definitely 

be open to doing it again in the future 

if something interesting comes up. 

‘Dancing has helped me deal 

with the hardships of my life’ 

She is the happiest when she 

is dancing, as much as she is 

while facing the arch lights. 

That’s Sanya Malhotra for you. 

Well, on International Dance 

Day (April 29), Sanya talks 

about the good things related to 

the art form and how it has 

changed her life. 

For the uninitiated, Sanya’s 

love for dance began at an early 

age. She was in school when she 

accompanied her mother’s best 

friend to a dance competition in 

Delhi. Coaxed by her aunt, she 

by chance, participated and stole 

the show with her version of Tu 

Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast 

(Mohra; 1994). 

“That day I knew I love dancing, 

more so because there was 

no stage fright at all. Then, I 

became that kid who would 

dance at every family get together, 

parties or weddings. And 

mind you, I was famous too in 

those circles,” she says. Soon the 

love turned into passion and 

Sanya trained herself in ballet, 

freestyle and jazz. On her to-do 

list is tap dancing and she also 

wants to learn a classical dance 

form. If you follow her on social 

media, then it’s impossible to 

miss her dance videos and the 

kind of reactions they garner 

Ranbir Kapoor, Alia 

Bhatt enjoy movie date 

Mumbai, Bollywood couple Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt went 

on a movie date to watch “Avengers: Endgame”. They were 

clicked by photographers while making their way out of the theatre 

after watching the movie here. 

Alia looked chic in a floral top and blue jeans. She had her hair 

loose and was seen holding a denim jacket. Ranbir sported a 

checked shirt and white T-shirt along with jeans and a cap to complete 

his causal look. Reports about Ranbir and Alia dating each 

other first surfaced last year. They have since made several appearances 

together — be it walking hand in hand at an awards show or 

shopping on the New York streets. They started opening up about 

their relationship this year. Alia talked about it when she appeared 

on “Koffee With Karan”. A kiss and an “I love you” from Alia to 

Ranbir at the 64th Filmfare Awards got their fans on social media 

excited about their rare public display of affection. 

On the work front, Alia and Ranbir will be seen sharing screen 

space in the upcoming film “Brahmastra”. 

from her fans and colleagues 

alike. A latest video of her with 

rapper Naezy saw Hrithik 

Roshan commenting, “OUT- 

STANDING”. Mention this to 

Sanya and she falls short of 

words to express her happiness. 

So, will we see her in a dance 

film with Hrithik any time soon? 

“That would be a dream come 

true. Just the thought of it is giving 

me goosebumps. He is such a 

fabulous dancer. But before 

everything else, I want to do a 

dance film. Koi toh mujhse film 

mein dance karwao (Someone, 

please make me dance in a film). 

I want to see myself dancing on 

the big screen,” adds the actor, 

who had choreographed her 

Dangal (2016) co-actor Aamir 

Khan for Secret Superstar 

(2017). 

About her plans for April 29, 

Sanya says she is thinking of 

doing something with Naezy and 

choreographer Shazeb Sheikh. 

“Let me figure this out… It will 

be a surprise,” she keeps it at 

that. 

Ask her if she would like to 

give out a message to her fans on 

the occasion of International 

Dance Day and Sanya is quick to 

add, “Dancing does make you 

happy. It has helped me deal 

with the hardships in my life. 

Not everyone is a good dancer 

but you just have to enjoy doing 

it. Dance as if no one is watching. 

You can be a part of a group 

or dance at home and even 

involve your family. Trust me, 

it’s fun. It’s a good exercise for 

your mind, body and soul. At 

times, I visit workshops and see 

even non-dancers having a good 

time. That’s the spirit. The happy 

hormones need to be generated,” 

she signs off.


ENTERTAINMENT 


'WHEN THE AUDIENCES LOVE 

YOU REGION DOESN'T MATTER' 

Prabhas talks about how the Baahubali franchise transcended barriers to win hearts 

Much to the excitement of his fans, the 

extremely shy and private South superstar 

Prabhas has finally joined Instagram, and 

that’s certainly no mean feat for him. The 

actor who rose to fame internationally after 

the phenomenal success of the Baahubali 

franchise humbly says, “I have finally 

joined Instagram, so that is my first step. 

Being shy is just my nature, nothing else.” 

Prabhas also promises to make efforts to 

become more social media savvy now. On 

the second anniversary of Baahubali 2: The 

Conclusion today, the actor talks to us 

about how the film ‘became the most iconic 

benchmark in his life’, working in 

Bollywood, and being part of action franchises. 

Do you think the Baahubali franchise 

was the turning point in the history of 

Indian cinema because it bridged the 

gap between Bollywood and South cinema? 

Baahubali has been an iconic benchmark 

in my life. It is surreal to see that it 

has had such an impact on Indian cinema. 

It was overwhelming to see the acceptance 

and enthusiasm the audience had shown 

towards a film coming from south India. 

However, I still believe that it was our 

director SS Rajamouli sir’s vision which 

made it not just a national blockbuster but 

also a global hit. Baahubali was Rajamouli 

sir’s project and I am proud and honoured 

to be a part of his vision. His ambition and 

efforts made it possible for the film to 

reach the nooks and corners of the nation, 

making it the phenomenon that it turned 

into. With films like Baahubali, we are 

looking at cinema that can transcend 

regions and resonate nationwide. 

Baahubali has opened doors for regional 

cinema on a pan-India platform as well as 

the global platform. 

Of late, there have been many collaborations 

between Bollywood and the 

south film industry. Does it widen your 

reach as an actor? 

I believe the audience accepts an artiste 

for his work. I do not see any industry as a 

barrier. When your audience loves you, I 

don’t think the region is a parameter to 

measure. 

You have started shooting for the 

Mumbai leg of your new film, Saaho. 

What can the audiences expect from you 

this time? 

Mumbai has a feel of its own and I love 

it. The shoot has commenced and I am very 

excited to shoot at locations such as Karjat. 

For Saaho, we did a lot of rehearsals, and 

safety precautions were the top priority on 

the sets. The plan is to deliver the best to 

the audience with some fresh action 

sequences so that the audience sees something 

new. 

You appeared on Karan Johar’s chat 

show recently, sparking off rumours 

that you are soon to make your 

Bollywood debut... 

Not just this, I also came across rumours 

of me turning down Karan Johar’s film, 

however, there is no truth to it. Saaho is a 

Bollywood film and it is a full-fledged 

action thriller. Unlike Baahubali, Saaho is 

not just dubbed in Hindi, but is also simultaneously 

shot in Hindi, so I am already 

doing a Bollywood film. I have been working 

on Saaho ever since Baahubali 

released. I haven’t signed any other Hindi 

film after that. I surely am interested to do 

more projects. The content matters, not 

where it comes from. Ultimately, the audiences 

should be happy and satisfied. 

You spent years working and preparing 

for Baahubali. You had to let go of a 

lot of projects. Will you give so many 

years to a project yet again? 

If the script demands, I would certainly 

do so. I believe in dedicating my time and 

efforts to limited projects at a time as a film 

requires immense hard work. I choose 

films that resonate with me instead of signing 

multiple films at a time. 

Sara Ali Khan takes an 

auto for workout session 

There’s more fire 

in me now’ 

Mumbai, Don’t be surprised if you spot 

actress Sara Ali Khan sitting in an auto-rickshaw. 

She had no qualms about taking an auto 

ride to go for a workout session here. 

Sara was seen getting out of an auto in 

Bandra here along with celebrity stylist Tanya 

Ghavri. 

