€¦ · The southern odyssey of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, with an eye on the post-poll scenario in Delhi, remained inconclusive despite a 70- minute long meet-ing

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Hours after BJP presidentAmit Shah’s helicopter was

denied permission by the WestBengal Police to land atBaruipur under Jadavpur con-stituency for an election rally,he attacked Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee for “damag-ing all the democratic institu-tions and norms in the State.”

Shah alleged, “A Bengalthat was once a sonar Bangla(golden Bengal) has beenreduced to a Kangal Bangla(destitute Bengal).”

The BJP alleged that theChief Minister has replaceddemocracy with her “dictator-ship” after the State adminis-tration denied permission to arally by Shah.

Mamata immediately hitback, “The way he (Shah) isinsulting Bengal and its peoplewill not go unpunished.Uneducated people like these(Shah) who have no idea ofBengal and its culture are todaycoming to this State to insultthe Bengali people.”

TMC MP Derek O’ Briencalled Shah’s statement a “puke-able” stuff.

Rejecting Shah’s allegationof denial of permission to hischopper to land, the Stateadministration claimed theGovernment had nothing to dowith the denial of the permis-sion as the chopper was sup-posed to land on a private landand that “the land ownerrefused to give permission inthe final run”.

The incident sparked near-

communal tension in the areawith the BJP and TMC sup-porters resorting to fisticuffsprompting a mild lathi-chargeby police, sources said.

Soon after a politicalslugfest began between the twosides, the Chief Minister calledthe BJP a “party of rioters andgoondas who were distributingcash looted during the demon-etisation” during elections inBengal. “But they will not beable to win the elections as thepeople will not give them a sin-gle vote here,” Mamata said.

Shah, who subsequentlyheld a rally at Joynagar also inSouth 24 Parganas, attacked theTMC chief. “She is arresting thepeople and stopping them fromchanting the name of Lord

Ram. But here I dare her toarrest me as I am also chanti-ng ‘Jai Shri Ram,” Shah said.

The BJP president said,“The Mamata BanerjeeGovernment is visibly per-plexed. She wants to stop mefrom attending rallies. TheTMC can stop me fromaddressing rallies, but can’tstop the victory march of theBJP in Bengal.”

Addressing an electionrally in Canning, Shah target-ed Mamata, saying, “We willrestore the glory of Bengal.Mamata Banerjee has turned‘sonar’ (golden) Bangla into‘kangal’ (pauper) Bangla. She isonly interested in protectinginfiltrators to secure her votebank. But her vote bank won’t

be able to save her from immi-nent defeat.”

In a sharp retort to Shah,O’Brien said in a tweet, “Thatpuke-worthy Shah had theaudacity to use the term‘Kangal Bangla’ today at a rally.The people of Bengal will givehim and Modi a fitting reply inPhase 7. That #LowLife insultsBengal.”

Meanwhile, BJP leader andUnion Minister PrakashJavadekar urged the ElectionCommission to take cog-nizance of the development,saying the West BengalGovernment wants to to reducethe poll panel to a mute spec-tator.

“This is murder of democ-racy. The EC should take cog-

nizance of the matter. If impor-tant leaders are not allowed tohold rallies in the State, thenwhat is the meaning of elec-tions,” Javadekar said.

The Union Minister saidthe West Bengal administrationhas been denying permission toShah’s poll programmes andevents of other important BJPleaders.

Mamata’s dictatorship ison full play in the State, he said,criticising the Chief Minister.Javadekar asserted that thedenial of permission to the BJPchief ’s helicopter reflectedMamata’s frustration over thegrowing support for the BJP, aspeople who had elected her aredetermined to defeat her.

In the seventh and lastphase of election on May 19,polling will be held in nine par-liamentary constituencies inWest Bengal.

Meanwhile, a personreportedly a former personalassistant of Bengal BJP presi-dent Dilip Ghosh was onMonday arrested with �1 crorefrom Asansol Railway Station.

The person, along withanother person, reportedlyconfessed before the GRP thatthe cash was being brought for“electoral purposes.” Both ofthem had traveled to Bengalfrom Delhi.

While the twosome wereremanded in a three-day policecustody, Ghosh refused tocomment saying he would takeinformation about the matter,conceding however that theman arrested was once hispersonal assistant.

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The southern odyssey ofTelangana Chief Minister K

Chandrasekhar Rao, with aneye on the post-poll scenario inDelhi, remained inconclusivedespite a 70- minute long meet-ing with DMK president MKStalin on Monday.

KCR drove down to Stalin’spalatial residence in Chennaiand held talks with him in thepresence of Durai Muruganand TR Baalu, close advisers ofStalin. Both KCR and Stalindid not meet the waitingreporters after the meeting.This could be because of thefailure of KCR to convinceStalin about the possibility of anon-Congress and non-BJPfront to lead the nation.

The TRS chief haddescribed Rahul Gandhi as abuffoon and also as a politicianof no significance. Leaders ofthe DMK refused to revealanything about what transpiredin the meeting. KCR had metKerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan last week.

“KCR is on a southernpolitical pilgrimage and thereis nothing significant about it,”said R Balasankar, author andpolitical commentator aboutKCR’s trip to Kerala and TamilNadu. KS Azhagiri, president,

Tamil Nadu CongressCommittee and the most trust-ed ally of the DMK, scoffed atKCR’s overtures to variouspolitical parties.

“Chandrasekhar Rao paidhis obeisance to MeemakshiAmman at Madurai. He alsoworshipped at RamaswamyTemple at Rameswaram. Nowhe has come to Chennai to payobeisance to Stalin,” Azhagiritold reporters in Chennai.

The Congress leader saidthere no was possibility of anyThird Front in India. “The

Congress will emerge as thelargest party and form theGovernment,” said Azhagiri.

Sources close to Stalintold The Pioneer that KCRmay have had secondthoughts about the FederalFront. “Perhaps he has under-stood that a non-Congress,non-BJP Government is notviable. Rao may be reworkingon his strategy vis-à-vis theCongress,” said Sam Rajappa,political commentator withgood rapport with the DMKleadership.

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Addressing a rally in theheart of Punjab, Congress

president Rahul Gandhi onMonday lashed out at hisparty’s overseas unit chief SamPitroda, saying he should be“ashamed” for his “totallywrong” remarks on the 1984anti-Sikh riots and should apol-ogise to the country.

Rahul’s remarks came at hisfirst poll rally in Punjab in anapparent damage control exer-cise after an uproar overPitroda’s “hua to hua” responseto a query on the riots.

“What Sam Pitroda saidabout 1984 was totally wrongand he should seek an apolo-gy from the country... I am say-ing this publicly and I also toldthe same to him over phone.Pitroda ji, what you had saidwas completely wrong and youshould be ashamed of yourself.You should seek a public apol-ogy,” Rahul said towards theend of his speech in Khanna.

However, stepping up hisoffensive over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots issue, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Mondaysaid Congress chief RahulGandhi should be “ashamed”

of himself. Addressing a poll rally in

Bathinda from where UnionMinister Harsimrat Kaur Badalis seeking re-election, Modisaid, “Today I want to askCongress, how long they willrub salt into our wounds likethis. Namdaar (Rahul) has nowtold his Guru (Pitroda) that heshould be ashamed (for hisremarks). I want to askNamdaar why are you pre-

tending to admonish him.” The BJP has stepped up

offensive against the Congressover Pitroda’s remarks as the1984 riots is an emotive issuein Punjab, which is going topoll on May 19.

Rahul was addressing therally on Monday in favour ofCongress candidates AmarSingh from Fategarh Sahib,Raj Kumar Chabbewal fromHoshiarpur and Santokh Singh

Chaudhary from Jalandhar. Hesaid these elections were an ide-ological fight between falsepromises and realistic com-mitments.

Rahul also slammed Modifor demonetisation and the“Gabbar Singh Tax” (Congress’expansion for the term GST),describing them as two “hor-rific things” brought in by theBJP government. “These deci-sions adversely hit the pur-chasing capacity of the peopleand rendered lakhs jobless,” hesaid.

Rahul slammed Modi onthe Rafale deal and accusedhim of “failing” to keep his2014 pre-poll promises, includ-ing providing jobs to two croreyouths, remunerative pricesfor farmers’ produce andapparently depositing �15 lakhinto the bank accounts of everycitizen.

“Initially, he used to talkabout corruption. I invitedhim to debate on this issue. Youhave 56 inch chest, so come toany place and I will also come.You hold a debate on Rafaledeal for just 15 minutes, butModi is scared. I will ask fourquestions and Modi will not beable to show his face to thecountry,” Rahul said.

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An octopus may look like amonster and creepy crea-

ture to many of us, but itsfemale species is known forobsessively guarding and tend-ing her eggs — she can lay upto 4,00,000 eggs. In fact, octo-pus moms don’t leave the eggsunattended even to feed them-selves. By the time the eggshatch, the moms die, starvingand exhausted.

Orangutan, an ape, devotesa very large percentage of theirtotal lifespan to caring for oneindividual baby. In fact, theynurse them up to 8 years —longer than any other primate.

Similarly, cheetah mothers,nurture and train their cubs for18 months as hunters beforeleaving them to live on theirown in wild. While African ele-phant mothers carry theirbabies in their womb for a 22-

month pregnancy — thelongest gestation period of anymammal.

The “super moms” of ani-mal kingdom who like most ofthe human mothers showextraordinary levels of dedica-tion, attention, and selflessnesswhile caring for their young.

“Maternal care has evolvedrepeatedly across differentspecies,” said Dr Ben Dantzer,assistant Professor ofPsychology and Ecology andEvolutionary Biology at theUniversity of Michigan in anarticle posted on geek.com.

He further explained, “The

reason it would evolve is sim-ply that there is this period oftime when offspring are high-ly vulnerable, so anything toincrease the chances of off-spring surviving is going to befavoured.”

Deep-sea octopus(Graneledone boreopacifica)

stands out among the supermoms. It is known for thelongest-known egg-broodingperiod of any animal. Considerthis: In 2011, researchers begankeeping tabs on one female offthe central California coastthat guarded her eggs for anastonishing 4.5 years.

While Octopus momstarves herself to death, the crabspider mother offers herself asa first meal for its just bornbabies. It is a phenomenonknown as matriphagy, where amother is consumed by heryoung. In the case of the crabspiders, it starts with the tiny

spiderlings swarming over herand sucking out the liquidfrom her leg joints. Eventuallythe mother weakens andbecomes decrepit, at whichpoint the spiderlings just eat her.

“They literally suck herdry and then start cannibalis-ing her,” said University of

Melbourne expert from theSchool of BioSciencesProfessor Raoul Mulder inanother article.

In contrast, Dantzer pointsout, mammals or primateshave fewer offspring but pro-vide longer periods of care fortheir babies. For example, hesaid, “Orangutans can keephaving babies well into their40s, but they only have onebaby at a time and reproduceonly every 9 years or so.

That means that over theirlifetime, a female orangutanmight only have 2-3 babies.”Given that orangutans liveabout 50 years or so, Dantzerexplained that is a huge timeinvestment in raising just a fewbabies relative to their totallifespan. According to WorldWildlife Fund, the bondbetween an orangutan motherand her young is one of thestrongest in nature.

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Congress general secretaryPriyanka Gandhi Vadra

here on Monday held a road-show, traversing the roadswhile perched atop a flower-bedecked vehicle.

Polling for the Indore seat,which the BJP has been win-ning since 1989, is scheduledon May 19 in the fourth andlast phase of Lok Sabha polls inMadhya Pradesh.

Accompanied by MadhyaPradesh Chief Minister KamalNath and his Chhattisgarhcounterpart Bhupesh Baghel,she started the roadshow fromRaj Mohalla and was seen wav-ing to the crowd who cheeredand greeted her enroute as hercaravan passed the crowdedcity streets.

At many places, theCongress workers shoutedChowkidar chor hai, a sloganwhich party chief andPriyanka’s brother RahulGandhi uses to attack PrimeMinister Narendra Modi overthe Rafale jet deal. People jos-tled to have a glimpse of herduring the three-km long road-show. A young man climbedthe bonnet of her vehicle for a'selfie' with her, which sheobliged smilingly.

"Her face and mannerism

reminds me of her grand-mother Indira Gandhi,Bhagwan Sharma, a resident ofIndore's Kanadia area said.

The roadshow traversed

the Jawahar Road, BombayBaazar and other busy areasbefore it ended at the Rajwadaarea. Priyanka tried winninghearts and at Indore she

stopped her motorcade beforea group of locals chantingPM Modi’s name and metthem affectionately. TheCongress general secretarywho had reached Indore for afour-km roadshow was mov-ing towards the city from air-port this afternoon. Localshad gathered on the roadsidesto catch her glimpse.

A group present there sud-denly started chanting PMModi’s name as Gandhi’s cav-alcade passed through. To theirsurprise, she suddenly got herSUV halted and stepped out ina flash. Taken aback by themove, the locals found hersmiling stretching a handtowards them. “App apni jagah,main meri jagah...all the best,”said the visiting leader.

State Chief Minister KamalNath, former Union ministerSuresh Pachouri and otherparty leaders accompanied herto the temple. “PriyankaGandhi offered prayers forover an hour at the temple afterwhich she held a roadshowhere. The response to her road-show was overwhelming," saidState Congress spokespersonShobha Oza. T h eCongress has fielded formerMLA Babulal Malviya againstBJP nominee Anil Firoziyafrom the Ujjain seat.

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This mothers’ day, at Arushi,was conducted by Sound

Healer Aarti Sinha and wasdedicated to special needmoms—our superheroes Thewords that change yourlife...’Your child has autism’.

They tie mothers togetherin a way that others can’t real-ly understand. Because autismcrosses all social, economicand cultural boundaries, autismmoms come from countries allaround the world and all walksof life from running supportgroups to advocating on behalfof our special children, thesewomen are passionate, fearlessand a force to be reckoned with.

When I look at the autismmoms, I know, it is easy to seecommonalities despite theirmany differences, said AartiSinha, discussing about fivetop reasons why special needmommas rock. She said tothem—You Are Fierce, YouHave Strength Within, YouNever Take Anything forGranted, You Know NoBoundary When It Comes toLove and You are the Motherswith a Cause.

Special need moms inspireus to be a better person—to trymake the world a better placefor our kids. To continue the

fight. To get through anotherday, month, year. Wheneveryou feel the least bit sad aboutthings, you can easily findanother mother raising a childwith autism who can show usthe strength. She can show thepath to help you fight anoth-er battle. She can lift my spir-its and show understandingthat only an autism mothercould do. Yes, they do indeedrock!

The mothers were taught

about how to cope up with thestress through sound healingand how simple chakra soundsand vowels can help them todo better.

The mothers shared theirchallenges in raising the kids,how to cope up. They allplayed games together withkids, danced and cut the caketo celebrate this special day.

The moms were also cer-tifies by ‘Best moms’ by wiz-ard of sound.

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A20-year-old youth diedafter his bike hit a tree near

Vairawal under Nazeerabadpolice station on Sunday.According to the police, aninjured man was rushed to anearby hospital where he wasdeclared dead.

The deceased sustainedsevere head injuries whichproved fatal for him. Thedeceased was on his way toNazeerabad when he met theaccident at around 9 in thenight. The deceased was iden-tified as Puran Singh. The treewhich was lying on the roadwas not spotted by the deceasedand thus, his bike hit the tree.

After the preliminaryinvestigation, the body wassent for the post-mortem. Thepolice have registered a caseunder section 174 of the CrPCand have started further inves-tigation.

Drunk driving cannot beruled out in this connection.

The deceased was not wearinghelmet which proved costly.

Meanwhile, a 25-year-oldyouth was attacked by over adozen miscreants over a pettyissue at Barkhedi underJehangirabad police stationarea late in the night onSunday. The victim ShashankPandey was attacked by over adozen miscreants after his bikewas hit by three bike-bornemiscreants at around 11 in thenight.

In his complaint, the victimstated that when he opposedtheir move, they started abus-ing and a scuffle followed andafter spotting Shashank in trou-ble, his friend, Rahul, came torescue but by the time, the twocould be rescued,they escaped.Then, around a dozen mencame in support of the mis-creants and assaulted the twoand later escaped from thespot. Police have registered acase against unidentified mis-creants and started investiga-tion.

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An adult tigerwas electrocut-

ed to death in thejungles ofChitrakoot in Satnadistrict late onSunday night.

The incident was report-ed from Amirati beat ofMajhgawan range inChitrakoot area where thebody of the big cat was foundthis morning. The big catperhaps died late night andthe body was spotted by localsin the morning and they inti-mated the forest departmentofficers.

Forest departmentsources claimed that the bigcat could be a native of Pannatiger reserve, which falls near-by, but the forest departmentdeclined to confirm this ininitial probe. A senior officerfrom PTR claimed that thetiger has been electrocuted todeath by suspected poachersclose to a pond. The officersaid the tigress P-213 of PTRhad shifted base to Chitrakootarea in the past and had givenbirth to two cubs which are

now adults.Efforts are on to identify

the deceased big cat and it wasdifficult to say from where thedead feline belonged to,claimed the officer. The inci-dent perhaps took place latenight.

The forest officers of theregion had rushed to the spotafter the deadbody of the bigcat was spotted this morning.

Sources said that thepoachers had laid the elec-tricity wire trap close to asmall pond in the forest nurs-ery based nearby SarbhangaAshram.

As the big cat would haveapproached the pond toquench his thirst late night, itmet a painful death, claimedlocals. Some suspects havebeen detained by the policeand are being questioned overthe death of the tiger.

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Indira Gandhi RashtriyaManav Sangrahalaya organ-

ised housing constructionworkshop to introduce thelocal architecture of the variousstages of housing constructionmade by the local tribes and getthe audience aware of it.

In this sequence, onMonday, the traditional artistsof Moran tribe from Assamperformed this Habitat with theaim to introduce the visitorswith the intellectual and cre-ative skills of simple societiesand the technological splendorof India's contemporary worldat Veethi Sankul premises ofthe Sangrahalaya, Bhopal.

N. Sakamacha Singh(Museum Associate, IGRMS)giving information about thehousing type of Moran tribe ofAssam said that Moran House

constructed with bamboo aswall structures and traditionaldesign and structure.

The Moran house has threerooms arrayed with bamboowall partitions. The front hallcalled Sora ghar is regarded asthe most important part of thehouse.

This common room has afire place called Jui Hali, andsurrounding of which is ameeting place. The spaceadjoining to the main Khuta(pillar), is the place for thehousehold head.

The Huwa Ghar (Bedrooms) and sometimes extend-ed with partitions dependingupon the number married Sonsand family members.The lastroom of the extension calledRandhoni Ghar or Pak Ghor(Kitchen).

The Bhoral Ghar (gra-nary), which lies in the court-

yard, is apparently more inter-esting. The Bhoral structure isunique, and raised upon ninepieces of wooden log that arearrayed in rows. These logs arecalled Lotikai that sometimesare very huge ranging from 3to 5 ft in diameter. Use ofLotikais in the Bhoral structure,is meant, not only to providefirm support to the entirestructure, but also to presentthe underlying idea of theirsocio-cultural and economicrelation with their elephants.

It is said that in the oldendays, rich people among theMoran used to construct asmany as Bhoral ghar, some ofwhich, they construct in thename of their elephants.

They do not consumegrains from those granarieswhich are dedicated for theirelephants. They rather spend itfor the care of their elephants.

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Rainfall in the late nighthours on Sunday and in the

evening hours on Mondaymade the weather conditionslittle comforting in the StateCapital.

Partial cloudy weather con-ditions were witnessed duringthe day and in the evening darkclouds were witnessed whichpoured later. Moderate tem-peratures followed by lightshowers made the weatherconditions pleasant in theevening.

Abrupt changes would bewitnessed at several places inthe state. Thundery activitieswith speedy winds having aspeed of 30-40 km/hr would bewitnessed in Sagar, Gwalior andChambal divisions andNeemuch, Mandsaur, Indore,Agar, Raisen, Vidisha, Sehore,Rewa, Satna, Umaria, Katni,Jabalpur, Seoni, Chhindwara,Annuppur, Dindori,Hoshangabad and Badwanidistricts.

Sagar, Gwalior, Ujjain,Indore, Hoshangabad andBhopal divisions witnessedlight rainfall and thunderyactivities in the past 24 hours.

The day temperatures wit-nessed significant rise in Rewaand Shahdol divisions in thepast 24 hours. Highest daytemperature was recorded inKhargone at 44 degree Celsius.Sagar and Nowgong recorded6 mm of rainfall in the past 24hours.