In the video, which has surfaced on the 

social media, they can be seen sharing a laugh 

as Tanya takes the change from the auto- rickshaw 

driver. For her workout session, Sara 

wore a ‘Pilates Girl’ slogan ganji top, paired 

with black shorts. She kept her hair loose with 

a simple hairband, and completed 

the look with a pink 

tote. 

This is not the first time 

Sara took an auto in Mumbai. 

In February, she was seen taking 

an auto ride with Ananya 

Panday, and avoided media 

attention by hiding their faces. 

On the film front, Sara will 

be seen in the remake of the 

1995 comedy film “Coolie 

No. 1” and “Love Aaj Kal 2”. 

‘Sadak 2’ demanded 

shooting in India 

POOJA BHATT 

Mumbai, After days of recce in Romania, the makers of “Sadak 2” have decided 

to shoot the film in India. 

Actress Pooja Bhatt, who starred in the original 1991 film “Sadak” and will also 

be a part of the sequel, took to Twitter to share the reasons behind the change in the 

shooting locations. She said: “Romania is a stunningly beautiful country. We were 

very happy with the locations but logistics and emotional IQ of local crew are key 

factors in determining a location for a film. 

“Eventually no one is bigger than a film and the film demanded we shoot only 

in India.” “Sadak 2” will see filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt back in the director’s chair 

after almost twenty years. The film also features actors Alia Bhatt , Sanjay Dutt and 

Aditya Roy Kapur. 

Bobby Deol’s next is a multi-starrer mainstream 

comedy. After his so-called comeback, the actor has 

mainly been part of only commercial entertainers. 

However, he says he is open to trying different cinema. 

“As an actor, you want to explore every genre. It’s not 

just one particular type... a lot depends on the scripts 

you are offered,” says Bobby. Back in the ’90s, the 

actor, was mainly known for his roles in thrillers such 

as Gupt (1997), Soldier (1998) and Ajnabee (2001). He 

was appreciated for his serious performances in these 

films. When asked if he would like to revisit the genre 

at this point, he says, “I think I have always enjoyed 

thrillers as a viewer and for a thriller to work well with 

audience, it needs to have the right kind of sync with 

the script, and a director, who can get that out of a 

script. I was lucky to work with Abbas Bhai-Mustan 

Bhai, who were always perfect with thrillers and have 

given some great movies to Hindi cinema. It’s all about 

the combination of the right script and a good director.” 

There is news that the actor has signed his debut 

digital series, which will be produced by Shah Rukh 

Khan. Neither admitting, nor denying it, the actor adds, 

“I have got some interesting offers and I am looking 

into it.” Bobby turned 50 last year and feels is in his 

best shape and phase in life. So has he set any further 

resolutions? “I don’t make resolutions,” says Bobby, 

adding, “I just believe that you have to keep working 

hard every day of your life and be positive. I feel rather 

fitter and younger than what I was 10 years back.


Samsung India to install 40 

ONYX Cinema LEDS by 2022 

New Delhi : Samsung India, 

which installed its fourth 4K 

ONYX Cinema LED screen in 

Bengaluru on Thursday, aims to 

introduce 35-40 such Cinema 

LED displays at movie theatres 

across the country by the end of 

2022. “We started with the 

ONYX Cinema LED journey in 

Delhi and Mumbai and now 

we’re entering the south India 

market, which we foresee as a 

strong market for Samsung. Our 

primary focus will be around 

metro and other Class A cities,” 

Puneet Sethi, Vice President, 

Consumer Electronics Enterprise 

Business, Samsung India told 

IANS. The technology was originally 

introduced by the company 

in 2017 and the first screen 

was installed in Korea. “There is 

huge potential in India and we 

want to convert at least 20 per 

cent of the screens to Cinema 

LED over the next decade. We 

will offer innovative solutions to 

consumers in India and transform 

their overall cinema viewing 

experience,” Sethi added. 

The ONYX screen is 3D applicable, 

with active 3D technology 

for all 618 seats in the Bengaluru 

theatre. 

The South Korean tech major 

installed the first such screen at 

PVR in Delhi last year. After 

that, it partnered with INOX to 

bring the ONYX experience in 

Mumbai and with Cinepolis in 

Delhi. According to the company, 

the installation of one LED 

screen roughly requires 8-10 

weeks. The 4K LED screen 

comes with comprehensive solutions 

such as “Onyx View”, 

“Onyx 3D” and “Onyx Sound”. 

The display has HDR (High 

Dynamic Range) to the cinema, 

showcasing on-screen contents 

at peak brightness level, nearly 

10 times greater than that offered 

by the standard cinema projectors. 

“Since the beginning, cinemas 

have been powered by projector 

based systems. ONYX 

Cinema LED is the next generation 

of cinema viewing. This theatre 

in Bengaluru — Swagath 

Onyx Theatre — incorporates a 

14-metre Cinema LED screen, 

which is the largest in the 

world,” said Sethi. 

The ONYX display accommodates 

any venue configuration 

and aims to deliver an 

unmatched visual quality, technical 

performance and reliability 

over traditional projectors, the 

company claimed. 

TECH 

Bangladesh court 

seeks mobile towers 

radiation report 

Dhaka : A Bangladesh court has directed the 

country’s telecom regulator to submit a report on 

the impact of radiation from tens of thousands of 

mobile phone towers. 

The court issued the order following a writ 

petition seeking the court’s directive to the regulator 

for measures to minimize radiation impact 

on people and the environment, reported Xinhua 

news agency. The Bangladesh Telecom 

Regulatory Commission (BTRC) was given four 

months to submit the report. Human Rights and 

Peace for Bangladesh, a local rights body, filed 

the petition as a public interest litigation with the 

court following reports that the towers have been 

emitting radiation detrimental for human health. 

Bangladesh’s mobile phone operators have 

currently over 35,000 towers. The total number 

of Bangladesh’s mobile phone subscribers 

reached over 158 million at the end of February 

with the addition of 1.449 million new users in 

the first two months of this year, statistics from 

the country’s telecom regulator showed. 

Washington : Aimed at effective disaster 

management, NASA and its international 

partners are planning to participate 

in an exercise that will play out a realistic 

— but fictional — scenario of an 

asteroid on an impact trajectory with 

Earth. The scenario begins with the fictional 

premise that on March 26, 

astronomers “discovered” 

a NEO 

they consider potentially 

hazardous to 

Earth. 

After a “few 

months” of tracking, 

observers predict 

that this near-Earth 

object (NEO) – 

dubbed 2019 PDC – 

poses a 1 in 100 

chance of impact 

with Earth in 2027 

(in real life, the international community 

has decided that a 1 in 100 chance of 

impact is the threshold for action). 

Participants in this exercise will discuss 

potential preparations for asteroid reconnaissance 

and deflection missions and 

planning for mitigation of a potential 

impact’s effects, NASA said. 

Scientists believe that these exercises 

can help people in the planetary defence 

community to understand what those on 

the disaster management side need to 

know. “This exercise will help us develop 

more effective communications with each 


19 

NASA planning asteroid 

impact exercise next week 

other and with our governments,” Lindley 

Johnson, NASA’s Planetary Defence 

Officer, said in a statement on Wednesday. 

Better communication of the hazards 

posed by NEOs such as asteroids or 

comets has been a top priority for international 

groups, such as NASA’s Planetary 

Defense Coordination Office (PDCO), the 

European Space 

Agency’s Space 

Situational 

Awareness-NEO 

Segment and the 

International 

Asteroid Warning 

Network (IAWN). 

Developed by the 

NASA Jet 

Propulsion 

Laboratory’s Center 

for NEO Studies 

(CNEOS), the asteroid 

impact exercise next week is scheduled 

to take place at the 2019 Planetary 

Defense Conference to be held in the US 

from April 29 to May 3. NASA’s PDCO 

and other US agencies and space science 

institutions, along with international partners, 

will participate in the exercise, the 

US space agency said. Next week’s exercise 

events will occur over the five days 

of the conference, with exercise leaders 

briefing participants on the status of the 

scenario at the end of each day and soliciting 

response ideas and feedback, based 

on the latest fictional data, NASA said.


TECH 


Social media fraud increased 

43% in 2018: Report 

San Francisco : In a sign that 

platforms like Facebook and 

WhatsApp are emerging as new 

public square for criminal deception, 

a study has found that social media 

fraud increased 43 per cent in 2018. 

The results suggest that cyber 

criminals are increasingly relying on 

Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp 

and other legitimate social media 

and messaging platforms to communicate 

with each other and sell stolen 

identities, credit card numbers and 

other ill-gotten gains. Given the ease 

of use, absence of fees and other benefits of 

these platforms, continuation of this trend 

in 2019 should come as no surprise, said 

“Current State of Cybercrime – 2019” 

white paper, released by RSA Security. 

Trade in stolen identities would gain 

UK charity to help 

tech giants curb 

self-harm content 

London : In an effort to limit harmful 

online content, Google, Facebook and 

Snapchat will work with the suicide prevention 

experts from British non-profit organisation 

Samaritans, as part of a new governmentbacked 

project. Founded in 1953, Samaritans 

aim to provide emotional support to anyone in 

emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at 

risk of suicide throughout the UK and Ireland. 

The new scheme forms part of a concerted 

cross-government effort to rein in the social 

media companies, amid growing concern over 

the prevalence of harmful content online 

across areas including terrorism, child abuse, 

self-harm and suicide, The Guardian reported 

on Sunday. 

UK's Health Secretary Matt Hancock is set 

to officially announce the initiative later on 

Monday. Aiming to make the UK safest place 

to be online, a new White Paper prepared by 

the ministers proposed to create a new independent 

watchdog and legislate for a statutory 

duty of care for social media firms that could 

see senior executives held personally liable. 

"This partnership marks a collective commitment 

to learn more about the issues, build 

knowledge through research and insights from 

users, and implement changes that can ultimately 

save lives," Ruth Sutherland, the chief 

executive of the Samaritans, was quoted as 

saying. Facebook-owned photo-messaging 

app Instagram started working on restricting 

on self-harm and suicide content after the 

platform was accused of playing a catalyst in 

the suicide case of British teenager Molly 

Russel who took her life in 2017. 

Zomato's Hyperpure eyes 

22 warehouses in India 

New Delhi : Food ordering 

app Zomato on Monday 

announced the launch of a 

warehouse in the Capital for its 

business-to-business food 

ingredients supply arm 

Hyperpure, marking the opening 

of the second warehouse for 

the company after Bengaluru. 

Zomato said it plans to open 

20 more warehouses by 2020, 

targeting a combined capacity 

of 90,000 metric tonnes and 

700,000 sq. ft. "The approximate 

investment is $400,000 

for setting up a Hyperpure 

warehouse and there is a separate 

cost for operationalising 

and scaling up," Gaurav Gupta, 

Co-founder and COO, Zomato, 

told IANS. Besides Delhi and 

Bengaluru, the warehouses will 

be spread across Mumbai, 

Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, 

greater momentum with more stores likely 

opening on legitimate platforms to sell this 

type of data, the study said. According to 

researchers, fraud in the mobile channel 

has grown significantly over the last several 

years, with 70 per cent of artifice originating 

in the mobile channel in 

2018. In particular, fraud from 

mobile apps increased 680 per 

cent between 2015 and 2018, 

said the study, adding the use of 

rogue mobile applications to 

defraud consumers was on the 

rise. 

With one out of five cyber 

attacks attributed to rogue mobile 

apps in 2018, RSA identified an 

average of 82 rogue mobile 

applications a day last year 

across popular app stores. 

“We expect the popularity of the mobile 

channel for fraud will continue through 

2019, especially as cyber criminals keep 

finding ways to introduce tactics and technologies 

such as phishing and malware to 

the mobile channel,” the report said. 

18 young Indian scientists in Google contest 

New Delhi : Google on Friday selected 18 

young scientists from India who will compete 

in the 2019 Google Science Fair contest 

for the winning prize of $50,000 and other 

rewards. The global science competition 

inspires teenagers in the age group of 13-18 

years to solve real-world problems with science, 

technology, engineering and maths. 

This year’s competition saw thousands 

of entries from more than 100 countries 

representing some innovative ideas in science 

and technology, Google said. 

From addressing health-related issues to 

creating more eco-friendly adhesives and 

fuel to making our water safe to drink, the 

young students from India presented novel 

and creative ideas. The entries were evaluated 

based on the creativity, scientific merit 

and potential for impact of each submission 

to narrow down the entries to 100 

finalists globally, Google said, adding that 

the regional finalists will receive a prize 

including Chromebook and goodies from 

the company. 

Kolkata, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, 

Chandigarh, Nagpur, Lucknow, 

Vadodara, Coimbatore, Kochi, 

Agra, Goa and Surat, Zomato 

said. "We believe Zomato is 

uniquely placed to shape the 

future of food. With Hyperpure 

by Zomato, we've been able to 

disintermediate the supply 

chain, providing restaurateurs 

access to fresh, clean, fullytraceable 

food ingredients," 

Gupta added. 

"With plans to launch 20 

more warehouses by the end of 

2020, we want to create a 

dependable demand-supply 

cycle of clean ingredients, for a 

future where everybody is eating 

quality food," Gupta said. 

Launched in August 2018, 

Hyperpure by Zomato allows 

restaurants to buy everything - 

from vegetables and fruits, 

poultry, groceries, meats, 

seafood, and dairy to beverages, 

and even eco-friendly 

packaging - using an end-toend 

technology-driven platform. 

Spread across 40,000 sq 

ft, the warehouse in Delhi is 

designed to supply 5,000 metric 

ton capacity per month and 

equipped to serve 3,000 restaurants 

every day, Zomato said. 

"Considering the positive 

response we've received in 

Bengaluru, our expansion into 

Delhi is a part of Hyperpure's 

natural progression," said 

Dhruv Sawhney, Founder, 

Hyperpure. "We are certain that 

our restaurant partners in Delhi 

will benefit immensely from 

both Hyperpure's offer of fresh 

and quality food products, as 

well as the competitive pricing 

we offer," Sawhney added. 

Apple defends 

removing screentime 

limiting apps 

San Francisco : Apple has 

defended its decision to remove 

third-party screen-limiting apps 

that helped people fight iPhone 

addiction, saying these apps put 

users’ privacy and security at 

risk. Apple had removed or 

restricted at least 11 of the 17 

most downloaded 

screentime 

and 

parental-control 

apps. 

In a blog 

post on late 

Sunday, the 

Cupertinobased 

iPhone maker said the use 

of mobile device management 

(MDM) technologies in the 

removed parental control apps 

could have leaked users’ location, 

app use, email accounts, 

camera permissions and browsing 

history to a third party. 