Weatherman said thatthese changes are pre-monsoonactivities and would persistfor next 48 hours and normalweather conditions would pre-vail later. There is a system overNorth- East Rajasthan whichhad impacted weather condi-tions and system would settlein the next 24 hours makingthe weather conditions normaland temperatures would startincreasing gradually.

According to forecast apartfrom warning of abruptchanges light rainfall and thun-dery activities along withspeedy winds would be wit-nessed in Sagar, Gwalior andChambal divisions andNeemuch, Mandsaur, Indore,Agar, Raisen, Vidisha, Sehore,Rewa, Satna, Umaria, Katni,Jabalpur, Seoni, Chhindwara,Annuppur, Dindori,Hoshangabad and Badwanidistricts.

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Amotivational lecture ses-sion was organised in

Rabindranath TagoreUniversity for the studentswho will be preparing for theexams in the future.

Expert John Mathew wasinvited to motivate the stu-dents. The session was con-ducted on Human Values andEthics in Professional Life. Headdressed the students abouthuman values and ethics to bekept in mind during practicingprofessionalism.

They gave many experttips to the students to get suc-cess in professional life. Also

the motivational speaker spokeabout career and the chal-lenges in today’s world whichare being faced by the younggeneration. Under the induc-tion programme the partici-pants were motivated. Thespeaker also gave them tips andtricks to be followed duringprofessionalism.

As the expert interactedwith the students they told thestudents about the tricks andtips to crack the interviews. Onthe other hand, the expert alsotold them how to boost up theirmemory. It was a fun and aninformative induction pro-gramme for the participants.

Later, an interactive session

was held. The students askedtheir various queries on stressmanagement. The students alsoasked about future endeavoursaccording to their skills. Theinteractive session was fol-lowed with the presentation,through which the students

explored different stages oflife.

The speaker also talkedabout various challenges thatcome in the way of a student.Thefaculty members and com-merce stream students werepresent on the occasion.

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The dance lovers of the cityare experiencing the

essence of Ballet dancing in aballet workshop. A 15-day longworkshop is being conductedfor the dance lovers of the city.The workshop is being orga-nized at Rangashree LittleBallet Troupe premises.

The students are learningthe basics of Indian Balletdance. Ballet dance form isinnovative and enjoyable. Littlethings are explained throughmovements and expressions.The workshop is being organ-ised by Yogi Dance and

Theatre, Bhopal.Here on Monday, the bal-

let expert Yogendra SinghRajput told the participantsabout Uday Shankar who gaveform to Indian ballet. By adopt-ing European dance and the-atrical techniques, he madehis style by combining Indianclassical folk dance styles,known as Uday Shankar Balletstyle. He said that people havemade their own styles usingthis origin of ballet.

The students later weretaight to create steps usingmorden jazz and contemporarydance.

The special thing aboutthis ballet work is that most of

the participating participantsare children of 5 to 10 years old.

At the workshop, the stu-

dents are able to explore theexquisiteness of ballet dance.The students are also exploringthe different themes of ballet,plays and other cultural itemsand are learning the actual con-cept of staging them.

The artists are preparingwith great emphasis on creativestyle of dance, folk, drama andmusic.

Notably, a 15-day long bal-let workshop is being organisedfor the aspirants to learn theballet form properly.

The dance lovers of the cityare enjoying the workshop asthey are able to explore differ-ent style of dance which ismostly used in theaters.

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Attacking Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, Congress

general secretary PriyankaGandhi alleged that it was onlyadvertisement that increased inlast five years.

Gandhi who landed inMadhya Pradesh for the firsttime during elections soughtblessings of lord Mahakal andlater she held a roadshow in thecity. Late Indira Gandhi, RajivGandhi, Sonia Gandhi andRahul Gandhi too have visitedthis noted temple in the past.

This was the first timeGandhi had campaigned forCongress party in MadhyaPradesh. The party generalsecretary had visited MP oncein the past in a private visit,a Congress media cell mem-ber said.

Addressing an electionrally at Ratlam, Gandhi choseto focus her assault on PMModi solely. “In last year, itsonly and only advertisementeverywhere and it is beingprojected that whatever workwas done in last 60-70 yearshas been, an equal amount ofwork has been done in fiveyears.”

The ads only increased aselections approached, she

claimed.There were big

announcements withpictures of PM Modibut the reality was dif-ferent, said the leaderdrawing an examplefrom UP.

The BJP was boast-ing that power bills wereslashed but I met sever-al women during the

UP trip who showed me billsclaiming the power is sup-plied for two-three hours butthey are getting �35,000 or�50,000 bills.

He only visits places fordelivering speeches duringelections and could not findfive minutes in last five yearsto visit his constituencyVaranasi and meet the poor orfarmer to ask about theirwell-being, alleged Gandhi.

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Congress general secretaryPriyanka Gandhi Vadra

was on Monday seen offeringprayers at the renownedMahakaleshwar temple inUjjain as she set off on her cam-paign for the last phase of LokSabha polls in MadhyaPradesh.

She later also held a road-show to campaign for theCongress candidate fromUjjain Lok Sabha seat, whichwill vote on May 19. Results aredue on May 23.

Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Kamal Nath, formerUnion Minister SureshPachouri and other party lead-ers accompanied her to thetemple.

Television footage showedPriyanka Gandhi Vadra in a red

saree, with Kamal Nath next toher in saffron overalls.

state Congress spokesper-son Shobha Oza told thatPriyanka Gandhi offeredprayers for over an hour at thetemple after which she held aroadshow here. The response toher roadshow was over-whelming.

The Congress has fieldedformer MLA Babulal Malviyaagainst BJP nominee AnilFiroziya from the Ujjain seat.

After the roadshow,Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will goto Ratlam where she willaddress an election meeting,Ms Oza said.

Meanwhile, PriyankaGandhi Vadra on Mondaycaused a security scare whenshe climbed a barricade togreet locals in Ratlam.

Seeing huge crowd waitingfor her, she decided to climb

over a wooden barricade thatseparated her and her securi-ty personnel from public atlarge. She was seen waving atthe people here before decid-ing to climb over a barricadeand shake hands with a few ofthem.

This apparently impromp-tu decision caught securitypersonnel accompanying theCongress leaders unawares andthey quickly jumped over thebarricade too to provide cover.

Special Protection Groupor SPG is responsible for pro-viding security cover toPriyanka as well as her broth-er, Congress President RahulGandhi, and Sonia Gandhi.The SPG security cover ismeant for VVIPs and isresponsible for ensuring thatthere is no threat at any pointin time to those under its pro-tection.

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Both the BJP and theCongress in Madhya

Pradesh claim that the highestvoters’ turnout in Bhopal par-liamentary constituency and itsAssembly segments would ben-efit them.

The Bhopal parliamentaryseat has recorded highest everturnout in 40 years, 65.65%.The turnout is higher by 8%than that in 2014, when theModi wave had gripped theelections.

In 2014, Bhopal hadrecorded 57.79% voting, whileit was 44.69% in 2009 generalelections. The last time pollingcrossed 60% was in 1999 whenUma Bharti was BJP’s Bhopalcandidate.

The fight betweenCongress’s senior leaderDigvijay Singh and BJP’sPragya Thakur made theBhopal constituency an impor-tant seat and attracted mediaof the whole country.

However, factually, nei-ther Prime Minister NarendraModi nor Congress presidentRahul Gandhi campaigned inBhopal.

Singh campaigned for

development, and released abooklet on his vision forBhopal, while Thakur releasedher own manifesto for the citytowards the fag end of hercampaign. The Congress work-ers also distributed a hand-written appeal among votersvisiting door to door.

However, the electionmoved towards radiclisationafter Pragya called it a ‘DharmYuddh’, saying she was “proudof helping raze Babri Masjid”,and Digvijay Singh visitingtemples and getting the sup-port of hundreds of sadhus ledby Computer Baba.

Berasia and Sehore assem-bly segments bewildered thepolitical circles by recordinghighest turnout- Sehore 77%and Berasia over 76%. BhopalNorth (66.65%), Narela(64.9%) and Huzur (67.6%)assembly areas also registeredsignificant increase in turnout.

BJP Spokesman RajneeshAgrawal told ‘The Pioneer’that the rise in polling percentwould certainly help the BJP. Itis only the BJP that earnestlyworks towards bringing thevoters to booths and theincreased percent of voterschose the BJP, he added.

Media Coordinator of theCongress Shobha Oza saidthat the high polling per centclearly indicates that Congresscandidate Digvijay Singh iswinning the election and he isvisionary leader and cam-paigned properly upto grassroot level in almost all theassembly segments. “Peopledid come out to vote forDigvijay Singh, teaching a les-son to the accused of terrorattack Sadhvi Pragya,” sheadded.

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Acampus drive was carriedout at Radharaman Group

of Institutions here on Monday. As many as 32 students of

the Radharaman group wereselected in the country's knownautomotive company TennecoIndia Limited. TennecoAutomotive India pvt ltd is oneof the world's leading design-ers, manufacturers and dis-tributors of clean air and rideperformance products and sys-tems for the automotive, com-mercial truck and off-high-way markets and the after-market. The company has 15engineering centers around theworld.

An Open Campus drivewas organized recently by thecompany in the RadharampanGroup campus in which stu-dents of Mechanical andDiploma Courses participated.Students selected by the com-pany will be called shortly forjoining.

The selection was held inthree rounds. The first was thewritten test of the participants.The participants who qualified

the written test were thenappeared for the technicalround.

The students were askedabout the technical upgrades inmarket. The qualified studentswere then appeared for the HRinterview. After the HR inter-view the students were short-listed for the company.

Prior to the campus drive,the representatives from thecompany addressed the stu-dents. They also informed thestudents about their companythrough a power-point pre-sentation. During the powerpoint presentation, an interac-tion session was also carriedout. The students asked abouttheir queries to the experts fortheir future endeavours.

It is to be noted that vari-ous companies are carrying outtheir campus drives attheRadharaman Group ofInstitutions.

RR Saxena, chairman ofthe Ramadharan Group, hassaid that the identity of thegroup in whole central India isnot only about excellent acad-emic results, but also in the caseof placement it is known.

If the fig-ures for the past three years areseen, 520 companies have orga-nized campus placement inthe group, in which 5382 stu-dents have been selected. Themaximum package was up toRs 24 lakh annually. The majorreason for this success is theindustry-related skills whichare available only during thestudy, which are searched by allthe companies in a candidate.

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Children are leaning theunique art of handicraft

and painting in a summerworkshop. Being organised atMayaram Srijan Bhavan theworkshop began here fromMay 3.

Under the month longworkshop the children arelearning the basics of creatingartistic pieces out of wastematerial and the handmadesheets. Notably, Ekrang SocioCultural Society every yearorganizes summer workshopfor the school students to learnnew things that may alsoinclude dance, music, painting,acting, theatre, embroidery andmore. These workshops arebeing organised for the stu-dents to enhance their skillsinto different artistic fieldswhich may also prove benefi-cial for them in the comingyears.

While talking about artand craft workshop, in-chargeand trainer of art Swati Joshisaid, “Under this workshop,children with the use of wastematerial give shapes to theirperceptions and thoughts.Whatever they like to make orlearn I train them according toit. Some may like to make ani-mals, or some may make struc-

tures or pots and more,” sheadded. For handicraft work-shop she said, “Here childrenlearn to do work with paperand how a sheet of paper couldbe used as a decorative item intheir projects or so.”

The little artists are learn-ing to create various art piecesthat portray their hidden out-look about what they feel. Theywonderfully played with thecolours and created piecesaccording to their artistic per-ceptions. Under ceramic work-shop the children are also

taught to create their imagina-tion through paper-mache.

Starting from the basicslike cutting, pasting and fold-ing, the children have learnt tomake 2D and 3D objects. Theyare also learning to make thedecorative items, greetingcards, and also 3D projects aswell.

Interestingly, the childrenare enjoying the workshop andare taking full pleasure of it asthey are learning new thingsunder it. The workshop wouldcontinue till June 2.

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Aminor boy was attacked-with a sharp-edged

weapon at Sanjay Nagarunder Shahjehanabad policestation area by another minorboy of the same locality overa petty issue in the evening onSunday.

Police have registered caseagainst both minors who wereengaged in the fight. Minorwho attacked with sharpedged weapon sustainedfewer injuries and other onesustained critical injuries.

The mother of the boywho sustained major injuriesalleged that police failed totake action and instead of tak-ing action against the accusedson and his father who holdscrime record, is out on bail infraud case, encroached land inthe area and threatened themat the Hamidia hospital,police have booked her son inthe case who was abused andattacked by the accused.

CSP ShahjehanabadNagendra Pateria said thatboth the boys are minor andone of them sustained severeinjuries. In the further inves-tigation medical would beconducted and if requireaction would be to be takendetain the minor accused andproduced in JJ court it wouldbe done.

The boy who sustainedsevere injuries near his earand cheeks and chin has sus-tained more injuries. Histreatment is going on, headded.

CSP Pateria said that overa dozen youth and minorscame to the police station andclaimed that the minor whowas attacked with sharp edgedweapon was responsible forthe fight.

After the preliminaryinvestigation police have reg-istered a case under sections293, 323, 506 and 324 of theIPC and started further inves-tigation.

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Habitual offender and his-tory-sheeter of Kamla

Nagar police cut his privatepart in an inebriated state latein the night on Sunday in aweird incident. He was savedand is yet to regain conscious.

The man identified asSohanlal Pardi reached policestation at around 3 in the nightand told that he had cut his pri-vate part and was rushed tohospital where he was saved butthe man is in unconsciousstate.

Sohanlal was rushed to theprivate hospital and surgerywas done after which heresponded to the treatmentbut at present he is not in thecondition to record his state-ments.

Police said that Sohanlal ofNaya Basera area is a habitualoffender and history-sheeter ofKamla Nagar area and his wifewho also holds crime recordand currently serving jail frompast three months.

A day ago his sister com-mitted suicide but he was sadon the death or due to someother reason he committedthe act could not be ascer-tained.

Immediately after he cameto the police station he wasrushed to JP hospital fromwhere he was referred toHamidia hospital but due to hiscritical condition, the hospitalstaff refused to admit and laterhe was admitted in Peopleshospital.

During the whole episodeSohanlal kept on changing hisstatements in inebriated state asfirstly he revealed that he him-self chopped off his genital butlater blamed two persons haveattacked and did the act. Moreinformation would be clearedafter he regains conscious andrecord his statements.

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A35-year-old man commit-ted suicide by hanging

from the ceiling atBhainsakhedi under Gungapolice station area on Monday.

The deceased identified asSunil Vishwakarma (35) ofBhainsakhedi was found hang-ing and when taken to nearbyhospital he was declared dead.

After the preliminaryinvestigation the body was sentfor the post mortem. A caseunder section 174 of the CrPCwas registered by the police.The reason of the suicideremained unknown and wouldbe revealed in the further inves-tigation. The details of Sunil areyet to be investigated by thepolice.

Meanwhile, frustrated overprolong illness a 45-year-oldman committed suicide at NayaBasera under Kamla Nagarpolice station area on Monday.

Police said that Ayub wasfound hanging and wasdeclared dead by doctors whentaken to hospital. Police havenot recovered any suicide notewhich could help in revealingthe reason behind the suicide

but the circumstantial evi-dences suggest that thedeceased was suffering from ill-ness and facing financial prob-lems.

The post mortem reportis awaited and other reasonsbehind the death would beinvestigated.

Police said that the fam-ily members were willing toconduct post mortem andnot wanted any police inter-

ference. They wanted to perform

last r ites without postmortem but after pacifyingand making them understandprocedure of the police theyagreed for the post mortem.

The body was sent for thepost mortem. The police haveregistered a case under sec-tion 174 of the CrPC andhave started further investi-gation.

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The State BJP on Mondaypredicated that the ongoing

general elections will be the lastelection of Jharkhand’s region-al party Jharkhand MuktiMorcha (JMM) as the partywill be wiped out from Kolhanand Santhal Pargana regions—the traditional stronghold ofJMM. The State BJP unitclaimed that due to differentwelfare schemes launched byModi Government and con-tinuous and regular surveil-lance of these welfare schemesby Chief Minister RaghubarDas the wind in these tribalsheartland of State is blowing fora change.

State BJP spokesperson,Pratul Shahdeo said, “Apartfrom welfare schemeslaunched by ModiGovernment, Chief MinisterRaghubar Das has visitedSanthal several times.” TheBJP leader also listed out theschemes launched by ModiGovernment such as setting upof All India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIIMS), airport inpilgrimage city Deoghar, con-struction of inland port inSabhiganj, which will boosttrade and commerce in thearea, the construction ofNational Highway-18, setting

up Pahariya Battalion for trib-al youth of the region amongothers.

The construction of AIIMSat Deoghar is coming up atDevipura block of district. Themedical hub spread at an area

of 236.92 acres of land foun-dation stone was laid by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi fewyears back. Sources said thatwith coming up of state-of-artmedical hub will cater to themedical needs of people espe-

cially those who in search ofbetter treatment have no otheralternative but to move toother parts of country espe-cially at AIIMS Delhi andChristian Medical College(CMC) Vellore. The medical

studies at AIIMS Deoghar arelikely to commence from thisyear from transit campus.

Similarly, on April 2017,Prime Minister NarendraModi laid the foundation stoneof a multi-model terminal on

river Ganga at Sahibganj. Themulti-model terminal is animportant component of thedevelopment of the NationalWaterways-1 from Varanasito Haldia, a distance of 1390km.

Shahdeo claimed that thefather-son duo JMM chiefShibu Soren and his sonHemant Soren who were ChiefMinisters of State and repre-sented Santhal region had onlyexploited the poor innocenttribals of State.

Echoing the views ofShahdeo, BJP state secretarySubodh Singh Guddu said, “Ihave been visiting various partsof State as part of campaigningfor party candidates. What Ihave noticed is that this timethe wind is blowing from ruralareas to urban.The last (2014)election was for makingNarendra Modi as PrimeMinister, but this time themood of people is to retainModi as PM for next fiveyears.”

Singh claimed that the wel-fare schemes launched by ModiGovernment such as UjjwalaYojana, Ayushman Yojana,opening up of accountsthrough Jan Dhan and othersocial security schemes havegreatly benefitted the peopleespecially the poor.

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In a bizarre incident, a womanfled with her lover while

returning from her marriageunder Dhurwa Police Station inRanchi District on Monday.

Hatia DeputySuperintendent of Police,Prabhat Ranjan Barwar, saidthat a marriage procession wasreturning from Nagri to Khuntiafter solemnising marriage ofbride Anjali Toppo (24) resi-dent of Labed village underNagri Police Station and groomBandan Oraon (26) resident ofKhunti District. Both the brideand groom were in a car goingto groom’s home in Khunti.

The DSP said that anunidentified motorbike ridercame before the running carand stopped it just opposite theongoing construction site ofJharkhand High Court. Thenhe called the groom to comedown the car, and then thebride came down from the carand sat on motorbike and fledfrom the spot.

Barwar further revealedthat the boy, who took away thebride, Asim Minz, resident ofRani Khatanga under ItkiPolice Station, along withToppo surrendered at ItkiPolice Station where relatives ofOraon and Minz gathered andwith their mutual understand-ing it was decided that whenToppo wants to live with Minzthen Oraon’s family had noobjection. It is believed that the

girl had some relationship withthe boy. The groom’s family didnot have any problem with theissue as the bride was adult soshe can take her decision, headded.

“What is interesting is thatthe marriage of Anjali andBadhan also was a love mar-riage. The bride was working aslabourer, while the groom wasstone mason. During theirwork a relationship developedbetween them and they decid-ed to marry with each other,”said Barwar.

Meanwhile, in anotherincident, a woman jumpedinto Dhurwa Dam in themorning on Sunday underDhurwa Police Station inRanchi District.

Informing about the inci-dent Barwar said that a woman,Mina Yadav resident of Chutiaarea under Chutia PoliceStation in Ranchi jumped in toDhurwa Dam but the peoplewho were present at that timesaved her and informed theDhurwa Police Station.

“The Police team reachedthe spot bought the woman atthe Police Station and tried toknow the reason of her jump-ing into the dam. As she wasmentally disturbed she did notsay anything clearly andbecame angry during enquirybut she informed that she wasresident of Chutiya area andliving with her mother and twochildren. She was working asdomestic helper,” said Barwar.

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Ranchi district administra-tion on Monday lodged a

First Information report undersection 138 (3) Representationof People Act 1958 and Section188 of IPC at Argora PoliceStation against JharkhandMukti Morcha Executive pres-ident Hemant Soren and hiswife Kalpana Soren for viola-tion of Model Code ofConduct.

The case pertains to pollingday in Ranchi on May 06,when Soren alongwith his wifehad adorned scarves with JMMand party symbol written onthose at a polling station andcast their votes with the scarves.

The BJP had lodged a for-mal complaint against Sorenand his wife alleging ModelCode of Conduct violation bythe duo. On the directions ofthe Election CommissionExecutive Magistrate RakeshRanjan Oroan had conducteda probe in the matter and

found the charges to be true.After lodging the case atArgora Police Station onMonday the report was sub-mitted to the ECI.

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Students of Ranchi Universitywill not be able to enjoy the

summer break this year. Theuniversity on Monday issued anotice declaring cancellation ofsummer vacation this year inorder to streamline the ses-sions.

The notice said, "SummerVacation of 2019 declared byRanchi University is hereby with-drawn to regularize the teachingsession and examination."

The notice also mentionedthat the teachers will get earnedleave for this period as per RUStatute. The vacations werescheduled from May 19 toJune 19.

The cancellation of sum-mer vacations will be applica-ble to all the constituent,autonomous and affiliated col-

leges under the Varsity. This isfor the first time that such astep is being taken by RU.

Public Relations Officer ofRU, PK Jha said that this is aprecautionary step being takento avoid delay in the beginningof new semester.

The major reason behindcancellation of the vacation ischoice based credit system(CBCS), which was introducedfor under graduate courses inthe varsity previous year.

"Earlier, the examinationwas held only once a year butafter introduction of CBCSthe year has been divided intotwo semesters. As a result twoexaminations are being con-ducted in a year and we do notwant the results to be delayed,”he said.

Shedding light on the issue,pro vice chancellor of RU,Kamini Kumar said that therewas a delay in issuing the finalmarks for both, semester oneand two, under CBCS systemfor the batch of 2017-20.

“The copies for semesterone was sent outside universi-

ty for correction by the previ-ous examination controller andthere were a lot of irregularitieswhich we are still correcting.The result for second semesterwas also delayed as the com-pany which was supposed toprovide us the software forCBCS system did not give it ontime so we could not uploadthe marks despite timely cor-rection of copies," she said.

The Pro VC informed thatunder the CBCS system thereare a number of criteria for fill-ing up the examination formlike a student has to pass in theprevious semester to sit for thenext examination, they have toscore at least 50 per cent orabove and many other criteria.Thus, till the composite resultsfor both the semesters are notdeclared, conducting the thirdsemester examination will notbe possible.

"We cannot conduct theexamination for the new batcheither because those from theprevious batch who did notmanage to clear the examinationwill have to reappear for the first

semester examination again.So we will have to manage thetime accordingly," she said.

Kumar said that the delayin PG course sessions is alsobeing streamlined. "We will beconducting the examinationand issuing the results for PGcourses by end of June. Theexamination department isworking 18 hours a day. We arehopeful that everything will bestreamlines after June," shesaid.

The Ranchi UniversityStudents’ Union (RUSU) hassupported the decision of thevarsity. President of RUSU,Neha Mardi said, “Delay in ses-sions has been a problem in theuniversity for a long time. ThisI a good initiative and will infavour of students.”

Mardi said that the summerbreak made sense when therewas only one examination inthe year. “Now that there aretwo examinations, students willanyways be getting leave afterthe examination so losing outon summer vacation should notbe a problem,” she said.

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Mamta Kumari, 16, a resi-dent of Raisimla village in

Torpa block of Khunti is nowaware enough to know that ifshe ever plans to leave her vil-lage for work, she must notifythe Panchayat about it.

“I have to inform the pan-chayat about where I am goingand with whom to ensure thatI am safe even outside my vil-lage,” she said.

Similarly, Reena Kumari ofLalkhatanga panchayat inNamkom block of Ranchiknows that she must not accom-pany anyone who promises herto get a well paying job. “I havebeen told that they exploit girlson pretext of job. If I ever comeacross a person like this, the firstthing I should do is inform thePanchayat and if possible, thelocal police about it.”

Association for Social andHuman Awareness (ASHA), aState based social organizationis currently working closelywith around 400 girls in fivepanchayats of Ranchi andKhunti, making them aware ofthe legal rights, human traf-ficking, unsafe migration, min-imum wages and other socialissues. The panchayats beingfocused are Lalkhatanga,Dhurwa and Chandaghasi inRanchi and Raisimla andChanho Panchayat in Khunti.

“These 400 girls areextremely vulnerable as theycome from very poor familybackgrounds and can easily belured away by traffickers. Weare working with these girls aswell as their parents and thepanchayat samiti members toensure that no girls in the areaget trafficked,” said secretary ofASHA, Ajay Kumar Jaiswal.

A study done by the orga-nization show that more thana dozen girls between the ageof 15 to 20 left home in searchof better jobs from every villageof Karra panchayat in Khunti,many of whom never returned.

Jaiswal said, “The sad realityis that these girls go to big cities

with hopes and dreams but areoften exploited physically, men-tally and financially. Most of thetime, they are forced to work with-out any wages. Our aim is not tostop these girls from migrating butto educate them on safe migration.We are taking help from DistrictLegal Service Authority (DLSA)

and para legal volunteers for thelegal rights education. ”

Ritesh Oraon, Mukhiya ofLalkhatanga Panchayat claimedthat the initiative by ASHA hashelped spread immense aware-ness against human traffickingin his Panchayat.

“Now this has become atopic of discussion in theChaupal (evening meetings).Not just the girls but even theirparents discuss these issuesnow and are more aware. Wealso make it a point to bring thetopic into discussion from timeto time so as to ensure that peo-ple do not forget it,” he said.

Trafficking has been amenace in the State for a longtime. The data of CIDJharkhand shows that a total of855 cases of trafficking wereregistered in the State from2013 to 2018, in which 1422survivors were rescued. Also, as

many as 743 traffickers werearrested during this time.

However, this data is onlyfor the cases in which FIR hasbeen registered. Ravi KumarYadav, a scoial activist workingin Khunti said that most of thecases go unreported as the vil-lagers do not want to get intothe legal hassles or are threat-ened by the traffickers.

Member of Child WelfareCommittee (CWC) Khunti,Baidnath Kumar informed thathuman trafficking is a hugeproblem especially in Khunti dis-trict. “Every month we get at leasta dozen cases of girls rescuedfrom the net of human traffick-ing and unsafe migration. We tryto repatriate them by linkingthem to mainstream educationor livelihood training,” he said.

(This report is a part ofNFI Media Fellowship 2019)

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Senior Judge of JharkhandHigh Court Justice DN Patel

will be the Chief Justice ofDelhi High Court. TheSupreme Court Collegium hasrecommended Justice Patel’sname for the post. Justice Patelwas senior Judge from GujaratHigh Court. Office of the ChiefJustice of the Delhi High Courtwould be falling vacant veryshortly, consequent uponretirement of Chief JusticeRajendra Menon. A commu-niqué from the Supreme Courtstated, “Justice DN Patel is asenior puisne Judge fromGujarat High Court and atpresent is functioning, ontransfer, in Jharkhand High

Court. Having regard to all rel-evant factors, the Collegium isof the considered view thatJustice D.N. Patel is suitable inall respects for being appoint-ed as Chief Justice of the DelhiHigh Court.”

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Located between the riversBeas and Ravi just 10 km

from the international borderbetween India and Pakistan,Gurdaspur has been on the boilevery now and then. But theaction the parliamentary con-stituency is witnessing now isextraordinary with lights, cam-eras and focus of the people ontwo contestants — one a sea-soned politician and anotherjust assigned the role in thegreat Indian political flick.

A seat, which the Congressconsidered to be within itsreach by re-nominating its sit-ting MP and state party presi-dent Sunil Jakhar until recent-ly, no more remained a piece ofcake with BJP turning the ter-rain tough by fielding ‘Punjabda Puttar’ (son of Punjab)Sunny Deol.

The contest has nowbecome no less than a suspensethriller with even the politicalobservers hesitant to make anyguesses.

No doubt, the star-struckelectorates of Gurdaspur con-stituency were turning out inhuge numbers to see theirBollywood action hero amongthemselves, and how many ofthese would translate into votesfor the SAD-BJP combine is aconcern of them. But, it is theonly seat, out of the total threethe saffron party contests inPunjab in alliance with theSAD, where it is confident of avictory.

On the other hand, theCongress is banking on Jakhar’sexperience, his political image,connect with the people, andthe State Government’s perfor-mance to romp home to victo-ry. To top it all! Chief MinisterCapt Amarinder Singh declaredJakhar as the “Punjab’s futureCM” to give a further boost tohis candidature not only amongthe electorates but within theparty too.

Jakhar is said to be facingproblems in taking along vari-ous factions in the constituen-

cy, specially the legislators andleaders owing allegiance to theRajya Sabha MP Partap SinghBajwa, even after the ChiefMinister has made it clear thatMLAs and Ministers would beheld responsible for candidates’performance.

In his election campaigns,Jakhar has all along been high-lighting the works he had donefor the constituency in lessthan a year’s time including get-ting clearances from the centralministries, increasing crush-ing capacity of Paniyar andBatala sugar mills, besidesworking hard to resolve theissue of Pathankot’s six railcrossings on Joginder Nagarnarrow gauge track — one ofthe prime issue for the elec-torates.

“An MP has to remainamong the people, meet them,talk to them...By holding roadshows sitting atop a truck, wav-ing at them, and walk awaywould not do,” said Jakharwhile taking a dig at Sunny’sstyle of electioneering.

A novice, Sunny is learningthe ways of politics in a hardway. Wooing the voters with his“dhai kilo ka haath” and“Hindustan zindabad” dia-logues from his famous movies,Sunny soon realised that hehave to focus on the local peo-ple’s issue to win them over.

Besides the local BJP lead-ers including two former statepresidents, Sunny’s campaignwas being looked after by a full-fledged team in Delhi. Sourcesin the BJP maintained thatSunny was asked to focus moreon local issues, which the localleaders apprise him aboutbefore addressing the people,during his election speechesrather than indulging in dia-logue-delivery.

“Sunny Deol is workinghard, getting to know the prob-lems in the area, and what thepeople want. Before addressingany gathering, he asks the localleaders about the problems ofthat area, and what are theissues there.

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The BJP on Monday said BSPchief Mayawati was "unfit

for public life" and demandedan apology from her for mak-ing personal remarks againstPrime Minister Narendra Modi.The party said the commentsshow her desperation in view ofher imminent defeat in theLok Sabha polls.

Making a personal attackon Modi with a handful oftwisted logic, Mayawati allegedthat women in the BJP arescared of their husbands meet-ing the Prime Minister fearingthey might also "abandon theirwives".

"I have come to know thatin BJP, women leaders getscared when they see theirhusbands going near PM Modi.They fear that like Modi theymight also abandon theirwives," BSP Chief said in apress statement issued atLucknow.

"Under such circumstances,I request all the women of thecountry not to give their votesto such a person. This wouldalso be their real respect to thedeserted wife of Modiji," shesaid. Addressing a joint SP-BSPrally in Gorakhpur, Mayawatialso repeated her caste swipe atModi, calling him a "fake OBC".

Hitting out at the BSPleader, Union Finance MinisterJaitley tweeted that she is unfitto be in public life. "BehanMayawati — She is firm onbecoming a Prime Minister.Her governance, ethics anddiscourse stoops to an all-timelow. Her personal attack todayon the Prime Minister exposesher as unfit for public life,"Jaitley tweeted.

At a press conference inNew Delhi, Union MinisterNirmala Sitharaman alsoattacked the BSP supremo formaking personal remarksagainst Narendra Modi sayingthat the former UP ChiefMinister has demeaned thestature of her own leadership.

"It is absolutely disap-pointing and shocking for herto speak so ill about the PM and

his personal life, and women inBJP. Behen Mayawati please beassured we're all absolutely safe,secure and have good profes-sional relationships in ourparty," she said.

"Mayawati ji has under-stood that her gathbandhan isgetting nowhere and this is thereason for her worry and senseof insecurity. Will she withdrawthe support to the alliancebecause the Congress govern-ment wanted to push the Alwargangrape case under the carpet?

She has only revealed thatshe is eminently facing a polit-ical failure. I think she is onlydemeaning the stature of herown leadership. She shouldapologise to having comment-ed so badly over the private lifeof the Prime Minister," saidSitharaman.

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With the Union Civil AviationMinistry yet to decide on its

request to 'tweak' some clauses in thenewly-formulated 'The DroneRegulations 1.0' for 'hassle-free' deploy-ment of the high-tech gadgets to keepan eye on the poachers and for betterwildlife management, the NationalTiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)is mulling over bringing all the tigerreserves (50 overall) under the sur-veillance of the unmanned aircraftvehicles (UAVs) as per the existingnorms itself.

"We will soon hold a meeting withthe Ministry to get the approval fordeployment of drones in all the tigerreserves within the existing norms asour request to tweak the new dronepolicy is yet to be accepted," saidsources in the NTCA.

Following the announcement ofthe 'The Drone Regulations 1.0' late lastyear, the NTCA and Dehradun-basedWildlife Institute of India (WII) hadrepresented before the Civil Aviation

Ministry alleging that the policy in itspresent format "does not augur wellfor the functioning of the government'swildlife agencies like them which areengaged in curbing wildlife crime andhabitat management including human-animal conflicts".

They had sought permissions suchas allowing it to fly the drones in night,

in protected areas and along interna-tional borders sharing the boundariesof Indian tiger reserves. They also insist-ed that maintaining "full visual line ofsight" at all times, as prescribed in thenew guidelines, is impractical.

Presently, under the NTCA's e-birdproject, Dehradun-based WildlifeInstitute of India (WII) is implement-

ing complete drone camera surveil-lance in tiger reserves. The WII is pro-viding required number of dronecameras to all the tiger reserves andalso give training to the forest staff. Sofar, drones have been installed in fivetiger reserves—Rajaji, Dudhwa , Panna,Kaziranga and Sathamangalam forestsin Tamil Nadu.

The sources said while the UAVsare fast becoming a necessary hi-techtool in wildlife management all over theworld, the new drone policy has com-pletely ignored entities (NTCA andWII) as security agencies.

Wildlife experts say that the aimof drones is to make the system easyfor conservationists and foresters toallow endangered animals to betracked and monitored easily, andproactive way to stop poaching. Thiswill also help keep a tab on movementof animals in the villages, preventinghuman-animal conflicts.

For instance, in Dudhwa TigerReserve (DTR) in Uttar Pradesh dronecameras are assisting the patrollingteams to keep a watch on the move-

ment of tigers, leopards, rhinos, jum-bos and other wild species. This willfurther help in habitat management,countering man-animal conflicts andchecking criminal activities.

The Kaziranga National Park inAssam had already been using UAVsto keep a vigil on areas of the forest thatare difficult to access by foot for the pastfive years. Poaching has been a bigproblem for the park which saw over500 rhinos being killed in the last twodecades.

Similarly, Rajaji and Corbett TigerReserves too have deployed theunmanned gadgets to keep a tab onanti-social elements lurking the tigerhabitats. These are also keeping an eyeon checking illegal mining, tree felling,poaching and other anti-wildlife andanti-environment activities. It willpatrol high altitude areas of the state.

Ranthambore, Similipal,Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam, Bandipur,Parambikulam, Namdapha, andSundarbans too have already got theMinistry's nod for deployment ofdrones.

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After the BJP’s Ratlam-JhabuaLok Sabha candidate

claimed that partition couldhave been avoided hadJawaharlal Nehru allowedMuhammad Ali Jinnah to bePrime Minister, the Congress onMonday dubbed the saffronparty 'Bharatiya Jinnah Party'.

Demanding Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's apology overBJP candidate Guman SinghDamor's statement, Congressspokesperson Pawan Kheraslammed Modi for going toRatlam and campaign for thesaffron party nominee onMonday.

Damor, in an election rallyon Saturday in Ranapur town,Madhya Pradesh, said, "If(India's first Prime Minister)Nehru was not obstinate duringthe time of Independence, thenthis nation would not have beendivided into two."

"Jinnah (the founder ofPakistan) was an advocate and alearned man. If a decision wastaken to make Jinnah PM at thetime, then India would not havebeen partitioned," he claimed.

At a press conference, Kherasaid, "Those who created furoreover Jinnah's portrait in AligarhMuslim University (AMU) arenow campaigning for a personwho praised Jinnah. Damorwith his remarks has exposed

the thinking of the BJP and theRSS."

"Damor hoped that Jinnahwould have been the first PrimeMinister. There can be twothings. Either these people havebecome so blinded by theirhatred against Nehru that theyend up loving Jinnah, or theyhave become so blinded by theirlove for Jinnah that they end uphating Nehru," the Congressspokesperson said.

These are the same peoplewho formed Government withFazlul Haq's Muslim Leaguebefore Independence, Kherasaid, adding it was in the SindhAssembly that the resolutionsupporting the two-nation the-ory was passed, but the HinduMahasabha did not pull out ofGovernment.

Syama Prasad Mookerjeewas Finance Minister in Bengalwith the Muslim League and VD Savarkar first talked about twonation theory, Khera said.

"Now Modi-ji is campaign-ing for his Jinnah-supportingcandidate. Now it is becomingclear why Modi-ji invited NawazSharif for his swearing-in, why hewent to Pakistan uninvited andwhy Imran Khan wants them tocome to power. This is theBharatiya Jinnah Party," he said.

Khera also urged the PrimeMinister, Amit Shah and "blogminister" Arun Jaitley to speakout on the issue.

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Asenior Congress workerhas levelled serious alle-

gations against party generalsecretary in-charge of easternUttar Pradesh PriyankaGandhi on the issue of ticketdistribution.

Bhadohi Congress presi-dent Neelam Mishra hasalleged there was a problem inticket distribution in the Stateand when requested to review,Priyanka humiliated partyworkers, including her in therun up to the Lok Sabha cam-paigns.

The matter came afterPriyanka Chaturvedi quit thegrand old party as itsspokesman citing humiliationat the hands of State unit

cadre and more precisely bythe West UP GeneralSecretary Jyotiraditya Scindia.Chaturvedi has now joinedShiv Sena.

Neelam too quit the partyalleging it ignored its localleaders and workers by givingthe ticket to an "outsider". "Itwas a big shock for us whenthe t icket was given toRamakant Yadav, who is anoutsider and a former BJPmember. Yadav distancedhimself from the party work-ers. We were not providedwith any support, despite thefact that Yadav was givencrores in funds by the party,"Neelam alleged.

The party membersapproached Priyanka Gandhiwith the matter, who in turn

reportedly humiliatedthem."Out of anger, PriyankaGandhi used such words thatshould not have been used bya national general secretary ofany party, let alone by awoman while speaking toanother woman," Neelamalleged.

She said that the partyworkers wil l supportSamajwadi Party-BahujanSamaj Party alliance candidateRangnath Mishra in the ongo-ing Lok Sabha elections, as "heis a local".

Following Neelam's resig-nation, BJP spokespersonSambit Patra launched anattack on Congress, sayingthat the Bhadohi incidentexposes the "naamdaar"(dynast) mentality of the

Congress. "The result of this isthat the whole working com-mittee of the Congress in theregion has given their resig-nation," said Patra.

"The Congress workerssaid that they gave their res-ignation after Priyanka usedderogatory language. This

shows the reality of Congressand exposes their hollow claims of treating everyone with love," he said.Bhadohi would vote in theseventh and last phase of theLok Sabha elections on May19 alongwith Varanasi andothers.

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The Election Commission (EC) on Mondayordered re-polling at polling station — 88

at Asaoti in Faridabad after a polling agent ofthe BJP tried to influence voters on May 12during the sixth phase of Lok Sabha polls. TheEC has fixed May 19 for the re-polling.

The decision was taken after a complaintof violation of secrecy was found to be true byPresiding Officer of Asaoti, after a video of apolling agent, trying to influence voters insidea polling booth in Faridabad, went viral onsocial media.

An FIR has been registered against theaccused, identified as Giriraj Singh. He wasproduced in court and is now out on bail.Presiding Officer Amit Atri in his complaintsaid that the accused, "with the excuse of help-ing voters", pressed the button meant to castvotes three times. "I stopped him each time butGiriraj Singh did not listen. While Giriraj Singhwas trying to put a vote, some person record-ed a video film and made it viral. During thistime, a crowd of other voters came and GirirajSingh managed to escape," the complainantstated. The FIR was registered.