“MDM does have legitimate 

uses, but it is incredibly riskya 

— and a clear violation of App 

Store policies — for a private, 

consumer-focused app business 

to install MDM control over a 

customer’s device,” the 

iPhone-maker wrote. Research 

has shown that MDM profiles 

could be used by hackers to 

gain access for malicious purposes. 

“Parents shouldn’t have 

to trade their fears of their children’s 

device usage for risks to 

Amazon Pay enables 

instant money 

transfer on Android 

Bengaluru : Amazon Pay on Monday 

launched person-to-person (P2P) payments for 

Android users 

who can now 

make instant 

bank-to-bank 

transfers using 

the UPI platform 

on the 

privacy and security, and the 

App Store should not be a platform 

to force this choice. 

“No one, except you, should 

have unrestricted access to 

manage your child’s device,” 

said Apple. 

Earlier in December, Apple 

had started 

warning 

developers 

developing 

third-party 

screen-time 

trackers and 

parental control 

apps 

because they were suspected to 

have been violating App Store 

guidelines and misusing background 

location mode for purposes 

other than location-related 

features. 

“When we found out about 

these guideline violations, we 

communicated these violations 

to the app developers, giving 

them 30 days to submit an 

updated app. “Several developers 

released updates to bring 

their apps in line with these 

policies and those that didn’t 

were removed from the App 

Store,” Apple said. With the 

launch of iOS 12 in September 

last year, the company implemented 

its own built-in screen 

time tracking tools and controls. 

Amazon app. 

Amazon customers 

can also 

pay bills, rent 

and various daily subscriptions, the company 

said in a statement. "With this launch, we have 

the largest selection of shopping and payment 

use cases on the Amazon Android app which 

provides added convenience and control to our 

customers," said Vikas Bansal, Director- 

Amazon Pay. Customers can send or receive 

P2P payments by simply selecting a contact 

from their phone contact book or entering UPI 

ID or bank account of the recipient. 

"Amazon auto-detects if the contact is a registered 

Amazon Pay UPI customer and enables 

instant bank to bank transfer. If the contact is not 

registered for Amazon Pay UPI, the customer 

has the option to pay using any another BHIM 

UPI ID or contact's bank account," the company 

said. As a launch offer, customers can get up to 

Rs 120 cashback on sending money through 

UPI. All payments are secured through multifactor 

authentication involving the customer's 

phone, SIM details and UPI PIN. "Our goal is to 

make Amazon Pay the most trusted, convenient 

and rewarding way to pay for our customers," 

said Bansal.


NEWS 


21 

Now's an excellent learning opportunity 

for INDIAN CREDIT MARKETS 

News on Indian credit markets over 

the last few weeks provide us with 

pointers that should help shape policy 

and business strategy. The struggle to 

get bidders for Jet Airways and the 

tepid response from investors towards 

Indias fledgeling municipal bond market 

point towards the need for a betterstructured 

credit market, especially as 

the nature of businesses evolve even 

as the demand for credit rises to 

finance consumption and infrastructure 

needs. 

The lack of investor interest in Jet 

Airways, driven in no small extent by 

a lack of clarity around how the carrier 

will resolve its debt issues points 

towards the need for better assessment 

of risk scenarios by lenders moving 

forward. Reassessing risk scenarios are 

essential as businesses such as Jet 

Airways that have relatively fewer tangible 

assets utilise the debt markets. 

From a lender's perspective, not finding 

a prospective buyer for Jet Airways 

implies potentially sending it to the 

bankruptcy court. But for businesses 

that do not have a significant quantity 

of fixed assets, the value realisation 

from bankruptcy courts can be meagre. 

The fact that Jet Airways has a lower 

value realisation in the case of bankruptcy 

begs the question as to what 

changes do lenders need to implement 

in their credit models to deal with such 

companies going forward. As the economy 

evolves, businesses that borrow 

will have balance sheets that perhaps 

hold more intangible assets. In the case 

of Jet Airways, unlike say a steel business, 

a majority of its fixed assets, i.e. 

planes are leased, and therefore bankruptcy 

proceedings can realise limited 

value. The pertinent point is that 

lenders must do a better job in pricing 

these risks moving forward as lending 

to companies with more and more 

intangible assets picks up. In other relevant 

news, the lukewarm investor 

interest in the municipal bond market 

in India is one that merits attention. 

Given the scale of urban infrastructure 

required, municipal bonds could be a 

critical financial instrument to plug the 

financing gap. However, given the current 

challenges and the stage of evolution 

of the bond market, a vibrant and 

functional municipal bond market will 

require significant groundwork. 

Clarity around municipal funding, 

or more specifically, the payment 

mechanism of the municipal bond, 

will be vital to attracting investor 

interest. Answering the fundamental 

questions of "who pays" and "are they 

willing to pay consistently" will alleviate 

a majority of the concerns people 

have with municipal bonds. Ensuring 

an adequate payment mechanism will 

require a lot of work to help cities plan 

and budget financing efficiently. 

Depth of the benchmark government 

bond curve will also be vital 

towards increasing investor appetite 

for municipal bonds since investors 

will utilise the government bond curve 

as a benchmark. The eventual aim is to 

create a market and an ecosystem for 

municipal bonds that encapsulates 

market makers, price transparency, 

risk-benchmarks and mechanisms for 

redressal of problems. 

The issues around both Jet Airways 

bankruptcy and the municipal bond 

market point towards critical areas 

that credit markets in India must 

resolve through innovation in capital 

markets. Given the dynamic nature of 

business, lending standards and procedures 

that worked for companies in the 

more traditional industries may not be 

well suited for new age businesses. 

The question isn't merely about 

how much to lend, but also is one 

about security design whereby the 

question arises as to whether collateralised 

debt instruments allow lenders 

to truly hedge their risks in a world 

where asset-light models abound? 

As credit markets get more sophisticated, 

more attention will have to be 

paid to security design above and 

beyond what standard debt instruments 

have to offer. Security design 

implies bespoke instruments designed 

to reflect both the cash flow risk of 

businesses and the ability for recovery 

in the case of default. 

Dynamic pricing of credit risk 

through secondary markets as is the 

case with equity will be essential to 

ensure that both credit charges reflect 

the appropriate risk undertaken by the 

lender. Additionally, credit instruments 

utilised to lend to businesses 

must be able to better factor in the 

inability of the company to service 

debt as the credit financing capacity of 

the business declines, and not as a 

jump to default event. Essentially, 

credit instruments have to be designed 

to reflect their seniority in the cash 

flow waterfall. Better security design 

will allow lenders better recovery of 

money since rarely is a credit default a 

sudden event. As mentioned earlier, 

the ability of the market to factor in 

the declining credit profile of a company 

will ensure that debt burdens for 

low-quality credit businesses aren't 

ramped up at the wrong time. 

Astute utilisation of credit markets 

and effective credit security design 

will be a fundamental driving force for 

boosting the Indian economy. The 

government, businesses and individuals 

all stand to benefit immensely from 

robust credit markets. 

Current trends provide an excellent 

learning opportunity. 

15 crorepatis in fray in 

May 6 Bengal elections 

Kolkata : Out of 83 candidates across 

parties contesting from the seven West 

Bengal seats in the fifth phase of the Lok 

Sabha elections, 15 have assets worth over 

Rs 1 crore, while 23 have declared criminal 

cases against themselves, a study said on 

Saturday. Among candidates who are in the 

fray for the fifth phase polls in the state, 

Trinamool Congress' outgoing MP from 

Sreerampore constituency, Kalyan 

Banerjee, has topped the crorepati list 

declaring over Rs 17 crore of assets, followed 

by the party's Barrackpore nominee 

and former Railway Minister Dinesh 

Trivedi with assets worth more than Rs 6 

crore, said the report. 