In the video, Singh (in a blue t-shirt) is seenwalking up to the polling booth on three occa-sions in less than 1.30 minutes and appears tohave reportedly either pointed to the partysymbol on the EVM or pressed the button, forat least three voters, including two women. Ashe gets up to walk to the booth for the third

time, he is told that he is being called outside.He, however, walks into the booth for the thirdtime to repeat the violation, before finally walk-ing out of the purview of the camera.

In the video, no other official present inthe room tried to stop the man from going tothe voting compartment. After the video wentviral, multiple people tagged the EC onTwitter asking for action to be taken againstthe man.

The EC said it sent the Faridabad electionobserver to the polling booth at Asaoti inPrithla for a probe. "Based on the electionbody's complaint, the man was arrested by thepolice on Sunday evening and has beencharged for alleged booth capturing," EC offi-cials said.

Faridabad went to polls on May 12.

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New Delhi: The SupremeCourt Friday rejected a pleaseeking a direction to theElection Commission (EC) toadvance polling timing to5:30 am from 7 am for sev-enth phase of the Lok Sabhaelection in view of searingheat and Ramzan.

A vacation bench com-prising Justices IndiraBanerjee and Sanjiv Khannasaid that court cannot go intothe issue of poll timings andmost phases of the Lok Sabhaelections were already over.

"We cannot get into polltimes. It is the ElectionCommission's call. Theremay be logistical issues," thebench told advocateMohammad NizamuddinPasha who had filed the peti-tion.

"Part of elections are

already over. Only one phaseremains now," the benchobserved.

When the counselreferred to the searing heat inparts of the country, espe-cially between 12 noon to 3PM, the bench said, "Thetimings are from 7 am to 6pm. People can come in themorning to cast their votes."

On May 2, the top courthad asked the poll panel topass "necessary orders" onPasha's representation seek-ing advancing of voting tim-ing for the remaining phase ofLok Sabha polls, which theEC had rejected on May 5.

In his fresh plea in theapex court, the petitionerhad said that the poll panelhad turned down his repre-sentation as being "adminis-tratively not feasible". PTI

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The Enforcement Directorate(ED) on Monday attached

movable and immovable prop-erties worth �2.95 crore ofPuneet Jain, Hemraj Singh,Vinod Deshmukh, RajeevSingh Kushwaha, MehfoozKhan, Pravesh Kumar Gandhiand others in a money laun-dering case relating to AxisBank demonetised currencyconversion case.

ED initiated investigationunder PMLA against MohitGarg, Raj Kumar Sharma andDevendra Kumar Jha on thebasis of FIR registered by DelhiPolice following seizure of �3.70crore in the form of denomi-nation currency notes of �1,000.

Investigation revealed thatafter the announcement ofdemonetisation, accused MohitGarg, Nitin Gupta, VineetGupta, Shobhit Sinha and AxisBank officials had used shellcompanies/firms namely BeagleMarketing, Sunrise Trading Co.RD Traders, Himalayan Tradersof Rajeev Singh Kushwaha forillegal exchange of demonetised

currency of Vinod Deshmukh,Puneet Jain, Hemraj Singh,Pravesh Kumar Gandhi andothers.

Accused Garg, Gupta andKushwaha used to collectdemonetised form of currencyfrom different persons anddeposited them in to the accountof shell firms/ companies oper-ated by the latter. This was donewith the help of Axis Bank offi-cials. The amount deposited inthese shell companies/firm werefurther transferred to the accountof different bullion traders forbuying gold. Thus, they con-verted demonetised currencyinto gold/RTGS form on com-mission basis and illegallyexchanged demonetised cur-rency in to gold.

Earlier, two ProvisionalAttachment Orders (PAO) forproperty worth �11.86 crorewere issued. Properties worth�3.36 crore were also seizedduring searches in the case. Sofar, total properties worth�18.19 crore involved in moneylaundering have beenattached/seized, the agencysaid in a statement.

New Delhi: The SupremeCourt has "strongly deprecated"the "casual manner" in whichBihar has filed an appeal beforeit after a delay of over 700 daysand said a clear signal has to besent to the Government author-ities that they cannot approachthe court as and when theyplease.

A bench comprisingJustices Sanjay Kishan Kauland Indira Banerjee dismissedthe appeal filed by the BiharGovernment in a service mat-ter and imposed a cost of�20,000 on the state, saying itwas a "complete wastage" ofjudicial time.

The apex court noted thatan appeal against the divisionbench order of the Patna HighCourt was filed before it aftera delay of 728 days and the statesought condonation of this"extraordinary" delay statingthat it took time to obtain all thesanction from the respectivedepartments and receive theaffidavit.

"We are of the view that a

clear signal has to be sent to theGovernment authorities thatthey cannot approach the courtas and when they please, onaccount of gross incompetenceof their officers and that toowithout taking any actionagainst the concerned officers,"the bench said in its order.

"No detail of this delay of728 days have been given as ifthere is an inherent right to seekcondonation of delay by StateGovernment. The law of limi-tation apparently does not applyto the state government accord-ing to its conduct," the benchsaid.

Referring to an earlierjudgement of the apex court,the bench noted in its order thatsuch condonation of delay is nomore admissible on the pretextof "government working lethar-gy".The bench also noted thatthe state had earlier filed anappeal before a division benchof the high court against anorder of its single judge in thematter after a delay of 367days. PTI

New Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Monday agreed tohear on May 17 the Centre'splea challenging the DelhiHigh Court's verdict whichhad quashed cadre allocationof IAS and IPS officers of the2018 batch.

The matter was mentionedfor urgent listing before abench comprising JusticesIndira Banerjee and SanjivKhanna.

Solicitor General TusharMehta told the bench that thehigh court had asked the gov-ernment to redo the entireexercise.

Mehta told the court thatthose selected under the cadrein the 2018 batch have under-gone training and were sup-posed to start joining theirrespective cadres from May 10.

The Delhi High Court hadrecently quashed the Centre'scadre allocations of IAS andIPS officers of the 2018 batchunder the new policy andordered fresh cadre alloca-tion. PTI

New Delhi: "For qualifyingexaminations there cannot beany reservation," the SupremeCourt clarified on Mondaywhile hearing a plea seeking 10per cent quota for the eco-nomically weaker section inCentral Teacher Eligibility Test(CTET)-2019.

A vacation bench ofJustices Indira Banerjee and

Sanjiv Khanna said that reser-vation of any class comes intoplay only during admissions.

"For qualifying examina-tions there cannot be any reser-vations. This is wholly mis-conceived. This (CTET) ismerely a qualifying examina-tion. The issue of reservationwill come up only at the timeof admission," the bench said.

When the counsel appear-ing for petitioner RajneeshKumar Pandey and othersreferred to the notification forCTET examination which is tobe held on July 7, the benchshot back, "The notification forthe examination does not giveany reservation to ScheduledCaste and Scheduled Tribeeither." PTI

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New Delhi: In a relief to theAndhra Pradesh Government,the Supreme Court has sus-pended the NGT order direct-ing the State to deposit �100crores with the CPCB for inac-tion to prevent illegal sandmining.

In the interest of naturaljustice, the apex court allowedthe State Government to placeits perspective before theNational Green Tribunal(NGT) with regard to illegalsand mining.

The Andhra PradeshGovernment has claimed that itwas not granted an opportuni-ty to be heard by the green tri-bunal before the order fordepositing �100 crore withCentral Pollution Control Board

(CPCB) was passed.A bench of Justices DY

Chandrachud and HemantGupta in its recent order saidthat it is permitting AndhraPradesh to move an appropri-ate application before the NGTwithin two weeks.

"Until the NGT takes adecision, the direction for theinterim deposit of �100 croreshall remain suspended. Weclarify that we have only sus-pended the direction of theNGT to the above extent. Wehave not expressed any opinionon the merits of the appeal," thebench said.

Senior advocate A KGanguli, appearing for AndhraPradesh submitted that no for-mal hearing was granted to

them by the green tribunalbefore passing the order.

The bench said that inorder to obviate the grievancethat there has been a violationof the principles of natural jus-tice, it will be in the interests ofjustice if an opportunity isgranted to the state to place itsperspective before the NGT.

The top court requested thegreen tribunal to consider theapplication that may be filed bythe state and dispose it of prefer-ably within a period of threemonths.

On April 4, the tribunalwhile asking the state to deposit�100 crore with the CPCB with-in a month, directed the chiefsecretary to forthwith prohibit allunregulated sand mining. PTI

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It is unproductive to speculate whybut a vocal section of the Westerncommentariat is showing anincreasing intolerance towardsstrong and nation-centric leaders in

the rest of the world. Three notable exam-ples are Russian President VladimirPutin, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping andIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Putin won in May 2018, Xi can’t be top-pled and Modi is currently fighting for re-election. This is, therefore, an opportunemoment for venomous attention fromunderworked writers.

Smack in the middle of a heated elec-tion, the burdened White men of TheEconomist, London, intoned, “UnderNarendra Modi, India’s ruling party posesa threat to democracy. Voters should turfit out, or at least force it to govern in coali-tion” (May 2, 2019). The magazine assert-ed that while Modi had not been as goodfor India as his cheerleaders had promised,nor as bad as his critics had imagined,“today the risks still outweigh the rewards.Indians, who are in the midst of voting ina fresh election, would be better off witha different leader.”

India’s swift retaliation for thePulwama massacre of Central ReservePolice Force jawans seems to have pro-voked of The Economist’s ire. It notes, “…sending warplanes to bomb India’snuclear neighbour earlier this year wasnot so much an act of strength as reck-lessness that could have ended in disas-ter.” Predictably, it disapproves of anti-ter-rorist actions in Jammu and Kashmir.

A week later, Time, New York City, theUS, published a cover story titled, “Canthe World’s Largest Democracy EndureAnother Five Years of a ModiGovernment?” (May 8, 2019). A portraitof a grim, unsmiling Modi frowns at view-ers even as writer Aatish Taseer describesIndia’s ruling dispensation as “rabble.”Glossing over the unequal treatment ofcommunities under Nehruvian secular-ism, he says, “Nehru’s political heirs …established a feudal dynasty, while out-wardly proclaiming democratic normsand principles. India, under their rule,was clubbish, anglicised and fearful of therabble at the gates. In May 2014, thosegates were breached when the BJP, underModi, won 282 of the 543 available seatsin Parliament, reducing the Congress to44 seats, a number so small that India’soldest party no longer even had the rightto lead the Opposition.”

Modi, claims Taseer, belongs to thebrand of populists, who are of the peo-ple they represent, like Erdogan (Turkey)and Bolsonaro (Brazil). Son of a tea sell-er, “his election was nothing short of aclass revolt at the ballot box… [itrevealed] a cultural chasm. It was nolonger about left or right, but somethingmore fundamental”. Worse, “The cher-

ished achievements of inde-pendent India —secularism,liberalism, a free Press —came to be seen in the eyes ofmany as part of a grand con-spiracy in which a deracinat-ed Hindu elite, in cahootswith minorities from themonotheistic faiths, such asChristianity and Islam, main-tained its dominion overIndia’s Hindu majority.” Taseerdubs Modi’s victory an expres-sion of that distrust.

Actually, non-deracinatedHindus from the same educa-tional and professional back-grounds led the revolt againstthe Nehruvian order. We maycall it the return of the heirs ofTilak, Aurobindo, Bose andothers given short shrift by thehistorians and hagiographersof independent India’s newmasters. There is no yawningeconomic chasm between sup-porters of the Bharatiya JanataParty (BJP) and Congress,Taseer insinuates; no FrenchRevolution-style upsurge ofhave-nots against feudal lords.Beginning with the founder of

the Rashtriya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS), KB Hedgewar,from which most BJP leaderscome, the party has comprisedlargely urban middle class pro-fessionals (doctors, lawyers,teachers and engineers) — notexactly an under-proletariat.

But the Time article seemsto have an agenda. One objec-tive is to exonerate theCongress for the targettedkilling of Sikhs after the assas-sination of Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi. It says, “TheCongress leadership, thoughhardly blameless, was able,even through the selectiveprofession of secular ideals, toseparate itself from the actionsof the mob.” This is simplyuntrue. Rajiv Gandhi tookHKL Bhagat and JagdishTytler (named in many citi-zens’ reports) into his Cabinet.However, Taseer blithelyblames Modi for the Gujaratriots of 2002, even though hehad been sent to the State onlymonths ago to supervise reliefand reconstruction after theBhuj earthquake (2001). This

is the context in which Modiarrived in Gujarat; any analy-sis that ignores this is intrin-sically flawed.

For honest reporting,Taseer could have asked theUnion Ministry of HumanResource Development forstatistics regarding the specialscholarships for minority stu-dents, including for studyabroad; and the free coachingfor minority (read Muslim)aspirants for IAS. Above all, hecould have checked theirmark sheets to see how manymade the grade through(inflated) marks during inter-views.

India’s majority communi-ty had some legitimate expec-tations from the Governmentin 2014. One was scrappingthe atrocious Right toEducation Act imposed bythe erstwhile regime, underwhich the State refused toimprove education inGovernment schools andmade the Hindu middle classpay for underprivileged chil-dren in private schools. Worse,the then government exempt-ed minority-run institutionsfrom giving free education toEconomically Weaker Section(EWS) children from theirown community, leaving themfree to mint money.

The free education quotafor EWS forced the closure ofthousands of small, cash-strapped private schools thatcatered to aspirational EWSfamilies. Their children werepushed into non-functionalGovernment schools, whileonly a miniscule numbercould be admitted to privateschools. In all honesty, theidea of a minority institutionis defeated if it does not caterto the community to which itbelongs; in fact this should bea condition of minority edu-cational institutions.

Taseer laments that Modimay win again because, “theOpposition, led by RahulGandhi, an unteachable medi-ocrity and a descendant ofNehru, is in disarray.” TheCongress has little to offerother than the dynastic prin-ciple: “India’s oldest party hasno more political imaginationthan to send Priyanka Gandhi— Rahul’s sister — to join herbrother’s side.” Modi, he con-cludes, “is lucky to be blessedwith so weak an Opposition— a ragtag coalition of parties,led by the Congress, with noagenda other than to defeathim.” It is astonishing thatTime published these incoher-ent ramblings as a cover story.

(The writer is SeniorFellow, Nehru MemorialMuseum and Library; theviews expressed are personal)

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Sir — This refers to the article,“What constitutes privacy?”(May 13) by Raghav Pandey andAnoushka Mehta. Right to pri-vacy, though not enumerated asa fundamental right in theConstitution of India, neverthe-less derives strength from anumber of court judgements,which have time and againasserted that it is an intrinsicpart of the right to life and per-sonal liberty.

With increasing incidents ofcyber crimes and terrorism, theissue of defining the extent ofindividual privacy should remainpedantic no more. The onus is onthe Government to address legitimate concerns of the peopleand assure personal and business privacy.

Three months after the BJPGovernment assumed office in2014, it was quick to respond tothe need of continuing withwelfare schemes and was saga-cious enough to link them withAadhaar. Once it became scep-tical, the party is now too eagerto wield UPA’s Aadhaar as amaster key for almost everyactivity of citizens.

The new Government willdo well to safeguard Aadhaardata. The problem is that in anexploding digital age, we are yetunclear about our core areas ofconcern on data privacy. To befair, every nation is as unsure.

The soul of the issue, whichis right to individual privacy,must be debated threadbare.

R Narayanan Navi Mumbai

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Sir — The Thrissur districtadministration’s decision torevoke a ban on parading ele-phants in the famous Pooramtemple festival in Kerala is shock-ing. No temple festival in Keralais complete without the awe-inspiring presence of majestic ele-phants carrying decorative

umbrellas and accoutrements.But what remains hidden frompublic view is the torture, starva-tion and mental affliction theyundergo. Further, tedious andtaxing temple celebrations takemassive toll on our gentle pachy-derms. With every passing year,the situation only gets worse.

The heat, sound and themelee of a marathon-like proces-sion cause considerable distur-

bance to the mental health ofthese animals. It should havebeen a case of born free, buteven in supposedly “benign”captivity, they suffer in silence.

And it’s not just animalactivists but every sane thinkingperson must introspect to freethem of the ‘burden’ they have toendure year on year. Instead ofharping of a zero-sum game devel-opment that will not benefit any-body in the long run, why is therenot enough thrust on wildlifecorridors and coverage of morearea under protected reserves?

Anoop HosmathMysuru

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Sir — The Islamic State’s claimthat it has established a“province” in India is alarming.The world has already seen thedamage it caused in Sri Lanka.Causing harm and hurt to oth-ers can never be jihad. TheGovernment must take seriousnote of this.

Amit JainVia email

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Universal Basic Income (UBI) aims toprovide regular, unconditional cashpayment to all households in a society.

The idea of UBI originated in the West due toincreased economic prosperity accompanied byrise in inequalities and loss of jobs. UBI isexpected to protect the citizens from thelooming threat of job losses due to advances intechnology, robotics, Artificial Intelligenceand globalisation.

Recently, the Labour party in the UKexpressed its willingness to give it serious con-sideration if voted to power to run it on a pilotbasis for everyone — rich or poor. Under this,all means-tested benefits would be scrapped andreplaced with basic income. One of the advan-tages of the scheme is that it does not intervenein the functioning of markets for goods and ser-vices and labour and allows free market to flour-ish. Unlike loan waivers, it does not impair thecredit culture and unlike Minimum SupportPrice for crops, it does not encourage one cropagainst the other to be cultivated. It is also aresponse to avoid enormous, complex and cost-ly administrative procedures, leakages andlethargies in implementing the existing multi-ple means-tested welfare programmes, removehumiliation and simplify the procedures.

Many studies, including a fresh Finlandstudy, found that UBI makes people happier andhealthier. It has been mooted as a solution tojoblessness for both the developed as well as thedeveloping world. However, in India, given thehuge budget required to implement the univer-sal scheme that aims to benefit 1.3 billion pop-ulation, there is more or less a consensus on theadoption of non-universal basic incomeschemes like the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SammanNidhi (PM-KISAN) or the Rythu Bandhuscheme of Telangana that targets the farmers orothers who can be categorised as poor, as perthe indices of the Economic Survey of 2016-17.

Many even argue that since a majority of thepoor thrives on agriculture, this sector may topthe list to provide Targetted Basic Income (TBI)based on their land records. In line with this,many State Governments like Telangana,Karnataka, Odisha and the Union Government,too, have promised TBI to farmers.

The Union Government’s PM-KISANscheme comes under the TBI category and isapplicable to all across the country. It aims tobenefit over 12 crore farmers, who own fiveacres or less than five acres of land and has atotal budget of �72,000 crore. It assumes thatland records can be used as means for verifi-cation to identify targetted beneficiaries to min-imise leakages. On the other hand, the Congresshas promised a ‘Minimum Income GuaranteeScheme’ (MIGS), formally called the NyuntamAay Yojana (NYAY), to five crore ‘poorest fam-ilies’ covering 25 crore people by assuring thema guaranteeing minimum income of �6,000 permonth or �72,000 a year. All households withmonthly incomes below �12,000 are eligible forthe scheme. Total budget has been estimated at�3.6 lakh crore, which is 1.9 per cent of theGross Domestic Product.

However, one of the negatives of NYAY isthat there is no proper verifiable document to

identify the poor. This may lead toinflated numbers and corruption at thegrassroot level in identifying the ben-eficiaries. This will then lead to hugefiscal costs that will have to be borneby the taxpayers ultimately. Even theTBI needs checks and balances.

An addition to existing welfareschemes: Budget allocation for TBIschemes should not come at the costof reducing public expenditure forother sectors like health and education.High fiscal costs of TBI may force theGovernment to roll back public andsocial services, which will be damag-ing to the weaker sections of society.If the State retreats from the PublicDistribution System (PDS), it is doubt-ful how far the private sector will fillthis gap under free market forces. Itmay be possible that prices of foodgrains may go up in the open marketand essentials may also become out ofreach for the poor.

In the past, the Government’spullback in primary education andhealthcare led to the proliferation ofprivate schools and hospitals, whichcharged extortionate fees and madethem unaffordable for the poor. TheState provision for education, healthand rural infrastructure is more cost-effective, socially just, redistributiveand a sustainable way of meeting thecitizens’ needs than leaving the poorto buy from the free market.