The BJP's candidate from Hooghly constituency, 

Locket Chatterjee has declared 

over Rs 3 crore worth of assets, according 

to the study. Apart from Banerjee and 

Trivedi, there are five Trinamool Congress 

candidates - Sajda Ahmed for Uluberia and 

Mamata Thakur for Bongaon declaring 

assets worth over Rs 2 crore each while 

party's nominee for Howrah Parsun 

Banerjee and Aparupa Poddar for Arambag 

having properties worth over Rs 1 crore 

each. State's ruling Trinamool nominee for 

Hooghly Ratna De Nag declared Rs 3 crore 

of assets. There are two Congress candidates 

-- Debabrata Biswas for Sreerampore 

and Jyoti Kumar Das for Arambag -- having 

assets worth Rs 2 crore and 1 crore 

respectively. 

CPI-M's Uluberia nominee Maksuda 

Khatun declared Rs 1 crore of assets and 

party's Armabag candidate Sakti Mohan 

Das showed properties worth Rs 1 crore. 

Average assets per candidate contesting 

from the seven constituencies in the fifth 

phase is Rs 75.24 lakh based on their selfsworn 

affidavits, according to an analysis 

done by West Bengal Election Watch and 

Association for Democratic Reforms. 

Among major parties, the average assets 

per candidate for the seven Trinamool 

Congress nominees is over Rs 5 crore, 

while BJP and Congress candidates have 

average assets over Rs 86 lakh and 73 lakh 

each. Average assets of CPI (M) candidates 

in the fifth phase polls stand at over Rs 46 

lakh. The seven constituencies will go to 

the polls in the fifth phase of polls on May 

6. "Out of 83 candidates analyzed, 23 candidates 

have declared criminal cases 

against themselves," the study said. 

According to it, 36 candidates, out of 

83, have declared their educational qualification 

to be between 5th and 12th standard 

while 44 candidates have declared having 

an education qualification of graduate or 

above and three candidates have declared 

to be just literate. 

How an app changed 

life for a comedian 

Mumbai : Prince Kumar, who hails from a small town in 

Jharkhand, has amassed a fan following on social media platforms 

with his sense of humour. 

He has built a following of over 1.7 million fans on the Vigo 

app and through his longform 

content channel PRIK- 

ISU on YouTube, he set an 

example of how an app like 

Vigo can help those in places 

with less or no opportunity, 

to get noticed. 

Prince insists his foray in 

Vigo happened "accidentally" 

when he stumbled upon 

the app while searching for a 

video app. Initially, he along 

with his close friends used 

the app to watch entertaining 

videos. 

Inspired by those videos, 

they started making their 

own comedy videos, one of 

which hit over 50,000 likes 

overnight. That motivated 

them to make more such 

videos. 

"I come from a place 

where entertainment is rare. Social media is non existing. 

Initially it was a struggle but we were motivated and ambitious," 

Prince said in a statement.


WORLD 


Indian-origin man 

jailed for killing man 

in UK car crash 

London : An Indian-origin man has 

been sentenced to six years in prison in 

the UK for causing a death of another 

man due to dangerous driving. Jaskaren 

Dayal, 47, pleaded guilty to the crime 

which took place on January 6 last year 

when he crashed his Mercedes into the 

victim's vehicle while driving drunk and 

above the speed limit in northwest 

London. He pleaded guilty in April at 

Wood Green Crown Court and was sentenced 

by the same court on May 2, 

MyLondon News reported on Friday. 

The report said that cabbie Anwar 

Ali, 55, was working in the early hours 

of January 6 last year in Kensal Rise 

area when out-of-control drink-driver 

Jaskaren Dayal crashed into him. 

Witnesses say they saw him driving 

at "excess speed", reaching 76mph in a 

30mph area just before he crashed into 

Ali's taxi. Ali, from Stoke Newington, 

was treated by paramedics, but died at 

the scene as a result of the injuries he 

sustained. Metropolitan Police officers 

arrested Dayal at the crash site and he 

was found to be over limit. He was taken 

to hospital for treatment for a leg injury 

before being taken into custody. 

The police charged him in March 

2019. Detective Constable Rob 

Simpson, of the Met's Serious Collision 

Investigation Unit, said: "This was an 

awful incident in which the actions of an 

irresponsible man resulted in the death 

of an innocent man going about his 

work. "There was simply no justification 

for the way Dayal was driving; as a 

result, it meant that the victim, Anwar 

Ali, did not stand a chance. 

"Dayal will quite rightly spend a significant 

amount of time now in prison, 

but this will be of little comfort to 

Anwar's family, who continue to grieve 

for his untimely loss." 

Patna : Neither of them are in fray in 

Hajipur parliamentary seat but LJP chief and 

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and RJD 

chief Lalu Prasad's influence hangs heavy over 

the Bihar constituency and the fight there is, in 

essence, between them. Undergoing treatment 

at a government hospital in Ranchi after convicted 

and sentences in fodder 

scam cases, Lalu Prasad is hundreds 

of miles away from Hajipur 

and Paswan is not contesting the 

polls - for the first time since 1977. 

But it is their popularity that will 

help their respective party candidate 

to get elected. 

While the Lok Janshakti Party 

has fielded Paswan's younger 

brother Pasupati Kumar Paras, a Bihar 

Minister and LJP's state President, from the 

constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes, 

the RJD party candidate is sitting legislator 

Shiv Chandra Ram. 

Paswan, who won Hajipur for the first time 

in 1977 with a margin of 4.24 lakh votes - a 

feat that established a Guinness World Record, 

had contested nine times from the constituency 

subsequently and lost only twice. 

In 1984, he was uprooted in the Congress 

wave in wake of the assassination of Prime 

Minister Indira Gandhi and in 2009, defeated 

by former Bihar Chief Minister and veteran 

socialist leader Ram Sundar Das. Das had won 

the seat in 1991 too, when Paswan had shifted 

to the Rosera constituency. He was Paswan's 

principal rival in Hajipur until his death in 

2015. Paswan's brother Paras is banking on 

Drunk speeding motorist jailed 

for six years for killing mini 

cab driver in Kensal Rise 

Jaskaren Dayal was driving his 

Mercedes E220 car at 76mph along 

Chamberlayne Road's 30mph zone 

when he crashed into Anwar Ali. 

The 47-year-old was found to be 

over the drink and drug drive limit. 

He was sentenced at Wood Green 

Crown Court yesterday (May 2) to 

six years in prison for dangerous 

driving and disqualified from driving 

for eight years. He is also 

required to sit an extended retest 

when he is released. 

The court heard that in the early 

hours of January 6 2018, Dayal had 

been drinking at a friend's house 

when he decided to go to an off 

licence in Kensal Rise. Dayal visited 

the store and withdrew cash 

before making his way back into his 

car, along Chamberlayne Road. 

Witnesses saw him driving at 

excess speed, reaching 76mph in a 

30mph just before he collided with 

Chennai : A total of 159 students 

were taken into custody from an unlicenced 

resort in Tamil Nadu's Pollachi 

early on Saturday for drug abuse, police 

said. According to police, a large number 

of college students, mostly from 

Kerala, gathered at the Agri Nest resort 

in Pollachi on Friday to party. However, 

the blaring music throughout the night 

and also a drunken brawl amongst the students disturbed 

the neighbours, who complained to the police. 