Balance between beneficiariesand taxpayers’ interests: TBI schemesmust not excessively burden the exche-quer. Different programmes have dif-ferent levels of coverage and the

accompanying costs vary, too. ThePM-KISAN scheme is estimated ataround �75,000 crore per annum,while NYAY will cost about �3.6 lakhcrore. If all States wish to implementRythu Bandhu type of scheme in itscurrent form, it will cost 1.85 per centto the GDP. If the scheme has to besustainable in the long run, it must betargetted only for the poor.

Further, the means for verificationneed to be standardised. The localadministration must not be given anopportunity to inflate the number oftargetted beneficiaries. This means thatthe programme should at least bene-fit the bottom 20 per cent of the pop-ulation with no leakages in between.And the costs to the exchequer needto be reasonable so that there isn’t anybacklash from the taxpayers.

Inclusion and exclusion errors:Unlike UBI schemes, TBI programmestarget the poor and are subjected toinclusion and exclusion of errors. Theinclusion error is the proportion ofthose selected under a scheme, who arenot really poor, (like large farmers with40 acre of land getting benefit of �4lakh per annum under Rythu Bandhu).The exclusion error is the proportionof those intended to benefit but whoare excluded from availing it as a resultof improper design (as in RythuBandhu scheme, where tenant farm-ers, whose share is about 25 per centof all farmers, are not getting any benefit, although they are more vul-nerable).

These inclusion and exclusionerrors can be effectively reduced by

using proper means like verificationtools, online land records or Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

Backbone infrastructure: Toimplement any form of TBI scheme,the Government will have to identifytargetted beneficiaries without anyscope for errors. For example, for theimplementation of PM-KISAN, landrecords are the basis for identificationof beneficiaries. However, digitisationof land records is still a work inprogress, which needs to be speededup. Computerisation of land recordshas been completed in 87 per cent ofthe villages.

Only two States (Karnataka andOdisha) have completed 100 per centcomputerisation of land records, whilethe remaining States have comput-erised between 80-90 per cent of therecords. Particularly, land records inStates like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh andother North-Eastern States are notupdated.

Under the Pradhan Mantri JanDhan Yojana (PMJDY), 35.5 croreAadhaar-linked bank accounts werecreated as against 24.8 crore house-holds in India, which will be a chan-nel for direct benefit transfer to the tar-getted beneficiary households.

The synergies between digital landrecords and Aadhaar-seeded bankaccounts can be leveraged to imple-ment the TBI scheme to identify andtarget beneficiaries and to reducedelays in money transfer.

(The writer is principal scientist,Indian Council of Agricultural Research.The views expressed are personal)

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It is true that we recognise the truevalue of health only when we loseit. It is also true that many a time,

the choices we make determine ourphysical as well as mental health. Inthe last couple of centuries, nationsacross the world have made hugestrides in improving health but thedramatic prevalence of obesity worldover is threatening this continuedprogress. Even the richest countriesof the world do not have the resourcesneeded to deal with obesity and allother associated diseases. India,which is already struggling with anunder-resourced public healthcareand an ill-organised private sector runby corporates, will find it almostimpossible to deal with the challenges

if the epidemic of obesity continuesunabated. Already, some 4.0 percent of adults suffer from obesity,making India the third most obesenation in the world after the UnitedStates and China.

Inevitably, individual healthdepends much on social norms andit is almost impossible to addresshealth issues in a holistic mannerwithout analysing the structure andbeliefs of society. One does not needto dig too deep to find the complexweb of overpopulation, poverty andoutdated thinking that underpins thehealth of an individual and that of ourcountry as a whole. Almost every-thing that we do or don’t influencesour health in some way or the other— whether it is the food we eat, thejobs we take, the hours we work, thetransport we use, the way we thinkand even the personal choices wemake. It is, hence, impossible todream of a healthy society withoutanalysing and addressing all its deter-minants simultaneously. A healthysociety demands a concerted effortthat goes beyond GDP allocation forhealthcare — into almost every sin-

gle walk of life. The rapidly growing epidemic of

obesity can be our opportunity tobring about the much-needed radi-cal change. A new approach, thattakes a critical look at each and everyaspect of our society and some of itsoutdated thinking, is the need of hour.India need not go through the jour-ney that other countries have expe-rienced. For example, we may nothave the modern towns and cities,which developed countries boast, butwe have an opportunity to developtownships with trees, playgrounds,pavements for walking and cyclepaths. This will allow us to addressthe twin challenges of obesity and cli-mate change coherently. We couldpreserve our high street rather thanblindly imitating the Western modelof larger and larger supermarkets.Every problem, as they say, is also anopportunity.

Worldwide, mental health prob-lems are on the rise as more peopleare getting sucked into a materialis-tic competitive lifestyle where noamount of possession is enough andthe quest for ‘more’ is almost insa-

tiable. We have created an econom-ic model where there are tens of mil-lions unemployed and those, whohave jobs, are working longer hoursthan ever. This means people have lit-tle time left to spend with their chil-dren or cook healthy food or pursueanything else that is enjoyable.

It is possible to employ more peo-ple and reduce working hours for allto allow each one of us to live awholesome life. Busy lifestyles meanfamilies do not have the time tosource ingredients and learn skillsneeded to prepare a healthy meal athome. As a consequence, reliance onprocessed and fast food is spirallingout of control and remains a majordriver of the obesity epidemic.

Obesity affects individuals but itis a disease of the society and thenumber of individuals suffering can,therefore, be used as an indicator ofthe well-being of the society as awhole just like we use Infant MortalityRate as an indicator of the quality ofany healthcare system. Undoubtedly,individuals can take steps to managetheir own weight and fitness, but awell thought-out comprehensive

national strategy is the only real wayforward that can have several otherpositive ramifications for the society.

It is a fact that obesity increasesthe risk of dying earlier and reducesthe lifespan of afflicted individuals.This is why rising incidence of obe-sity in children is particularly worry-ing. It is true that India has a youngerpopulation and it is not faced with theproblems faced by many ageingWestern societies but it is also truethat people get old and when the cur-rent generation gets old, will the chil-dren of today be fit enough to lookafter them or need help themselves?With a significant number of chil-dren, including many in the lowersocio-economic group, now eitheroverweight or obese, this is the ques-tion that we in India will face soon-er or later. Curbing childhood obe-sity should be a national priority.

Furthermore, obesity is no longerjust a disease of the rich. Just likeWestern countries, where obesity isnow predominantly a disease of thelower socio-economic classes, we inIndia are also seeing a strong classmigration of obesity. It is not uncom-

mon to see individuals in lowersocio-economic classes sufferingfrom obesity and its associated dis-eases. The end result is that nearly 9.0per cent of the Indians is already suf-fering from Type-II Diabetes, just oneof the many diseases related to excessof body fat. There are countlessmore, including some types of can-cers. Will our lower middle classeswith their meagre financial resourcesbe able to afford treatment of thesediseases or slip back into the trap ofpoverty they were just beginning toget out of? It is a question ourhealthcare planners should ponderover. In times when the country is stilldealing with problems like poverty,undernutrition and infectious dis-eases like tuberculosis and malaria,how will we muster the resourcesneeded to deal with a disease thateven the richest countries of the worldare finding difficult to face? Thismakes fighting obesity a major indi-vidual and national issue that needsdealing with today.

(The writer is a UK-basedbariatric surgeon and author of twobooks)

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Blood is thicker than water.The adage has again proved

to be correct in the last phaseof general elections in Bihar,with Lalu Prasad’s sons TejPratap Yadav and TejashwiYadav giving up their tug of warto work jointly for the victoryof their eldest sister Misa Bharti.

Tej Pratap, the mercurialelder son of Prasad, had recent-ly quit as the patron of theparty’s students’ wing and evencampaigned against RJD nom-inees in a couple of seats whenthe names recommended byhim were ignored.

He, however, remainedunflinching in his loyaltytowards Bharti, often cam-paigning in her favour withmother Rabri Devi. Sundaywas the first occasion when hedid so alongside Tejashwi.

Bharti is in the fray fromPataliputra, the Lok Sabha seatshe had unsuccessfully con-tested in 2014. Lalu Prasad was

defeated in Pataliputra in 2009by friend-turned-rival RanjanPrasad Yadav.

She is pitted against UnionMinister and sitting MP RamKripal Yadav, a former loyalist ofher father who joined the BJPahead of the 2014 general elec-tions. At a rally in the con-stituency on Sunday, the twobrothers stood side by side,holding aloft a photograph oftheir jailed father, who is servingjail term in fodder scam cases.

Tej Pratap Yadav also reaf-firmed his “fondness” for hisyounger brother, saying he sawhim as Arjuna, who he washelping as Lord Krishna.

The rift between Tej Pratapand his family first surfacedwhen he filed a divorce petitionagainst his newly married wifeand widened when hisestranged father-in-lawChandrika Rai, a former min-ister, was chosen to contestfrom Saran.

Both Lalu Prasad andRabri Devi had fought elections

from Saran constituency inthe past.

An RJD leader said oncondition of anonymity that the

two brothers came together atthe insistence of Misa Bharti,who made them sit togetherand explained that by fighting

each other they will end upfalling into the trap of theBJP-led NDA, which wants to“finish off the party.

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Of all the candidates in thefray from Bihar for the sev-

enth and last phase of the ongo-ing Lok Sabha polls, the mainfocus will be on four UnionMinisters who are facing toughbattles. The four Ministers areRavi Shankar Prasad, RamKripal Yadav, Ashwani Choubeyand RK Singh.

Prasad, the Minister ofElectronics and InformationTechnology and also a SupremeCourt lawyer, is contestingfrom the Patna Sahib con-stituency which has been a BJPstronghold since over twodecades.

This is the first time that heis contesting the polls. Since2012, he has been a BJP RajyaSabha MP from Bihar.

BJP put Prasad in the fray

after it denied a ticket toincumbent MP fromPatna Sahib,Shatrughan Sinhawho is now contest-ing from the seat forthe Congress.

Sinha quit the BJP andjoined the Congress on April 6.

Both Prasad and Sinhabelong to the upper Kayasthcaste, who are present in size-able numbers in Patna Sahib.

Prasad and the BJP haveleft no stone unturned for hisvictory. Party President AmitShah on May 11 held a road-show to seek votes for theUnion Minister.

Sinha, who is fondly knownas ‘Bihari Babu’, also visited dif-ferent localities and villages inthe constituency despite thescorching heat. Even his wife,Poonam Sinha has campaigned

for him inPatna.

C o n g r e s spresident Rahul

Gandhi will hold aroadshow on

Thursday, urging voters tochoose Sinha. Ram KripalYadav, the Minister of State forRural Development, is con-testing from the Pataliputra seatwhich is a big challenge for himas jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad’selder daughter Misa Bharti isalso in the fray.

Misa Bharti, a Rajya SabhaMP, had contested unsuccess-fully in the 2014 polls from theseat. She was defeated by RamKripal Yadav, who had quit theRJD and joined the BJP after being denied a tick-et by Lalu Prasad in favour ofhis daughter.

Ashwani Choubey, theMinister of State for Health andFamily Welfare, is contestingfrom the Buxar seat which hewon in the 2014 general elec-tions. He is pitted against theRJD’s Jagdanand Singh.

Choubey, who is known tobe a vocal supporter of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andalso a champion of Hindutvapolitics, is trying hard to seekvotes to retain the seat. Butexcept his own Brahmin caste-men, other upper castes, espe-cially the Rajputs, are not in hisfavour. RK Singh, a former IASofficer-turned-politician, is inthe fray from the Arrah con-stituency, considered a CPI-MLstronghold.

A Rajput, the BJP candi-date is in a direct fight withCPI-ML candidate Raju Yadav,supported by the RJD and theGrand Alliance in the state.

With Raju in the fray,Singh has taken help fromsome tainted and criminal-turned-politicians belongingto the powerful Bhumiharupper caste, to woo voters. Butthe main problem is that allyJanata Dal-United leaderMeena Singh has distancedherself from him.

Elections will be held forthe Nalanda, Patna Sahib,Pataliputra, Arrah, Buxar,Sasaram, Karakat, Jahanabadconstituencies in the last phaseon May 19.

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Employment, healthcarefacilities and drinking water

were the top priorities for theIndian voters, but the govern-ment’s performance on thesefronts was “below average”,according to a survey by theAssociation of DemocraticAlliance (ADR).

The ADR said it was a mat-ter of “serious concern” that innone of the 31 listed voters’ pri-orities, the performance of theGovernment was rated “aver-age” or “above average”.

For the voters, employmentand basic amenities were aboveall the governance issues such asterrorism and strong military,revealed the survey conductedby the non-profit organisationwhich interviewed 2,73,487 vot-ers spread across 534 Lok Sabhaconstituencies during October-

December 2018.As per the survey, better

employment opportunities(46.80 per cent), better health-care (34.60 per cent) and drink-ing water (30.50 per cent) werethe top three voters’ prioritiesat the all-India level, followedby better roads (28.34 per cent)and improved public trans-port (27.35 per cent).

The significance of betteremployment opportunities asthe voters’ highest priorityincreased from 30 per cent in2017 to 47 per cent in 2018.

Similarly, the significanceof better healthcare facilitiesincreased from 25 per cent in2017 to 35 per cent in 2018 andin case of drinking water, it

increased from 12 per cent to30 per cent.

Farm related issues alsofeatured among the voters’ topconcerns as availability of waterfor agriculture (26.40 per cent)ranked sixth among their pri-orities, followed by agricul-ture loan availability (25.62per cent), higher price realisa-tion for farm products (25.42per cent) and agriculture sub-sidy for seeds and fertilisers(25.06 per cent).

Better law and order andpolicing figured at the 10thplace.

The worst performance ofthe Government was in theissues of encroachment of pub-lic lands and lakes, terrorism,training for jobs, strong defenceand military, eradication ofcorruption, lower food pricesfor consumers and mining andquarrying.

In 29 of the 32 States andUnion Territories, voters have

given “below average” ratings tothe government for its perfor-mance in all the top three vot-ers’ priorities at the state level,with the exception of Dadraand Nagar Haveli, Daman andDiu and Puducherry.

Out of all the eightEmpowered Action Group(EAG) states, which are con-sidered most socio-economi-cally backward, in seven states(Bihar, Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,

Rajasthan, Uttarakhand andUttar Pradesh), better employ-ment opportunities was theforemost voters’ priority.

Drinking water was thetop most voters’ priority inOdisha, Karnataka and Damanand Diu.

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Senior BJP leader ShahnawazHussain has claimed that

the BJP will win 301 Lok Sabhaseats on its own while the NDAwill win 39 out of the 40 LS seatsin Bihar due to a “Modi wave”sweeping across the country anda “wave against the entireOpposition” this time.

Asserting that there is a“Modi wave” across the coun-try, the party’s nationalspokesman said here onSunday, people are voting forNDA candidates riding on theModi wave and the develop-mental works undertaken bythe Prime Minister in the lastfive years.

“In 2014, people voted forModi on the basis of his per-formance as Gujarat CM and asan alternative to UPA’sManmohan Singh. ThoughModi had asked for 272 plusseats in 2014, people gave him283 seats,” the former UnionMinister said.

“But this time, the BJP

will win 301 Lok Sabha seatsalone on its own. We (NDA)are in a very good position inBihar and will win 39 out of the40 seats as the BJP-led allianceis very strong in the statebecause of the presence of theJD(U), which was not a part ofthe NDA in the last election,”Hussain told PTI.

Dismissing The Time mag-azine’s recent cover story on PMNarendra Modi titled “India’sDivider in Chief”, the BJP leadersaid, “It is an insult and disre-spect to the country as it hasbeen written against the PM.”

Hussain said the “vilifica-tion campaign” and “concerteddisinformation” spread againstthe PM by the Congress and

other opposition parties haveplayed a role in forming theopinion of the “Pakistani ori-gin” writer.

The American magazine’sMay 20, 2019 internationaleditions — the Europe, MiddleEast and Africa, Asia and SouthPacific — feature the Modicover story with the mainheadline “India’s Divider inChief”. The article is written byAatish Taseer, son of Indianjournalist Tavleen Singh andlate Pakistani politician andbusinessman Salmaan Taseer.

Hussain said he plans towrite a letter to the magazinerebutting what has been writ-ten in its cover story. Modi isa PM who believes in ‘Sabkasath sabka vikas’, and has neverdiscriminated against minori-ties, he said.

“There has been fewer riotsduring Modi’s rule in such a bigcountry. Minorities are safeand secure as the Modi gov-ernment is committed to secu-rity of all citizens,” the BJPleader said.

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RJD national president LaluPrasad on Monday said

Bihar Chief Minister NitishKumars JD(U) had the arrowas its poll symbol, which was anoutdated symbol of violence.

The lantern symbol of theRJD stood for the light of loveand brotherhood and, hence,would burn brighter than ever,said the former Chief Ministerwho is serving sentences infodder scam cases inJharkhand.

Lalu made the remark inan open letter to Nitish, his archrival ahead of the last phase ofthe ongoing general elections.He was responding to Nitish’soft repeated remark at electionrallies that the days of thelantern are over a metaphor forthe improved power situationin Bihar as also the allegeddecline in RJDs political for-tunes in the State.

Addressing Nitish, whoheads the JD(U), as chhotebhai (little brother), Lalu saidit appears you have developeda hatred for light these days.You spend your day speakingabout Lalu and the lantern. Are

you aware the lantern standsfor light? It is a symbol of loveand brotherhood. It is aninstrument of removing dark-ness from the lives of the poor.

In the light emitted by thelantern, we have dispelled thedarkness of inequality, hatred,atrocities and injustice. We willcontinue doing so. But yourarrow symbolises violence andbloodshed, Lalu said in the let-ter, which was shared by RJD onthe social media.

Remember, the public willalways need the lantern. Ofcourse, light is emitted by bulbsand diyas (earthen lamps) aswell. But you cannot dispel thedarkness cast by inequalityand injustice with the light ofthe bulb. To do so you need tobecome ‘diya aur baati’ (theearthen lamp and its cottonwick), the RJD supemo, whofailed to secure bail during elec-tions, said.

But you will hardly under-

stand these matters of principleand ideology. It has been yourold habit to seek shortcuts inthe face of adversities and makecompromises at the earliestopportunity, Prasad allegedindirectly referring to the JD(U)chiefs exit from the GrandAlliance comprising RJD andCongress and return to the BJP-led NDA two years ago.

Referring to JDU’s pollsymbol, Lalu said And a fewwords about your arrow, whichhas become outdated in this eraof missiles. The arrow nowdeserves to be kept in muse-ums. And it is up to you todecide whether you use thearrow to punch a hole into thelotus (BJPs symbol) or seekshelter therein. The lanternwill burn bright, brighter thanever since you have used yourarrow to backstab the 11 crorepoor people (of Bihar), the RJDsupremo signed off.

Stung by the latest salvo bythe Opposition party, JD(U)spokesman Sanjay Singh saidthe letter by a person lodged inprison is a violation of the jailmanual. The jail authorities inRanchi should take cognizanceand act accordingly.

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Claiming that BharatiyaJanata Party is set to sweep

the parliamentary elections inUttar Pradesh, Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath said that thetrend in six phases of pollsshowed that BJP would winover 74 seats and NarendraModi would again be the primeminister of India.

Addressing a series of ral-lies in Maharajganj, Faizabad,Pipraich and Jaitpur onMonday, Yogi said the peoplehad made up their mind to votefor the BJP as it was workingfor the welfare of the masses.

“Will you elect one whostole taps from governmentbungalow?” Yogi asked, mock-ing at Samajwadi Party presi-dent Akhilesh Yadav.

“Like last year, this year too,elephants of BSP (BahujanSamaj Party) would fail to

move a step. They are strand-ed and are standing at onepoint. “Cycle par haathi baithgaya hai is liye cycle bhi punc-ture ho jayegi (The elephant isriding the bicycle, and so thetyres of bicycle would also getpunctured)”, he said.

Polling in this region willbe held in the last phase onMay 19.

Listing the works done byPrime Minister NarendraModi, Yogi said that all the wel-fare schemes the Union gov-ernment had launched so fardo not discriminate people inthe name of caste and religion.“These welfare schemes havebeen implemented in the inter-est of the poor,” he added.

��

After a gap of three years,Samajwadi Party chief

Akhilesh Yadav on Mondayshared dais with Afzal Ansariin Ghazipur on Monday. InJune 2016, as Chief Minister ofUttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav,in quest for a clean image of theparty, had rebelled against hisfather Mulayam Singh Yadavand forced the party to severeits ties with Quami Ekta Dalheaded by Afzal Ansari.

Mafia-turned-MLA Ansariis the younger brother of AfzalAnsari and is presently lodgedin jail. On Monday, AkhileshYadav campaigned for AfzalAnsari, the Bahujan SamajParty candidate from Ghazipur,and sought votes for him.

BSP chief Mayawati wasalso present. Akhilesh’sOpposition to the merge ofQuami Ekta Dal with SP hadbecome a major point of differ-ence between the SP chief andhis uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav,who was a close aide of jailedmuscleman Mukhtar Ansari.

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Samajwadi Party chiefAkhilesh Yadav on Monday

alleged that the BJP came topower by spreading lies andhatred and cautioned the peo-ple against falling for its “decep-tion” again.

Addressing a joint rallywith BSP chief Mayawati, hesaid there is no differencebetween the BJP and theCongress.

He claimed the Oppositionalliance will give the next PMwho will fulfil the aspirationsof the people of the country.“They came to power byspreading hatred and speakinglies. Can you tell me whetherfarmers’ income has doubled?Youths are roaming aroundwithout employment

“Demonetisation tookaway the existing jobs in the

country and destroyed smallbusinesses. BJP snatched thefinancial assistance in educa-tion.... They are conspiringand trying to come to powerwith deception,” he said.

He blamed the YogiAdityanath Government forthe death of children allegedlydue to lack of oxygen supply inBRD medical college inGorakhpur in 2017.

He also raised the issue ofstray cattle. “I don’t know aboutGorakhpur but Lucknow isfull of thousands of stray bulls.They attacked people, injuringthem and many died. Baba CMis responsible for these deaths,”Yadav said.

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Weeks after voting for the Lok Sabhaelections and with months to go for

the Assembly elections, Maharashtra’sruling and opposition politicians havestarted taking stock of the drought stitu-ation, billed as the worst in 47 years.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hasordered all his Ministers — from theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena— to go to the districts where they areappointed ‘Guardian Ministers’ and preparedetailed ground reports on the water crises.

Officials have also been asked to tourtheir respective districts and submit com-prehensive reports by May 21.

These reports would include the exactstatus of water availability in some of theworst hit areas in Marathwada, Konkanand Vidarbha, Western and NorthMaharashtra. Around 21,000 villages in151 tehsils across the state are in the gripof drought, covering almost half the geo-graphical area of the State.

With water levels in all the big andsmall dams in these regions receding fast,Fadnavis is reviewing the status on a dailybasis. He asked all Guardian Ministers andSecretaries to ensure prompt implementa-tion of drought mitigation measures,including jobs under the EmploymentGuarantee Schemes for the affected people.

Not to be left behind, Opposition lead-ers too are out assessing the damage. NCPpresident Sharad Pawar has already start-ed a two-day tour of Marathwada fromSunday. “The drought this year is worsethan in 1972. Back then, people only want-ed jobs. This time there are no jobs, nodrinking water for man and animal, nowater for farmland, crops and plantationshave completely dried up,” Pawar said.

Chennai: President of Tamil Nadu BJP unit Tamilisai Soundararajanon Monday slammed actor-politician Kamal Haasan for saying thatthe first terrorist of independent India was a Hindu. Campaigningfor his party Makkal Needhi Maiam’s candidate for the May 19Assembly bypoll in Aravakuruchi in Karur, Haasan has said, “Thefirst terrorist of an independent India was a Hindu — NathuramGodse.” Reacting to this, BJP leader Soundararajan in a tweet saidrecalling Gandhi’s assassination now and calling it Hindu terror-ism was condemnable. “Standing amid minorities in TN bypoll cam-paign, he is lighting dangerous fire to gain votes by minority appease-ment,” Soundararajan tweeted. IANS

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The BJP on Monday movedthe Election Commission

seeking a five-day ban onrenowned actor and MNMpresident Kamal Haasan fordescribing Nathuram Godse,who assassinated MahatmaGandhi, as the first Hindu ter-rorist in independent India.

The complaint has beenfiled by BJP leader AshwiniUpadhyay, saying the statementwas intended to outrage religiousfeelings of millions of Hindus.

Haasan was speaking at an

election rally for his party can-didate in Aravakurichi Assemblyconstituency where by-electionswill be held on May 19.

Haasan according to thecomplaint, said, “The first ter-rorist post India’s indepen-dence is a Hindu.”

Establishing the commentas a corrupt practice, the com-plaint said, “It is necessary tostate that the statement wasmade deliberately in the pres-ence of a Muslim majoritycrowd for electoral gain, whichis clearly a corrupt practiceunder Section 123 (3) the

Representation of the PeopleAct 1951.”

Upadhyay said the speechat a political rally has alsobreached the Model Code ofConduct as no one can appealto caste or communal feelingsto secure votes.

The complaint claimed thatthe statement was a deliberateand malicious act, and preju-diced the maintenance of “har-mony and brotherhoodabetween communities, which ispunishable under Section 153Aof the IPC”.

The compliant urged thepoll panel to invoke Article 324of the Constitution and “restrict

Haasan from campaigning for atleast five days, lodge a FIRagainst him under respectivesections of IPC and take steps tode-register his political party”.

According to mediareports, Kamal Haasan clarifiedthat his statement did not focuson the dominant Muslim elec-torate in the constituency.

“I am not saying thisbecause many Muslims arehere. I’m saying this in front ofGandhi’s statue. The first ter-rorist post India’s indepen-dence is a Hindu. His name isNathuram Godse.”

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After the successful elimi-nation of around 77 ter-

rorists this year so far, theirhandlers are desperately tryingto spread the ‘arc of terror’ inareas South of Pir Panjal rangein Jammu region. These han-dlers are targeting ‘radicalised’youth and motivating ‘local ter-rorists’ to execute nefarious‘terror’ plots.

Few attempts were alsomade to trigger communalunrest in volatile district ofKishtwar in the last six monthby selectively targeting BJPand RSS leaders and killingthem in cold blood.

Failing one such recentattempt, joint teams of securi-ty forces on Monday dealt asevere blow by timely arrestingtwo suspected terrorists alongwith AK rifle and some Indiancurrency from Gool area ofhilly Ramban district.

According to MoD PRO inUdhampur, Lt-Col AbhinavNavneet, on the basis of specificIntelligence inputs, a joint teamof security forces conducted anoperation in village Harah of

Gool Tehsil in theearly hours of Monday.During the opera-tion, the securityforces apprehend-ed two suspectedterrorist and recov-ered one AK-47assault rifle withammunition, person-al items and cash worth�8,871 from their pos-session.

According to policespokesman, “The duohas been identified as

Showkat AhmedSheikh S/o Gulam

Nabi Sheikh R/oCharsoo, Awantipora,Pulwama and TaweelMohiudin Dar S/o GhMohiudin Dar R/oMalipura, Kulgam”.

One AK 47 rifle,one AK 47 magazine,

30 rounds of AK 47 andIndian currency �8,871has been recovered fromthem.

In this regard caseFIR No 40/2019 u/s 121

A, 120 B, 122 RPC 13/17/19ULA (P) Act has been regis-tered and investigation takenup.

During preliminary inves-tigations, the accused personshave been found affiliated withLashkar-e-tayyeba (LeT) ter-rorist organisation and wereacting on the instructions ofone Naveed, alias Abu Talla, anactive militant of LeT. Furtherinvestigation is in progress.

Lt Col-Abhinav Navneetclaimed with the timely appre-hension of suspected terrorists

and recovery of war like storesthe security forces have thwart-ed the nefarious designs of ter-rorist organisation to spreadthe “Arc of Terrorism” South ofPir Panjal Range.

Meanwhile, ArmyCommander, NortherCommand Lt-Gen RanbirSingh accompanied by theWhite Knight CorpsCommander, Lt Gen ParamjitSingh visited forward basesand posts in Rajouri andAkhnoor Sector to review theoperational preparedness andthe prevalent security situation.

According to DefenceSpokesman, “ the ArmyCommander was briefed by thecommanders on ground aboutthe current operational situa-tion, prevailing security sce-nario and the preparedness ofthe formations in dealing withthe same”.

“The Army Commanderwas also briefed on use of highend technological equipmentand innovations by the units onground to monitor the intru-sions and infiltration bids onLine of Control,” said DefencePRO.

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Senior leaders of Karnataka’sruling coalition, AH

Vishwanath of the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) andSiddaramaiah of the Congress,are locked in a war of wordsahead of the Lok Sabha pollresults. Karnataka went to thepolls on April 18 and April 23and results are likely on May 23.

“An avoidable controversyhas been made out of chargesand counter-charges byVishwanath and Siddaramaiahafter a section of the Congressministers and legislators want-ed the latter to become the ChiefMinister again,” JDS EducationMinister GT Deve Gowda saidin Mysuru on Monday.

Advising the media not totake Vishwanath’s commentson Siddaramaiah seriously andgive it a political twist, Gowdasaid the demand to makeSiddaramaiah the ChiefMinister did not arise as HDKumaraswamy of the JD-S wasthe Chief Minister of the coali-tion Government and the postwas not vacant.

“I have respect for both theleaders. Whatever the provo-cation, Vishwanath should nothave commented againstSiddaramaiah as there was nothreat to Kumaraswamy’s con-tinuation as the Chief Minister,”Gowda said.

Vishwanath, a legislatorfrom Krishnarajanagar (KR

Nagar), is the JDS State unitchief. He quit the Congress andjoined the JDS a year agobefore the Assembly electionsin May 2018.

Criticising the demand formaking Siddaramaiah theChief Minister, Vishwanathsaid in Mysuru on Sunday there was no scope forhim to hold office till the next Assembly elections inMay 2023.

“The post is not vacant.Siddaramaiah can aspire to beChief Minister after the nextAssembly elections if theCongress wins majority.Kumaraswamy will completehis five-year term,” saidVishwanath.

In response, Siddaramaiahsaid for the sake of coalition‘dharma’ (righteousness), he

was not speaking out.“Coalition ‘dharma’ is notallowing me to speak out.Vishwanath is speaking irre-sponsibly. He is known formaking such provocativeremarks. May god give him wis-dom,” tweeted Siddaramaiah inKannada.

Advising JDS leaders torein in Vishwanath, theCongress Legislature Partyleader said he would abide bythe coalition dharma and allowKumaraswamy to continue asthe Chief Minister.

“Some of our Ministersand legislators have expressedtheir wish of seeing me as theChief Minister again out ofaffection and respect they havefor me. What’s wrong in it?They are entitled to their opin-ion,” Siddaramaiah said.

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The Rajasthan Governmenthas courted controversy by

proposing changes in freedomfighter and Hindutva proponentVinayak Damodar Savarkar’sprofile in the school syllabus.

Three years ago, the thenBJP Government had intro-duced Savarkar in the schoolsyllabus as a freedom fighter, apatriot and great revolutionary.

The new Congress gov-ernment wants to change thisprofile and portray Savarkar asa man who sent four mercypetitions to the British gov-ernment to get freedom afterbeing tortured at the Cellularjail in the Andaman andNicobar islands.

This has triggered a war ofwords between the Congressand the BJP.

“The Congress hatesHindutva and is therefore try-ing to belittle the heroism ofSavarkar, who is associatedwith Hindutva and the saffronparties,” said former EducationMinister Vasudev Devnani.

“Biographies of revolu-tionaries were included in thesyllabus so that children couldseek inspiration from them.Changing the facts about theirlife is insulting them,” Devnaniadded.

Minister of State forEducation Govind SinghDotasara said the changes havebeen proposed based on therecommendations of a com-mittee formed to review theschool syllabus.

“There is no politics in thismatter. But we will look into thematter if there are still anyissues,” he said.

Chief Minister AshokGehlot too said, “Every party inpower discusses and reviews aState’s education policy basedon its ideology. TheVasundhara Raje Governmentdid so during its term. We aredoing the same now. But thechanges are still a proposalbased on the recommenda-tions of a committee formed toreview the school syllabus.”

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An expelled All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(AIMIM) municipal corporator from Aurangabad

Sayed Mateen Sayed Rasheed on Monday, as the policebooked him for second rape within four months –thistime around for allegedly perpetrating sexual assaulton a 27 year-old woman at a water park at Khandalanear Pune.

Rasheed’s brother Mateen Rasheed Sayyed andbrother-in-law Hameed Siddiqui have also beenbooked by the Chakan police for alleged rape.

Preliminary investigations have revealed thatRasheed, who had known the victim woman for sometime, took her and her two children along with in acar on the false pretext that her mother had sudden-ly taken ill. After taking her to near a water park atKhandala, he and two relatives allegedly raped thevictim woman at gun point.

Official sources said victim woman is a servingmunicipal corporator. Earlier in January, theAurangabad police had booked Rasheed for alleged-ly drugging a woman and raping her at a lodge locat-ed on the outskirts of that city.

Rasheed, who had been arrested last month inconnection with the first alleged rape case, was report-edly on bail when the second incident took place. Hehad allegedly raped the victim woman on severaloccasions over a period of some months.

Rasheed has been courting controversies over theyears. He was expelled from the AIMIM in Decemberlast year for anti-party activities.

Rasheed was among the two AIMIM corporatorswho were suspended from the Aurangabad MunicipalCorporation (AMC) on August 17,2017 after theyrefused to stand up when the “Vande Mataram” wasbeing recited, raised slogans and clashed with othercorporators.

Later in August 2018, Mateen had created a hugeuproar in the AMC by opposing a motion paying trib-ute to late Prime Minister AB Vajpayee.

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New Delhi: Amid a row overMakkal Needhi Maiyamfounder Kamal Haasan’sremarks on Nathuram Godse,the BJP said on MondayHaasan does not understandthe difference between anassassin and a terrorist.

BJP leader and UnionMinister Nirmala Sitharamansaid the actor-turned-politi-cian was following theCongress and Communists inshowing Hindus “in a badlight to appease minorities”. Shewas responding to a questionabout Haasan’s comments inTamil Nadu that free India’sfirst “terrorist” was a Hindu ashe named Godse, who shotdead Mahatma Gandhi. PTI

Tuticorin: Makkal NeedhiMaiyam founder KamalHaasan’s tongue should be cutoff for saying that free India’s“first extremist was a Hindu”,Tamil Nadu Minister KTRajenthra Bhalaji said.

Bhalaji, a senior AIADMKleader, also sought a ban onMNM for “sowing violence” anddemanded that the ElectionCommission of India act againstHaasan. “His tongue should becut of..He has said (free India’sfirst extremist) was a Hindu.Extremism has no religion, nei-ther Hindu nor Muslim norChristian,” the State Minister forMilk and Dairy Developmenttold reporters here and accusedHaasan of “acting” to garnerminority votes. PTI

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When the Society of IndianA u t o m o b i l e

Manufacturers (SIAM)released their annual figuresfor the past financial year,they said that sales in the newfinancial year 2019-2020 willonly grow three per cent.However, with the latest datareleased today, the numbersmade for grim reading. Sales ofpassenger cars declined 19.93per cent, sales of utility vehi-cles were down 6.67 per cent,sales of scooters collapsed by25.89 per cent and sales ofmotorcycles crashed 11.81 percent. Miniscule growth wasonly shown by passenger seg-ments of commercial vehicles,

even though sales even formedium and heavy commer-cial goods-carrying vehiclesalso collapsed by 15.24 percent.

And with these numbersonly being those for dispatch-es rather than deliveries bydealers, with the Federation ofAutomotive DealersAssociation (FADA) claiminga few days ago that vehicle reg-istrations have also droppedsignificantly. Although regis-trations, which indicated ayear-on-year decline of justnine per cent as against the17.07 per cent decline in man-ufacturing is possibly due tomanufacturers adjusting pro-duction to cope with dealersasking for lesser inventories.According to FADA whosemembers are demanding justa 21-day dealer inventory, thecase is that several dealershipsnow have have vehicle inven-tories exceeding 45-50 days,which has led to manufactur-ers offering higher ‘marketingincentives’ to buyers.

However, this does notmean that the Indian automo-tive industry is is a tailspin,most manufacturers are keep-ing their India plans on track,and Chinese-manufacturerShanghai AutomotiveIndustrial Corporation (SAIC)is launching the erstwhileBritish marque MG in Indiathis week and the country’ssecond-largest carmakerHyundai launching their‘venue’ utility vehicle nextweek. Hero Motocorp alsounveiled their latest scootersearlier today, but the negativesentiments have the industryworried. Sales have comeunder pressure due to a his-torical ‘pre-election’ dip butalso due to new insurancerules and safety norms thathave driven up prices, partic-ularly of two-wheelers.However with even the mostoptimistic industry marketersnot expecting sales to startincreasing until the festive sea-son, the roads might be emp-tier for a few more months yet.

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Shares of Jet Airways (India)Limited plummeted over 8

per cent Monday amid contin-ued uncertainty over bidders.

The scrip tumbled 8.14per cent to close at �139.45 onthe BSE. During the day, itplunged 11 per cent to �135.05.

On the NSE, shares tanked8.40 per cent to close at �139.

On the traded volumefront, 17.31 lakh shares weretraded on the BSE and over onecrore shares changed hands onthe NSE during the day.

Media reports said a buy-out offer from Middle Easterncarrier Etihad Airways wasnon-binding and might notguarantee a deal for the strug-gling Indian carrier. Jet Airwaysstopped operations on April 17due to acute financial distress.

The State Bank of India-ledconsortium of lenders to JetAirways Friday said it hasreceived bids from EtihadAirways and from a few unso-licited parties to acquire stakein the grounded airline.

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Exporters of goods and ser-vices as well as suppliers to

SEZ units are likely to get GSTrefunds automatically fromJune as the revenue departmentplans to introduce facelessscrutiny of refunds and fasterclaim settlement, an official said.

Under GST, every personmaking a claim of refund onaccount of ‘zero-rated’ sup-plies has two options. Either hecan export without payment ofintegrated tax under Bond/LUT and claim a refund ofaccumulated Input Tax Credit(ITC) or he may export on pay-ment of integrated tax andclaim refund thereof.

Currently, the facility ofautomatic refund is availableonly for those exporters whohave paid Integrated Goodsand Services Tax (IGST) whileexporting goods. Since theGST Network (GSTN) sys-tems are integrated withCustoms, hence, refunds are

generally transferred to thebank accounts of suchexporters within a fortnight.

However, manufacturingexporters and suppliers to SEZ,who want to claim a refund ofITC, have to file an applicationin Form GST RFD-01A on thecommon portal and thereaftermanually submit a print out ofthe form along with other doc-uments to the jurisdictionalofficer.

Once implemented, thetime period for such refundswill come down to about a fort-night from months at present.

“The revenue departmentand GSTN is working tomake the process of seekingtax refund by all exportersfaceless by next month. Itwould make the processfaster and also help in elim-inating fake refunds,” an offi-cial told PTI.

GST refunds of exportersrun into thousands of croresand any delay in the processingof refund claims blocks work-ing capital of exporters.

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India on Monday said collapseof appellate body of WTO’s

dispute settlement system, andthe reform agenda beingpushed by certain developedeconomies could harm theinterest of developing countries.

The issues were flagged byIndia on the first day of a meet-ing of senior officials of 22members of the World TradeOrganisation (WTO) here.

Speaking at the inauguralsession, Commerce SecretaryAnup Wadhawan said there areexistential challenges to themultilateral rules-based tradingsystem due to spate of unilat-eral measures and countersteps being taken by certaincountries.

Besides, deadlock in keyareas of negotiations andimpasse in the appointment ofmembers of WTO’s appellatebody are posing challenges.

“The logjam in the appel-late body is a serious threat tothe dispute settlement mecha-nism of the WTO and theimplementation function ofthe organisation,” an officialstatement said quoting the sec-retary.

He said the continuousrise in protectionist measuresis vitiating the global econom-ic environment and this “situ-ation does not bode well for

developing countries, includingthe LDCs (least developedcountries)”.

Wadhawan said LDCs anddeveloping countries like Indiawould face more harm due tothe impasse over appointmentof members in the WTO’sappellate body, which is a crit-ical part of trade dispute set-tlement system.

“There is an urgent need toengage constructively to pre-serve the system and come upwith constructive solutions tothe problem,” he said.

The delay in appointmentof members in the appellatebody would hamper its func-tioning. The US has blockedthe appointment of thesemembers. The minimum quo-rum (3) for functioning of thisbody will end on December 10,after which it will become dys-functional.