In Hajipur, Paswan's legacy under 

challenge from Lalu's RJD 

name, fame and image of his elder brother 

among people, particularly in his Paswan caste, 

who have sizeable population as well as the 

upper caste and extremely backward class support 

base of allies Bharatiya Janata Party and 

Janata Dal-United, respectively. "Paras' advantage 

is Paswan as he is banking heavily on his 

brother's charisma. He has no personal 

connect with Hajipur... it is a 

disadvantage for him," Mahendra 

Kumar Singh, a retired government 

school teacher, said. 

On the other hand, RJD's Ram, 

who is the sitting legislator from 

Raja Pakar assembly segment of 

Hajipur, is banking on Lalu 

Prasad's loyal support base among 

his castemen Yadavs, who have a sizeable population 

there, followed by support of Muslims, 

and Dalits, particularly those of the Ravidas, 

Mallah and Kushwaha communities. For Ram, 

it is a plus point that the RJD won three of six 

assembly seats that comprise the Hajipur Lok 

Sabha constituency in the 2015 Assembly 

polls. And besides that, the other two sitting 

RJD legislators are none other than Lalu 

Prasad's sons Tej Pratap Yadav (Mahua) and 

Tejashwi Yadav (Raghopur). Raghopur was 

earlier represented by Lalu Prasad's wife and 

former Chief Minister Rabri Devi.It now 

remains to be seen who will support of the 

people in Hajipur in his absence of Paswan - 

whether brother Paras will take forward his 

legacy or Ram will strike a chord in the name 

of Lalu Prasad. Hajipur will go to polls on 

May 6 in the fifth phase of the elections. 

another vehicle driven by 55-yearold 

Anwar Ali. Cab driver Mr Ali, 

from Stoke Newington, was stationary 

in his Mercedes C180 waiting to 

turn right from Chamberlayne Road 

when he was hit by Dayal. 

He was treated by paramedics 

but died at the scene. Dayal, of no 

fixed address, was arrested at the 

scene and taken to hospital for treatment 

to a leg injury before going 

into custody. 

He was charged by postal requisition 

in March this year. He pleaded 

guilty at Wood Green Crown 

Court on April 5. Det Con Rob 

Simpson, of the Met's collision unit, 

said: “This was an awful incident in 

which the actions of an irresponsible 

man resulted in the death of an 

innocent man going about his work. 

“There was simply no justification 

for the way Dayal was driving; 

as a result, it meant that the victim, 

Mr Anwar Ali, did not stand a 

chance. “Dayal will quite rightly 

spend a significant amount of time 

now in prison, but this will be of little 

comfort to Mr Anwar's family, 

who continue to grieve for his 

untimely loss.” 

159 students held from Pollachi resort from drug abuse 

Police then raided the resort and saw 

some of the students drunk while others 

seemed to have consumed narcotic substances. 

While the resort's owner is 

absconding, police have seized the two 

and four wheelers of the students. 

According to police, the students contact 

each other via social media for 

such parties and this time they fixed a 

fee of Rs 1,200 per head. Meanwhile, the district 

administration has sealed the resort. 

Singapore jails 

Indian for bribing 

pest control workers 

Singapore : An Indian construction 

site manager in Singapore has been jailed 

for six weeks for bribing two pest control 

company workers to notify him in 

advance of mosquito breeding inspections 

at his working place. 

Muthukaruppan Periyasamy, a 52- 

year-old site manager of Fenzhii 

Engineering Services and Ramo 

Industries, faced five counts of giving 

1,600 Singapore dollars to Tung Chee 

Keong and Chandran Jeganathan, the 

Straits Times reported on Friday. 

Periyasamy was charged on January 18, 

the report said. 

Tung and Jeganathan were former 

employees of pest control company 

Killem Pest, a contractor engaged by the 

National Environment Agency to conduct 

vector control, said the Corrupt Practices 

Investigation Bureau in a statement on 

Thursday. The duo got the money as 

"reward" for alerting Periyasamy to 

upcoming mosquito breeding inspections 

at his construction site between May and 

August last year, the daily reported. 

Investigations showed that the Indian 

man had offered to pay Tung and 

Jeganathan 400 Singapore dollars a 

month for doing so. Tung, a Singapore 

citizen, was sentenced to 11 weeks and 

five days' jail, while Jeganathan, an 

Indian, received a prison term of six 

weeks and three days. 

From May to August 2018, Jeganathan 

told Periyasamy on four occasions about 

impending inspections and Periyasamy 

paid the sum to the pair. 

The duo later used to split the money. 

They were jailed on March 18 for accepting 

gratification under the Prevention of 

Corruption Act.


Pakistan SC rejects Sharif's 

plea for bail extension 

Islamabad : Pakistan's Supreme Court 

on Friday rejected a petition by former 

Prime Minister 

Nawaz Sharif for an 

extension of the sixweek 

bail granted to 

him earlier on medical 

grounds in a 

corruption reference. 

A three-member 

bench headed 

by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa also 

rejected the three-time Premier's plea to 

allow him to travel abroad for treatment, 

Geo News reported. Sharif had been granted 

bail on medical grounds by the apex court 

on March 26 for six weeks. On April 25, he 

had submitted a review petition in the apex 

court seeking permanent bail. His bail is set 

to expire on May 7. The Chief Justice said 

the court had given Sharif six weeks bail to 

seek life-saving treatment but the entire bail 

duration had instead been spent conducting 

tests to ascertain the state of the Pakistan 

Muslim League - Nawaz leader's health. 

"We gave him six weeks bail - as recommended 

by five medical boards and 31 doctors 

- for angiography, but the time was 

spent conducting evaluations and tests," said 

Justice Khosa. He added that the conduct of 

"the petitioner shows there is no imminent 

threat to his life and the plea is based more 

on apprehensions". 

The Chief Justice said that new medical 

reports did show that Sharif's health was 

worsening and not improving, but added 

that it was possible for him to be treated in 

prison as the superintendent would be 

empowered to send him to hospital as and 

when required. Justice Khosa also said 

that the apex court cannot review its order 

on the basis of new medical reports 

regarding Sharif's health. 

"Anyone who applies for bail on medical 

grounds claims their life is in danger. 

If that route is taken, the review will 

become an unending process," the judge 

said. Sharif now has to surrender to jail 

authorities on Tuesday. He has been serving 

a seven-year prison term at Lahore Kot 

Lakhpat Jail since December 24, 2018 

when an accountability court convicted 

him in one of the three corruption cases -- 

Al Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference 

-- filed in the wake of the apex court's July 

28, 2017 order in the Panama Papers case. 

Wellington : The Aucklandbased 

mother and sister of one of the 

Sri Lankan Easter Sunday suicide 

bombers have been "cooperating 

fully" with the New Zealand police 

following the attacks that killed over 

250 people. 

Abdul Lathief Jameel Mohamed 

was to blow up the luxury Taj 

Samudra hotel in the Sri Lankan 

capital Colombo. He, however, is 

believed to have botched the attempt 

to detonate bomb at the five-star 

hotel and instead blew himself up at 

a nearby budget motel, killing 2 

guests who had just arrived. 

Mohamed's mother, sister and her 

husband live in a modest house in 

southern Auckland. They refused to 

comment on the extent of their 

involvement in the suicide bombings' 

investigation, which involves 

the New Zealand police and Sri 

Lankan authorities. 

"We only cooperate with the 

(New Zealand) police, no matter 

what they want to know, that's about 

it," Mohamed's brother-in-law told 

WORLD 

Calls at UN to prevent 

using social media as 

platforms for hate 

United Nations : As the UN 

paid tributes to the victims of the 

Sri Lanka Easter Sunday terrorist 

attacks, calls were made to take 

action to prevent use of social 

media to spread hate and bigotry. 

"While protecting freedom of 

expression, we must also find 

ways to address incitement to violence 

through traditional and 

social media," General Assembly 

President Maria Fernanda 

Espinosa Garces said on 

Friday at the event commemorating 

the 253 victims. 

"It is sobering that the 

theme of World Press 

Freedom Day today is: journalism 

in times of disinformation. 

"We must ensure that 

new and evolving technologies 

promote - and do not 

harm - human security," she 

added. Deputy Secretary- 

General Amina Mohammed 

spoke about social media being 

used to spread hate. 

"The world is experiencing a 

dangerous rise in intolerance, 

xenophobia and racism. And 

today such hatred spreads easily 

and swiftly on the Internet. 

"The UN continues to strengthen 

its efforts to counter and prevent 

terrorism and violent extremism," 

Mohammed added. Sri 

Lanka's Permanent Representative 

Rohan Perera was more forthright 

in calling for a consensus on how 

to regulate social media platforms 

like Twitter and Facebook to prevent 

them from becoming the 

medium to spread hate. "It is time 

for us to explore the possibility of 

an international consensus on a 

regulatory framework. "It is vital, 

if we are to preserve democratic 

the New Zealand Herald on 

Saturday. According to a report by 

the daily, 10 years ago, after the 

death of Mohamed's father Abdul 

Latif, his mother Samsun Nissa 

moved the family to Colombo, renting 

the upper floor of a mansion in a 

space, that valuable tools such as 

Facebook and Twitter among others, 

are utilised as spaces to nurture 

healthy debate rather than 

breed violence and extremism," 

he said. 

Sri Lanka had temporarily 

banned all forms of social media 

immediately after the April 21 

bombings because it was being 

used to circulate fake news and 

create enmity between communities. 

Access was restored on April 

30. Perera, who is the chair of the 

Working Group on Measures to 

Eliminate International Terrorism, 

urged all nations to come together 

and adopt the Comprehensive 

Convention on International 

Terrorism (CCIT) that was proposed 

by India in 1996. 

"Too much blood has spilt for 

us to remain deadlocked on this 

issue. "The time has come for the 

international community to go 

beyond words and to demonstrate 

political will and commitment in 

taking the last remaining step to 

conclude the CCIT and complete 

the sectoral multilateral treaty 

regime to address the global phenomenon 

of terrorism. 

"The international community 

must send out a strong signal of its 

majority Muslim eastern suburb. 

After completing his studies in 

Britain, Mohamed returned to the 

property and fell in love with 

Shifana, daughter of their landlord 

who came from an affluent meattrading 

family. Mohamed married 

collective will to combat terrorism 

and contribute to the effective 

implementation of the Global 

Counter Terrorism Strategy," he 

added. India's Permanent 

Representative Syed Akbaruddin 

joined Perera in appealing for an 

agreement on the CCIT. Perera, 

"has, for more than two decades, 

tried to steer us to an outcome on 

the Comprehensive Convention 

on International Terrorism", 

Akbaruddin said. 

"Perhaps, as a tribute to 

the victims in his country, 

we can all try and strengthen 

efforts to achieve that 

objective of a putting in 

place a global legal framework 

to counter a global 

scourge," he added. 

Denouncing the use of religion 

to justify violence, 

Mohammed said: "As a 

Muslim, I know my faith 

preaches peace and tolerance. 

Tragically yet, again and again, 

the world is seeing places of worship 

become killing grounds and 

houses of horror. "Churches, 

mosques, synagogues and the religious 

sites of many faiths are 

being targeted for murder, arson, 

vandalism and desecration... We 

must reject this form of violence." 

Espinosa reflected on how religions 

can bring people together. 

"I was deeply moved by the 

images of Sri Lankans - Buddhist, 

Christian, Hindu, Muslim, 

Sinhalese, Tamil and others - 

donating blood to treat survivors," 

she said. "Mosques and temples 

have opened their doors to 

Christian services. That is an 

inspiring expression of courage 

and resilience." 

SL bomber's kin 'cooperating fully' with NZ police 

her and shifted to Australia with her 

to pursue postgraduate studies. 

Mohamed's sister, meanwhile, 

married a Sri Lankan and emigrated 

to Auckland along with her mother. 

Mohamed, who had his first child 

in Australia, later returned to Sri 

Lanka to live in the mansion his 

family previously rented. His grandfather 

had left him an extensive 

property portfolio, including the 

family home in Kandy. 

As a result, the trained aeronautical 

engineer did not need to work. 

The bomber's sister said 

Mohamed had been well educated 

but became increasingly withdrawn 

and intense as he descended into 

extremism. "My brother became 

deeply, deeply religious while he 

was in Australia. After he did his 

postgraduation in Australia, he 

returned to Sri Lanka a different 

man."He had a long beard and had 

lost his sense of humour. He became 

serious and withdrawn and would 

not even smile at anyone he didn't 

know, let alone laugh," she said. 


23 

Sri Lanka disregarded Turkey 

warnings: Ex-Minister 

Colombo : Amid the apparent failure of 

the Sri Lankan 

government to act 

on intelligence on 

Easter Sunday's 

suicide bombings, 

information has 

now surfaced that 

the defence authorities 

had also ignored Turkish government 

alerts that 50 members of the Fethullah 

Terrorist Organization (FETO) had arrived 

in the island country. 

Sri Lankan former External Affairs 

Minister G.L. Peiris said that Turkish 

Ambassador Tunca Ozcuhadar had handed 

over documents related to the matter to 

him, the Daily Mirror reported on Saturday. 

Peiris is a loyalist of former President 

Mahinda Rajapaksa. There was an attempted 

coup to overthrow the Turkish government 

and unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 

on July 15, 2016. The coup bid was blamed 

on FETO, a terrorist outfit led by Islamic 

preacher Fethullah Gulen, in which 250 people 

were killed. Later, FETO terrorists fled 

to different countries. Peiris said that the 

Turkish Embassy had repeatedly alerted the 

Sri Lankan government, Denmark, Austria 

and some African countries about the terrorists 

sneaking into their territories. While the 

governments of these countries took prompt 

action on the alert, the Sri Lankan authorities 

paid no heed, he added. 

The former Minister said that he then 

brought this to the notice of President 

Maithripala Sirisena when he met him with a 

delegation led by Rajapaksa on Thursday to 

discuss the security situation in the country. 

Sri Lanka has been on alert since the April 21 

bloodbath in which over 250 people were 

killed and hundreds injured. The authorities 

have cancelled weekend mass in the capital 

due to fears of fresh bomb attacks. 

Indian family skydives over 

Amsterdam, sets new record 

Pune : An Indian family, including a set of 

10-year old twin boys, have set a new record 

for family skydiving, as they jumped out of a 

plane over Amsterdam. They are Shital 

Mahajan-Rane, her husband Vaibhav Rane, 

both professional skydivers, and their twins 

Vrushabh and Vaibhav. "We have set two new 

records - first time ever an Indian civilian family 

has skydived together, and our two sons 

becoming the youngest twins doing their first 

tandem jump," Shital, a recipient of the Padma 

Shri, told IANS from Amsterdam on Saturday. 