He also said the situation inthe WTO has spurred a strongdiscourse for reforming theWTO, which unfortunately ischaracterised by a completelack of balance.

“The reform agenda beingpromoted does not addressthe concerns of the developingcountries,” he said adding thediscussions in the meetingbeing held here give a chanceto reaffirm the resolve to keepdevelopment at the centre ofthe reform agenda.

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Retail inflation inched up toa six-month high of 2.92

per cent in April due to a spikein food prices, including veg-etables, meat, fish and eggs,according to the official datareleased Monday.

Inflation based on theConsumer Price Index (CPI)was at 2.86 per cent in the pre-vious month and 4.58 per centin April 2018, the data by the

Central Statistics Office (CSO)showed.

The rate of price rise inApril is the highest sinceOctober 2018 when the ratewas 3.38 per cent.

Inflation in the food basketwas 1.1 per cent in April, upfrom 0.3 per cent in March.Prices of vegetables rose by 2.87per cent against a contractionin March. Fruit prices, howev-er, declined in April comparedto the year-ago month.

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The Home Ministry hasderegistered the Infosys

Foundation under the ForeignContribution (Regulation) Actfollowing its request that itsregistration be cancelled as theorganisation no longer fell inthe ambit of the act, officialssaid Monday.

All Non-GovernmentOrganisations (NGOs) arerequired to register under theFCRA to receive foreign funding.

“Infosys Foundation wouldlike to clarify that it has not vio-lated any FCRA norms and wasde-registered from FCRA fol-lowing its request to the min-istry,” a statement issued by theNGO said.

The foundation was regis-tered under the FCRA Act inJanuary 2016. In May 2016, thegovernment amended theFCRA Act in the Finance Billwith retrospective effect from2010 as a result of which foun-dation no longer fell under thepurview of the FCRA Act.

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US President Donald Trumphas defended his tariff

policy and blamed China forbreaking the trade deal, assert-ing that the negotiations are“right where we want to be” asthe world’s two largesteconomies remain locked in abruising trade war after the lat-est round of talks ended with-out an agreement.

After the near collapse oftrade talks with China lastweek, Trump on Fridayimposed punitive duties onUSD 200 billion worth ofChinese imports, raising themto 25 per cent from 10 per cent,and asked for a similar increaseon tariff on the rest of theChinese import of over USD300 billion.

In a series of tweets, Trumpon Sunday indicated toughen-ing of his stand against China.

“We are right where we

want to be with China.Remember, they broke the dealwith us and tried to renegoti-ate,” Trump said, justifying hisdecision to impose a hefty taxon Chinese products, includingfish, handbags, clothing andfootwear.

The new taxes would resultin hefty revenue to the US, hesaid.

“We will be taking in tens ofbillions of dollars in tariffs fromChina. Buyers of product canmake it themselves in the USA(ideal), or buy it from non-tar-

iffed countries...,” he said.“We will then spend

(match or better) the moneythat China may no longer bespending with our Great PatriotFarmers (Agriculture), which isa small percentage of total tar-iffs received, and distributethe food to starving people innations around the world!GREAT! #MAGA,” Trumpsaid.

The US President laterasserted that China’s suddenchange in policy was mainlybecause it thought that leadersfrom the oppositionDemocratic party would beable to replace him in theWhite House after the 2020presidential elections.

By doing so, China wasdreaming, he said.

“China is dreaming thatsleepy Joe Biden, or any of theothers, gets elected in 2020.They love ripping offAmerica!,” Trump said.

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The Sri Lankan authoritieson Monday enforced a six-

hour countrywide curfew ascommunal violence spreads tonew areas in the island nationin the latest fallout from theEaster Sunday suicide bomb-ings, which killed nearly 260people.

“The curfew has beenimposed from 9 p.M. Tonightto 4 a.M. Tomorrow,” a policespokesperson said.

Army chief MaheshSenanayake said the troopshave been instructed to dealvery strictly with those whodefy the curfew.

The Army will shoot onsight if anyone defy the order,he added.

Earlier in the day, thepolice reimposed a curfew, fewhours after it was lifted, on four

towns of Kuliyapitiya,Bingiriya, Dummalasuriya andHettipola in the north westernregion till 4 am. Tomorrow fol-lowing a communal clash in thearea.

It was later extended to theentire North Western Provinceas violence continued to spread.

Prime Minister RanilWickremesinghe also appealedfor calm after the unrest brokeout, especially in Kurunegaladistrict targeting Muslims, andappealed to the public not to beswayed by false information.

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Sri Lanka reimposed a ban onsocial media on Monday as

religious tension flared up afteran intimidating Facebook posttriggered attacks on mosquesand Muslim-owned business-es in the worst unrest sinceEaster Sunday bombings whichkilled nearly 260 people.

The blockade comes a dayafter Sri Lankan police imposedcurfew in the country’s westerncoastal town of Chilaw wherea mob attacked a mosque andsome shops owned by Muslimsin a dispute that started on aFacebook post by a Muslimshop owner.

The author of the Facebookpost, identified as 38-year-oldAbdul Hameed MohamedHasmar, wrote: “Don’t laughmore, 1 day u will cry”.

The Muslim shopkeeper’s

comment was taken by localChristians as a warning of animpending attack.

The blockade of Facebookand WhatsApp has beenimposed form midnight fol-lowing violent incidentsbetween the minority Muslimand majority Sinhalese com-munities, officials said.

Late in the evening onSunday, the unrest spread toKuliyapitiya where a mosqueand a few Muslim owned shopscame under attack, promptingthe authorities to impose cur-few in the northwest town.

“The curfew imposed inKuliyapitya and Chilaw hasbeen lifted,” police spokesmanRuwan Gunasekera said.

The majority nationalistgroups have been active onFacebook, reviving calls forboycotts of Muslim-ownedbusinesses and spreading hate.

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Eleven small political partiesin Thailand announced

Monday they will support themilitary-backed candidate toform the next government,seven weeks after the country’sfirst general election in fiveyears of army rule.

Their announcement cameafter no single party won anabsolute majority in the March24 polls. The military-backedPalang Pracharath party won115 seats in the 500-memberHouse of Representatives, whileits rival, the Pheu Thai partyassociated with self-exiled for-mer Prime Minister ThaksinShinawatra, won 136.

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The wife of Meng Hongwei,the former Interpol presi-

dent jailed in China for whatshe believes are political rea-sons, said on Monday thatFrance has saved her life andthe lives of their two youngboys by granting her asylumrequest.

The French Governmentoffice that rules on asylumrequests rendered its decisionlast week, granting her refugeestatus, Grace Meng’s legal teamsaid.

The asylum office didn’trespond to Associated Presscontacts by phone and email.

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Sudan’s Army rulers andprotest leaders resumed cru-

cial talks Monday over handingpower to a civilian adminis-tration after days of deadlockin negotiations, a spokespersonfor the protest movement toldAFP.

Protest leaders Omar al-Digeir and Satea al-Haj wereamong those attending thetalks on behalf of the Alliancefor Freedom and Changeumbrella movement, thegroup’s spokeswoman MasharDarraj said.

The meeting was beingheld behind closed doors at aconvention centre in centralKhartoum, an AFPcorrespondent reported fromthe venue.

�/�� 2��5��7

Saudi Arabia said on Mondaytwo of its oil tankers were

damaged in mysterious “sabo-tage attacks” in the Gulf as ten-sions soared in a region alreadyshaken by a standoff betweenthe United States and Iran.

It came as US Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo scrapped aplanned visit to Moscow tohead to Brussels instead fortalks with European officials onIran.

Tehran called for an inves-tigation into the “alarming”attacks and warned of “adven-

turism” by foreign players todisrupt maritime security.

Britain warned of the dan-ger of conflict erupting “byaccident” in the Gulf.

The US has alreadystrengthened its military pres-ence in the region, includingdeploying a number of strate-gic B-52 bombers in responseto alleged Iranian threats.

Saudi Arabia, the Islamicrepublic’s regional arch-rival,condemned “the acts of sabo-tage which targeted commer-cial and civilian vessels near theterritorial waters of the UnitedArab Emirates”, a foreign min-

istry source said.“This criminal act consti-

tutes a serious threat to thesecurity and safety of maritimenavigation and adverselyimpacts regional and interna-tional peace and security,” thesource added.

The UAE said on Sundaythat four commercial vessels ofvarious nationalities had beentargeted by acts of sabotage offthe emirate of Fujairah.

Saudi Energy MinisterKhalid al-Falih said the twotankers suffered “significantdamage” but there were nocasualties or any oil spill.

�/��

Europe on Monday urged theUS not to further escalate

tensions over the Iran nucleardeal, with Britain issuing astark warning of the risk ofconflict erupting “by accident”in the Gulf.

US Secretary of State MikePompeo made a last-minutevisit to Brussels where he methis counterparts from Britain,France and Germany — thethree European signatories tothe 2015 accord that curbedIran’s nuclear ambitions inreturn for sanctions relief — onthe sidelines of a regular EUforeign ministers’ gathering.

Iran last week announcedit was suspending some of itscommitments under the agree-

ment, a year after US PresidentDonald Trump withdrew fromthe accord and imposed

swingeing sanctions on theIslamic republic -- putting thedeal in peril.

Adding a military dimen-sion to the diplomatic ten-sions, Washington is sendingan amphibious assault shipand a Patriot missile battery tothe Gulf, having alreadydeployed an aircraft carrierand B-52 bombers.

Pompeo’s visit to Brusselswas announced at the lastminute and if he came hopingfor a show of transatlanticunity against Iran, he was dis-appointed, with Britain, Franceand Germany all publicly crit-icising the hardline USapproach.

German Foreign MinisterHeiko Maas said Berlin “stillregards this nuclear agreementas the basis for Iran not havingany nuclear weapons in thefuture and we regard this asexistential for our security”.

Maas said he used his one-on-one meeting with Pompeoto stress that “we are con-cerned about the developmentand the tensions in the region,that we do not want there to bea military escalation”.

As he arrived for the talks,British foreign minister Huntcalled for “a period of calm” andbluntly warned of the danger ofpushing Iran back towardsdeveloping nuclear weapons.

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Swedish prosecutors onMonday reopened their inves-tigation into a rape allegationagainst WikiLeaks co-founderJulian Assange, who remains inprison in London for breach ofbail conditions on the charge.

The 47-year-old denies theallegation and has avoidedextradition to Sweden to facethe charge for seven years afterseeking refuge at theEcuadorean embassy inLondon in 2012.

He is currently being heldat the high security Belmarsh

prison since Ecuador withdrewasylum last month after whichhe was sentenced to 50 weeksin jail for failure to surrender tomeet his bail conditions.

The Swedish authoritieshad originally decided to dropthe rape investigation two yearsago, saying they felt unable totake the case forward whileAssange remained holed upinside the Ecuadorean embassy.

“I have today taken thedecision to reopen the prelmi-nary investigation,” Eva-MariePersson, the Deputy Director ofPublic Prosecutions, toldreporters on Monday.

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Colombo: Sri LankanPresident Maithripala Sirisenaleft for China on Monday in amove that has surprised bothpolitical and diplomatic circlesover its urgency at a time whenthe island nation is witnessingcommunal violence followingthe deadly Easter Sunday sui-cide bombings. PTI

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Libyan strongman KhalifaHaftar’s offensive against

Tripoli represents a threat tointernational peace, the EUwarned on Monday.

The bloc called for all sidesin the Libyan conflict to putdown their arms and to com-mit to UN talks, though themonth-long assault on the capital shows little sign of ending.

EU Foreign Ministers hadearlier held talks on the crisis,which deepened dramaticallylast month when Haftar, whoseLibyan National Army (LNA)holds the east of the country,launched a bid to seize Tripoli,seat of the UN-recognisedGovernment.

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Alessandro Florenzi and Edin Dzekoscored late as Roma beat Juventus

2-0 to keep their hopes of ChampionsLeague football next season alive onSunday.

Dzeko set up Florenzi for the firstafter 79 minutes in the Stadio Olimpicowith the Bosnian then slotting in thesecond two minutes into injurytime as Juventus fell to just theirthird defeat this season.

The defeat came on the daythat Juventus displayed theirnew strip which no longer fea-tures the club's iconic black andwhite stripes in a breakawayfrom over a century of tradition.

Massimiliano Allegri's side havenot won a match since sealing aneighth consecutive Scudetto, beingheld to 1-1 draws in their last twogames against Inter Milan and Torino.

Roma needed a win after their

Champions League rivals Atalanta, ACMilan, Torino and Lazio all won theirgames this weekend.

Juventus and Napoli have alreadybooked their berths in next season'selite European berths with two placesremaining.

Atalanta beat Genoa 2-1 onSaturday to move third two pointsahead of Inter Milan, who play bottom

club Chievo on Monday.AC Milan also won 1-0

against Fiorentina 1-0, andare one point behind Inter infifth, with Roma equal onpoints with Milan, with twogames left to play.

"A great (goalkeeperAntonio) Mirante kept us up in the firsthalf but I am satisfied with the game,"said Roma coach Claudio Ranieri.

"We must continue to believe in it.Even if not everything depends on us,we must reach the end with a clear con-science."

�/�■ ��

Eden Hazard has told Chelsea hehas made his mind up over his

future but has yet to publiclyannounce if he will stay at StamfordBridge after persistent speculationlinking him with a move to RealMadrid.

The Belgium forward has just ayear left on his contract after join-ing the Premier League club fromLille for $42 million in 2012.

And after a substitute outing inSunday's 0-0 draw at Leicester theBelgium international revealed hehad made the club aware of his deci-sion.

"Yes. A couple of weeks ago. YesI have made my decision but it is notjust about me," said Hazard, whoblew kisses to the travelling fans, whocalled for him to stay.

"I have made my decision, that'sit."

When asked if his future will

become clear after the EuropaLeague final against Arsenal onMay 29 he added: "I think so. We

have a final to play and then I willsee." The Blues are understood to beholding out for $100 million.

The 28-year-old also admittedhe had wanted his future resolvedearlier to avoid it being the season-long saga it has become.

"Yes, I wanted that but that's nothappened. I'm still waiting like youare waiting and like the fans are wait-ing," he said.

"When you are on the pitch, youtry to be focused on the pitch withthe ball. That's it. When I am on thepitch I just try to do the best.

"I am not thinking about thisand this, my situation or the club'ssituation. I just try to win games."Hazard played the final 21 minutesat the King Power Stadium asChelsea finished third in the PremierLeague, 26 points behind championsManchester City.

�/ ■ ��

Pep Guardiola saidManchester City's 2018/19Premier League success

was the toughest title triumph ofhis illustrious managerial career.

City came from behind towin 4-1 away to Brighton onSunday's final day of the season— a result that meant the reign-ing champions finished just apoint in front of second-placedLiverpool, who won 2-0 at hometo Wolves.

In most seasons, Liverpool'stally of 97 points would have seenthem crowned champions.

Guardiola, celebrating hiseighth domestic championship in10 seasons that have featured LaLiga and Bundesliga titles withBarcelona and Bayern Munich,was in no doubt aboutLiverpool's quality.

"We worked a lot," he said. "Ihave to say congratulations toLiverpool of course. Thank youso much. They helped to push usand to increase our standardsfrom last season."

"To compete against thisteam pushed us to do what wehave done. It's incredible,198 points in two seasons."

"I think last seasonManchester City made thestandards," Guardiolaadded. "That is the level inthe Premier League andLiverpool have helped usto be there all the time."

Guardiola's side securedexactly 100 points in winning thetitle last season but the manag-er was arguably even moreimpressed by their efforts this

term, even if the overall tally waslower.

"To win the title we had towin 14 games in a row," he

explained."For two to three

months we cannot loseone point and we did it allplaying in all competi-tions until the semi-finalsof the ChampionsLeague.

"It's incredible.Normally if you get 100 pointsthe tendency is to go down butLiverpool helped us to be consis-tent.

"This was the toughest title

in all my career."But Guardiola said next sea-

son could be even more compet-itive.

"It will be tougher but we willbe stronger too," he said.

"When you can win two in arow I have the feeling that nextseason we will come back and tryto be who we are right now."

Sunday's result meantLiverpool's wait for a maidenPremier League title — their lastdomestic championship was in1990 — goes on, although theycould yet win the ChampionsLeague if they beat TottenhamHotspur when the English rivals

meet in a Madrid final on June1.

Liverpool forward MohamedSalah, whose 22 goals this seasonmade him a joint-winner of thePremier League's golden bootaward, said the Anfield clubwould challenge again next term.

"We only lost one (PremierLeague) game all season," theEgypt forward said. "We gaveeverything. We got 97 points. Wewill fight next season for thetitle."

Liverpool will next faceTottenham Hotspur in UEFAChampions League final inMadrid on June 1.

�/�■ ��

Lewis Hamilton cut shorthis celebrations after win-

ning the SpanishGrand Prix to warnthat Mercedes'dominance couldbe a menace toF o r m u l aOne's box office appeal.

The defending five-timeworld champion seized theinitiative at the start ofSunday's race and thencruised to his 76th career vic-tory ahead of team-mateValtteri Bottas, who hadstarted in pole position.

It was the Mercedes pair-ing's fifth consecutive one-two finish and left rivalsFerrari floundering in pur-suit.

The two Mercedes dri-vers are competing againsteach other ... and it's notmuch fun for outsiders,admits Hamilton, especiallyfor spectators.

Having hoped to see aFerrari renaissance at theCircuit de Catalunya, wherethey were so dominant inpre-season testing, Hamiltonwas disappointed again attheir lack of pace, which,almost incredibly, promptedpaddock talk of the SilverArrows winning all 21 races.

Mercedes locked out thefront row of the grid andthen took a stranglehold onthe race in such fashion thatsome observers talked ofthem being 'the invincibles'with 16 races remainingincluding the classic MonacoGrand Prix later this month.

That street circuit chal-lenge will be very different toall that has gone before, butrivals have already installed

Mercedes as favourites andthe drivers' championshipas a two-man race.

Hamilton is hopeful thatfor the sake

of the sport,any such sce-

nario never hap-pens.

"The biggestthreat is always the per-

son that's closest to you," hesaid. "And that person isValtteri, but it still feels tooearly ...

"It's not as much fun, forsure, as when you are com-peting against another team.That's what F1 is about.

"That's the exciting part,when you arrive and you'recompeting against one ortwo other teams who are alsobringing their A-game.Naturally in those teams,that's another two drivers.

"But when that's notthere it's definitely not asexciting from a competitionpoint of view. Racing with-in a team, it's not really howF1 should be in my opinion,but it is how it is right now."

No team has won everyrace in a season, butMcLaren came close in 1988when they triumphed in 15of the 16 races - beaten onlywhen Ferrari took advantageof a late collision at Monza —and Mercedes, in 2016, won19 of 21.

�/�■ ��

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saidManchester United will

"take some time" to close thegap to Manchester City andLiverpool after they finishedtheir season with a dismal 2-0defeat at home by already-rel-egated Cardiff.

United finished in sixthplace in the Premier League, 32points behind champions City.

"Today was not the prob-lem," said United managerSolskjaer, who previously hada brief spell in charge ofCardiff, after away fans at OldTrafford on Sunday had chant-ed he would be "sacked in themorning".

"You can have all the pos-session and chances you wantbut we concede easy goals andnot score at the other. That isnot where our challenge lies —

we have a long and hard wayto be where we want to be."

The Norwegian, who ini-tially oversaw a dramaticupturn in form after he tookover from Jose Mourinho inDecember, said: "It will takesome time to close in on thetop. We finished five or sixpoints behind third, fourth,fifth and that has to be ouraim.

"The top two teams haveset a standard higher thanbefore and we have to take upthe next challenge."

The former United strik-er added: "The work startsnow. Everyone has the sum-mer off but we have to comeback with a different mental-ity and different attitude ofbeing a Man United team.

"The ones who played,did well but it was not goodenough."

�/��

Mauricio Pochettino says winning the ChampionsLeague would change the "perception" of

Tottenham Hotspur and provide a glorious endingto what he described as the best season in the fiveyears he has been their manager.

The 47-year-old Argentinian — who has said hemay walk away if the club fail to deliver a blueprintfor keeping them competitive with the top teams —has been praised for the style his team plays and hisability to develop young talent. But he has yet to wina trophy.

This missing element in his CV could be filledby beating Liverpool in the June 1 final in Madrid.Overcoming last year's losing Champions Leaguefinalists and Premier League runners-up is a tallorder. But history is beckoning, says Pochettino

"I think we can make history," he said afterSunday's 2-2 draw with Everton which confirmedSpurs spot in next season's Champions League byfinishing fourth.