They accomplished the feat on Friday 

from a Super Caravan 206 aircraft flying at a 

height of around 13,000 feet above The 

Netherlands, she added. "Our sons celebrated 

their 10th birthday on April 26 and it was 

their desire to make their first skydiving 

jump. So we came to Amsterdam last week 

and fulfilled their birthday wish," Shital said. 

Shital has notched some 750 jumps all 

over the world while Vaibhav has 57 skydives 

till date. To mark the 389th birth 

anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, 

Shital performed skydiving jumps over the 

Great Pyramids of Giza on February 19. 

First she jumped in a traditional 

Maharashtrian ;nau-vari' sari and then went 

for a repeat jump sporting the royal costume 

of the legendary ancient Egyptian Queen 

Nefertiti, who ruled around 3,700 years ago, 

earning accolades from the Egyptian authorities. 

She shot to global fame on April 18, 2004 

when she became the first woman in the world 

to make her maiden jump - without practice 

dives - on the North Pole from a Russian MI- 

8 helicopter from 2,700 feet in minus 37 

degrees. On December 15, 2006, she made the 

world's first Accelerated Free Fall Parachute 

Jump on the South Pole in Antarctica, jumping 

out of a Twin Otter aircraft from a height of 

11,600 feet on the icy continent.


WORLD 


Children's photo with poll 

slogans costs Kirron Kher 

Chandigarh : Posting a 

picture of children on Twitter 

with slogans "Vote for Kirron 

Kher" and "Ab ki baar Modi 

sarkar" has led to trouble for 

the actor-turned-politician, 

who is seeking re-election 

from here. 

Taking suo motu cognizance 

of the incident, the 

Election Commission had 

issued a notice to her on 

Friday, asking her to file the 

reply within 24 hours. The 

poll panel cited a January 

2017 letter of the National 

Commission for Protection 

of Child Rights, asking the 

Election Commission to 

ensure that children are not 

involved in any form with election-related 

activities by either election officials or 

political parties. 

The post was subsequently removed 

from Kher's Twitter account. 

Kher is pitted against Congress' Pawan 

Kumar Bansal, a former Union Minister, 

and BJP rebel and AAP candidate 

Harmohan Dhawan, who had also been a 

Union Minister in Chandra Shekhar's 

short-lived government. 

Kher, 63, had won the Lok Sabha seat in 

Afghanistan to release 

175 Taliban prisoners 

Kabul : Afghan President Ashraf Ghani 

on Friday announced the release of 175 

Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture as 

a five-day summit on peace ended here 

with a call for an urgent ceasefire and a 

schedule for a proposed withdrawal of foreign 

troops from the war-torn country. The 

Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, set out its 

recommendations 

and urged the government 

and the 

Taliban to 

"announce an 

immediate and permanent 

ceasefire 

with the arrival of 

Ramadan", TOLO 

News reported. 

Asking the 

Taliban to shun violence, 

the council 

called on the warring 

groups to begin 

"intra-Afghan talks". Ghani inaugurated the 

meeting on Monday. It saw about 3,200 ethnic, 

religious and tribal representatives and 

politicians from across the country gather in 

the capital city under heavy security cover. 

At the end of the five-day consultations, the 

participants issued a 23-article resolution to 

Ghani and called on the government, the 

Taliban, the international community and 

regional countries to "respect the recommendations 

of the peace jirga". 

They said the Constitution and the current 

political structure of the government 

should be "maintained and protected" and, 

if necessary, amendments be brought in 

only through legal ways. The resolution 

asked the government "to pave the way to 

bring the Taliban political office from 

Qatar to Afghanistan". Among the key 

demands was a timetable to be drawn up in 

consultation with all related sides for what 

the participants said was a "responsible 

withdrawal" of foreign troops from 

Afghanistan. Ghani said that the Peace 

Jirga resolution will be the action plan and 

the roadmap for the Afghan government 

and that all recommendations of the resolution 

will be implemented. "We are ready 

to provide the ground for Taliban to be part 

of the country's development. It is a friendly 

suggestion." Announcing, the release of 

175 Taliban prisoners as a gesture of goodwill 

towards peace, 

he called on the 

Taliban to send their 

delegation to Kabul 

or another province 

of the country to 

receive them. Taliban 

leaders have so far 

refused to negotiate 

with the government, 

calling it a puppet of 

the US. The militant 

group has been 

insisting on the withdrawal 

of foreign 

forces before talks with the government in 

Kabul could begin. 

The jirga, one of the several such events 

held over the past 18 years to make national 

decisions, comes as Taliban leaders and 

officials from the US, led by envoy Zalmay 

Khalilzad, have held several rounds of 

peace talks in Qatar and the United Arab 

Emirates amid opposition from Ghani's 

government, which insists on having a central 

role in the process. Ghani said that 

Afghanistan peace will help economic 

development in Pakistan. He said the 

Afghan government wants a relationship 

with Islamabad "which is based on mutual 

respect and friendship, which is clear and is 

an equal government-to-government relation". 

He also "appreciated the US efforts 

for Afghan peace and added that Kabul has 

strategic relations with Washington". 

He added the Taliban have now to make 

their choice whether they will attend the 

talks inside Afghanistan or in any of the 

mentioned countries. 

2014 by defeating her 

closest rival Bansal by a 

margin of nearly 70,000 

votes. 

Hailing from 

Chandigarh itself, she, 

however, not only faces 

a tough challenge from 

the Congress but also 

from within the local 

unit of the Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP). 

Chandigarh BJP 

President Sanjay 

Tandon was breathing 

down her neck as 

claimants for the BJP 

ticket. He was a ticket 

aspirant last time also 

but Kher managed to 

pip him at the post. 

The nearly 6.2 lakh voters, including 

40,000 new voters since 2014, of 

Chandigarh will decide its next MP on May 

19 in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections. 

POLLUTION KEY ISSUE FOR 

CHANDIGARH VOTERS : ADR 

New Delhi : Voters in Chandigarh wanted end of water, air and 

noise pollution, and improvement 

in hospitals or primary healthcare 

centres in the city, revealed the 

Association for Democratic 

Reforms (ADR) survey. 

For the survey, around 500 voters 

in Chandigarh were asked 

about their priorities and voting 

pattern. It revealed that water and air pollution (45.96 per cent), 

noise pollution (45.57 per cent) and improvement in condition of 

hospitals or primary healthcare centres (45.15 per cent) were their 

top priorities, said ADR. However, the Chandigarh administration's 

performance on top three voter priorities of water and air 

pollution (1.65 on a scale of 5), noise pollution (1.83) and better 

hospitals or primary healthcare centres (1.96) was rated below 

average. In case of rural areas, top priorities were agriculture loan 

availability (55 per cent), higher price realisation for farm produce 

(55 per cent) and better employment opportunities (53 per 

cent). The voters said the administration's performance was 

below average and rated the work done as 1.64 on a scale of 5 for 

agriculture loan availability, 2.01 for higher price realisation for 

farm produce and 1.98 for better employment opportunities. 

The urban voters reported water and air pollution (47 per 

cent), noise pollution (47 per cent) and better hospitals or primary 

healthcare centres (45 per cent) as top priorities and rated the 

administration's performance below average. The steps to 

improve water and air pollution was given 1.65 on the scale of 5, 

noise pollution 1.83 and better hospitals or primary healthcare 

centres 1.95. The ADR voter survey, conducted between October 

and December 2018, covered 534 Lok Sabha constituencies with 

2,73,487 voters participating in the exercise.

May 2019

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