"We are creating history because we are makingit, but if we can win we will write history and changethe perception of this amazing club.

"Of course the club and the fans and we alldeserve to be focused on the way and how we canwin the final.

"That is the principle objective, there's not anoth-er objective."

Pochettino says this has been their best season,since he arrived from Southampton.

Reaching the Champions League final andqualifying for next season's campaign has beenachieved, he said, against the odds as they did notinvest in fresh faces either in the close season or theJanuary transfer window.

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The race to be crowned thePremier League's leading

scorer this season ended in athree-way tie as the African trioof Sadio Mane, Pierre-EmerickAubameyang and MohamedSalah shared the Golden Boot.

Gabon and Arsenal for-ward Aubameyang scored twiceat Burnley to join Salah and hisLiverpool teammate Mane, whonetted a final-day double againstWolves, on 22 goals for thePremier League season.

Salah has now won theaward two seasons in a row butthis term's winning tally was thelowest by players in Englishfootball's top-flight since2010/11 when Dimitar Berbatovand Carlos Tevez shared theGolden Boot with 20 goalsapiece.

Aubameyang was delightedto be a member of an all-African trio of winners, saying,"I share this trophy with twoother guys I like, great playersand African. We are represent-ing Africa, that's cool.

"I am happy we won, and Iam sharing this trophy with twoother guys I like.

For Liverpool managerJurgen Klopp there was thesatisfaction of knowing he hada played a part in the careers ofall three of this season's GoldenBoot winners, having signedAubameyang from Saint-Etienne in 2013 when he was in

charge of Dortmund."Auba too? Do they have

three boots?" said Klopp, whosuffered the last-day heartacheof seeing Liverpool finish justone point behind City.

"It is good. They are all myplayers," the German added.

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Your home is your castle, andit’s one of the biggest invest-ments you’ll ever make.Keeping it safe and secure isa top priority of many home-

owners. All home security systemswork on the same basic principle ofsecuring entry points, like doors andwindows, as well as interior space con-taining valuables like art, computers,guns, and coin collections. Regardlessof the size of your home, or the num-ber of doors and windows or interiorrooms a homeowner decides to protect,the only real difference is in the num-ber of security components deployedthroughout the home and monitored bythe control panel.

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Alarms, camera, motion sensorsand more—the options are endlesswhen it comes to keeping tabs onwhat’s happening in your home. You cannow have peace of mind all at the touchof a button. Best part is, you can installmost of this automated home securitytechnology yourself, so you don’t needto shell out thousands to a securityinstallation company or contractor.

Door and window sensors are com-prise two parts installed adjacent to eachother. One part of the device is installedon the door or window and the otheron the door frame or window sill. Whena door or window is closed, the twoparts of the sensor are joined together,creating a security circuit.

When the security system is armedat the control panel, these sensorscommunicate with it by reporting thatthe point of entry is secure. Should amonitored door or window suddenly beopened, the security circuit is brokenand the control panel interprets this asa breach of a secured zone. A high-deci-bel alarm is sounded and in mostinstances the alarm monitoring compa-ny is automatically notified.

These security components, whenarmed, protect a given space by creat-ing an invisible zone that cannot bebreached without sounding an alarm.These are typically used to protectrooms containing valuables, as well asareas less frequented in larger homes.

Surveillance cameras can beaccessed remotely on computers, smart-phones, and tablets. They are often usedin this method when homeowners areout of town, to watch for deliveries andother service personnel like caregivers

and landscapers, and to monitor thearrival of children after school. They canalso be used to record any securitybreaches, which could result in havingfootage of a home invasion, includinga good look at the burglars and perhapseven the vehicle they drove.

Loud enough for neighbors to hear,home security alarms serve a few dif-ferent purposes. First, they alert thepeople inside the house that a problemoccurred. They're also shrill enough tosend a burglar running while alsonotifying nearby neighbors to the sit-uation.

On the surface, these items mightseem like nothing more than marketingtools for alarm companies, but they playimportant roles in home security. Whenyou place a security company's stickerin a front window and plant their signin your front yard, you are telling bur-

glars you home is professionally protect-ed and not a wise choice for an attempt-ed burglary. They are effective at con-veying this message and should be usedas recommended by the security com-pany.

Security systems are designed toperform certain tasks when a securedzone is breached. What your securitysystem does in the event of an intrusiondepends on the type of system you areusing.

If your security system is profession-ally monitored by an alarm company,they are alerted when a security prob-lem arises in your home. Along with thehigh-decibel alarm that sounds, themonitoring company is alerted. Atrained security expert might attempt tocommunicate with the homeowner viathe control panel if it's setup for 2-WayVoice communication, or will call the

emergency contact number listed on theaccount.

Monitored systems typically allowfor the homeowners (or designees) tobe notified by text message and emailwhen a security breach occurs.Numerous studies show homes withoutsecurity systems, when compared tothose with professionally monitored sys-tems, are up to three times more likelyto be burglarized because burglars areopportunistic by nature and are on thehunt for easy targets.

When you have a home security sys-tem professionally monitored, andadvertise this by displaying windowstickers and yard signs, you're lettingburglars know the likelihood they'll failand be caught are very high.

Another advantage is the ability toremotely manage your house. With this,you can typically arm and disarm yoursecurity system from anywhere in theworld via a web-enabled device, mon-itor who arrives and leaves your home,as well as use a panic button to elicit aninstant response from your alarm mon-itoring company. There are othermoney-related things to keep in mind,besides monitoring fees. For instance,some towns charge a permit fee to havea security system, while others maycharge for false alarms. Make sure tocontact your installation and/or mon-itoring company or even your town hallto find out about any associated feesbefore it’s too late. Oh, you may alsowant to call your insurance company.They may actually give you money ordiscounts for having some type ofalarm system installed.

Security is easy to tie into a largerhome automation system, especiallylighting. If you currently have smartdevices or want to add them in the nearfuture, make sure that your security sys-tem is compatible.

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But you don’t look like a Muslim,”is a phrase which any liberal fol-lower of Islam can certainlyexpect to hear at least once, if notseveral times during the course

of her life. If you ask, “What am I supposedto look like?”, the person more often thannot beats a hasty retreat. However, the rea-son that the phrase has been taken out ofeveryday life and makes an appearance inwriting is because as a shared resonance,it is the title of Indian writer, critic and lit-erary historian Rakhshanda Jalil’s latestbook.

The 40 essays in her book under thefour broad topics of identity, culture, reli-gion and literature were written over a longperiod of time where some were commis-sioned, others were in the nature of acad-emic papers, some others she wrote or readat seminars. “These were tweaked to suitthe tone and tenor of the book. The chap-ter on Jamia, for instance, was written rightafter the Batla House encounter. One candiscern a thread that runs through all ofthem,” says the author whose book on thelesser-known monuments of Delhi,Invisible City, is a bestseller.

Rakhshanda, who has also worked ontranslations of books by well-known nameslike Krishan Chander, Ismat Chughtai,Shahryar and Intizar Husain, says that theidea of the book is to break down thestereotypes that surround the communi-ty, especially the one that imagines theMuslims to be a monolith. “A lot of peo-ple have written to say that it strikes a chordas they have heard this all their lives. Ofcourse, there is the benign form where youare just calling out stereotypes, that youdon’t look like a Sikh or a Tamil. And thenthe slightly less benign ones, where thatremark comes from two positions. It is sup-posed to be a compliment and the subtextthen is ‘if only all Muslims were normal likeyou, we wouldn’t have a problem.’ But Iwant to ask, ‘How do you know what is inmy heart?’ What is an appearance supposedto tell?” she asks.

“Everyone seems to think that allMuslims are cut from the same cloth. Mysection on my nani and the other ghararawearing ladies of UP would be very differ-ent from a Muslim of Assam, Kerala, TamilNadu or Rajasthan. In my section on trav-el, where I talk about my visit to SaudiArabia and Bangladesh, I have highlight-ed that religion does not mean a sharedcommonality,” she says.

And it is in this attempt to break downthe stereotypes that she mentions in thebook’s afterword, “This collection of essays— of varying lengths on vastly different top-ics — is in the nature of a celebration. It isakin to opening the doors of my house andsaying: Come in, come and see who I am.Celebrate my festivals, relive my memoriestravel with me, share my doubts and dilem-mas.”

Sitting in her well-appointed house ina gated enclave in a tony South Delhicolony, Rakhshanda tries to break down thewalls of otherisation, in housing, culture,education and more that seem to havebecome the norm in the country by whatshe knows best, the power of her words.“There are two Delhis. This complex forbabus is crazy — the street lighting is solarpowered and there are three different waysto manage waste. If it can be done here whynot for the rest? Jamia, where I stayedbefore, there is a cordon sanitaire thatdefines and discriminates between PocketA of New Friends’ colony and ZakirNagar. The two are divided by a narrow

street but when it comes to street lighting,garbage retrieval and civic facilities theycould be different worlds. We need to talkabout these things and address that com-munalisation, discrimination and otheringis a fact of life. Once we accept it, then wecan move forward,” she says waving herhand and without a touch of rancour in hervoice.

Neither does Rakhshanda shy awayfrom any issue, nor does she desist fromcalling a spade a spade. “Muslims wear itas a chadar of victimisation. There are waysand means to bring this otherisation tonotice which is possible only if you are edu-cated. On the other hand, it harms not justthe community, but the nation at large asthese communally charged ghettoes arewaiting to explode. Why create them in thefirst place?”

Parts of her book reminisce a softer,gentler and almost Nehruvian time wherepeople looked out for the other and at thesame time were more in touch withnature. The descriptions of white chand-nis being spread out during summernights or earthen matkas tied with garlandsof mogras (Arabian jasmine) are sure toinvoke nostalgia for anyone growing intimes where air-conditioners rarely madean appearance in offices, leave alonehomes. The reference brings a genuinelywarm smile to her face as she seems to belooking back. “I did grow up in a familywhere my parents admired Nehru and wewere told things like don’t leave the tap openas there is a drought in Orissa or in UP peo-ple travel long distances to fetch water. I amsure this was a pan-Indian phenomenonas was Nehru. Why have we, as parents,stopped telling our children to finish thefood on their plate? Partly, it is con-sumerism, partly it is the global effect whereit is okay to throw things. Nehruvian Indiawas not such a bad thing as it looked outfor smaller people to weave a narrativewhich was kinder and softer,” she says.

Coming back to the present, shepoints out that while earlier this otherisa-

tion would peak during a cricket match ora war during Pakistan, it has now becomethe new normal. “In everyday discourse,we never used words like Hindu orMuslim. The tone was also set by newspa-pers who used words like one communi-ty. Now we use our religion all the time. Ittook me a long time to say, ‘Woh Hinduhain,’ because it was not done. The idea ofa secular society was that you could be reli-gious without broadcasting it,” she says andgoes on to describe how even though shegrew up in a home with practising Muslims,people did not make a big deal about it.“Log khamoshi se namaaz padhne chalejaate the,” she says. Incidentally, eventhough it is Ramzan, she is not fasting dueto a health condition, which in no way vio-lates the tenets of the religion.

She laments the drastic change. “In 70years we should have evolved and maturedin a direction that these differences shouldnot have mattered. It should have been agiven that we are a plural, multicultural

society. The communal outrages of 1947should have been an aberration,” she saysand is quiet for sometime before going onto add that this did seem to be happeningduring the 50s and 60s when the talk wasabout unity and pluralism.

“The kind of division that began hap-pening from the 1990s, where 1992 was thewatershed point and things began tochange for the Indian society, was not forthe better. All the progress and develop-ment cannot take away from the fact thatwe are a more toxic society today,” she says.

She explains that pluralism could alsobe witnessed in films but at the same timethese perpetuated stereotypes. “The affa-ble Afghans or an upright policemanwere fringe characters and never main-stream like a banker, a teacher or somethingthat the great majority of Muslims do,” shesays and goes on to add that the industrydid exemplar service in keeping Urdu aliveas the lyrics of songs as well as the dialogueswere in Hindustani.

However, when it comes to words, shepoints out to a much-abused one that haslost its relevance — Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb.“I hate to repeat it as this has been repeat-ed so often that it has lost its meaning. InUP where it actually existed, it no longerdoes as the State has become polarised,” shesays, dressed in a dark blue jeans and akurta.

Another fallout of this is that the lib-eral Muslim voice is being boxed in. “Wehave become silent. The attitude is kya faraqpadta hai? The Muslims are completelymarginalised. Did the Muslims ask for thetokenism, which the right wing has calledappeasement, like the Haj subsidy, and jus-tify this for the discrimination they prac-tise? It was paid to keep the national car-rier, Air India afloat. Islam is very clear thatonly those who can afford should go forHaj. So there should be voices from with-in the community that articulate that wenever asked for it and don’t want it.Similarly issues like like triple talaq and allneed not go to the Supreme Court too and

the community needs to resolve it on theirown,” she says.

The community comes in for its fairshare of criticism as well. Rakhshanda, whostarted her career at the Khalsa college andwent on to work with Aligarh MuslimUniversity and Jamia Milia Islamia, pointsout, “Muslim institutions are very insular.They don’t want to look out. They need toengage more with the world. They can’t justhave mushairas and ghazal evenings. Whycan’t you have a mainstream event?Khalsa too was a minority institution butthe Muslim ones are inward looking.”

It is in such a scenario that she feels thatthere is a lack of leadership among theMuslim community. “The people who aretreated as leaders by the government arenothing more than caricatures as they turnup at every do in full costume like jokers.People like us are not photogenic enoughas we are too normal. And it is these peo-ple who are considered to be our represen-tatives,” she says, shaking her head.

Given her stance, it is not surprisingthat the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid hascome in for criticism in her book as wellas when you talk to her. “Neither is he analim (scholar of Islamic law) nor a hafiz(one who has memorised the Quran). Andwhen was the position of an imam a hered-itary one?” she questions and adds, “He cer-tainly does not have the stature of MaulanaAzad, who was an alim.”

She believes that for the middle classMuslims in India, it is education that is ofprimary importance. She also expresses herangst about the fact that not many from thecommunity apply for government jobs oravail government schemes. “Why thisennui? Why this lethargy? It might bebecause of some nonsense coming fromjaahil (illiterate) imams (one who leads con-gregational prayers).”

She believes 70 years after the creamylayer of Muslims migrated to Pakistan,India does have a substantial middle classof the community. “My book is targettedat them.We think we are a minority, but wearen’t. We are in fairly large numbers acrossthe cities and towns. And the averageMuslim middle class wants what the mid-dle class all over the world does — betterjobs, housing, education and civic facilities.”

But having said that, she does not agreewith the approach that the community hasadopted of keeping their head down andworking towards economic betterment inthe face of the militant right wing. “Is itgood? What does keeping your headdown do to the morale and the spine of thelargest minority in the country? It is all verywell for a stop gap measure but if this wasto become our fate forever and ever, I donot see it as a good way of living. I would-n’t want to tell my two daughters to do that.I agree Muslims should also not react. Butat the same time, you cannot say lynchingsor mob attacks are normal and you can-not. In the past few years we have witnessedevents which are not normal but attemptsare being made to normalise them. Theyhappen so often now,” she says as she trailsoff.

She says that the otherisation is pow-ered by fear and distrust. “Once I askedsomeone if he knew a Muslim or if he hadbeen to a Muslim home. When he repliedin the negative, I invited him to mine. Onlywhen you go to a person’s home, eat withthem or stay with them you realise thatthere is nothing to be afraid of,” saysRakhshanda as she signs off. Clearly theauthor and the person are cut from thesame liberal cloth.

Be it a group of womenrowing the boat in theKerala backwaters, the

Sikhs praying at the GoldenTemple in Amritsar, hermitswith their ash-smeared bod-ies bathing at the Kumbh, amother cradling her baby,children holding the nation-al flag at schools or all thefour flags, showcasing fourmajor religions in the coun-try, changing to the Tirangawithin the blink of an eye —the music anthem One IndiaMy India/ Ek Bharat MeraBharat makes one runthrough the streets of nostal-gia.

Written and directed byShailendra Singh, the songhe tells us, took more thana year to complete. “Itincluded real-time expres-sions of people. No scene isscripted. The moments havebeen captured by their duepermission. However, theyare absolutely candid. Thesong is spread across 21 dif-ferent locations of India,most of which hold a reli-gious importance like theJama Masjid or the GoldenTemple.”

The director says thatthis was quite a differentexperience for him as hewanted to capture, in thevisuals, the same level atwhich he has “enjoyed”India. He says, “We wereonly three people in theunit who completed the pro-duction. There are usually35-40 people in a unit whowork for the production.Our cameraman,

Vishwanath (19), fromSouth Goa, started using acamera only a year beforethe project began. We trav-elled to places likeKarnataka, Kerala, Tamil

Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,Punjab, New Delhi,Varanasi, Allahabad. Thereare many historic locationsin the video which appearonly for a flash of a second

but it has, for us, taken aslong as 16 hours to get theperfect shot yet maintainingits natural element.”

Talking about the idea ofcelebrating India and its

culture, legendary cricketerKapil Dev, who has been theinspiration for many andsomeone who has best rep-resented India, says that thefact that India has so many

languages itself is a reason tocelebrate. He adds, “Withevery few miles, the lan-guage changes in the coun-try. When you go to theUSA, they only knowAmerica. But we have a lotmore to talk about, which initself is a celebration.”

The struggle, he laughsto recall, included waking upLamas from sleep, standingin the Ganga (at the Kumbh)for six hours withoutmotion, explaining the kidsto not think about the cam-era and follow their routine-ly schedules, surviving thecold weather at placesaround Ladakh without“Maggi noodles,” and manymore. He says, “There arevery less of such nationalistsongs now like Maa TujheSalaam, Chakde India. Thefeeling while listening tosuch a song is world apart.I wanted to make anothersong which could give onegoosebumps and make one’sspine shiver. And for that, itwas important to make peo-ple enjoy every bit of ourcountry and culture. I want-ed to give an emotion.”

Singer Zubin Nautiyaltells us that the album hasbeen made “without anycommercial target” and forthe people of India, no mat-ter the community. “Evennow, the song has three lan-guages — Hindi, Punjabiand English. But to make itregion-specific, we cantranslate the verses in anylanguage, be it Bengali,Rajasthani, Marathi,

Gujarati, Bhojpuri and manymore. We want it to reachout to the maximum num-ber of people in the country.Hence, the project is ongo-ing.”

Mithoon adds that it“depends on how far it goes.”

Talking about his idea ofnationalism, he says that itstarts from the smallest ofthings. “Not throwing ourgarbage from the car on thestreets is nationalism forme. It is about every dutyand right that a citizen hasand is mindfully aware of. Itis a vast topic which cannotbe covered in a matter ofminutes.”

Zubin adds that it is theunity which matters themost in a country.“Nationalism is all aboutabout unity. It can only beheld as an emotion. Eitheryou can write about it or youcan hold it inside you. Truenationalism is to feel it andkeep it alive for the country.This song aims just that,”says he.

Art, especially music hasa huge responsibilitytowards the society as it hasthe power to influence peo-ple upon various aspects. Sohow do the musicians seetheir project as somethingthat could make an impactand call for a change in thesociety? For Mithoon, therole of art has never changedand it has only meant, “tocommunicate with the soci-ety, to encourage and buildup for the good. Art is neverconstructed with an agenda.”

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If you are looking to collect art,then you must participate inAstaguru’s auction of the sea-

son. What makes it so appealing isthe fact that there is no reserveprice contingency and the finalbidder takes home the lot.Furthermore, all bids start at�20,000 which is a great entrypoint for the quality of works thatare put up for auction. All of the100 lots that are part of this auc-tion have been shortlisted onlyafter they have been researchedupon. The works include lots byeminent artists like Jamini Roy,Ganesh Pyne, MF Husain, AnjolieEla Menon, Nandalal Bose,Jehangir Sabavala, FN Souza andSH Raza to name a few.

MOTHER AND CHILD The relation of a mother and a childis one of the most universal inspira-tions that we see in all art forms sincethe beginning of civilisation. In thissale, there are two gems — one beingJamini Roy’s Mother and Child, 1950,a tempera on card, the other beingProdosh Dasgupta’s bronze sculpturewith the same title. Both the artworksare intimate, tender, full of expressionand have a certain sophistication ofsimplicity about them.

Roy’s work is a characteristic offolk art. Minimal albeit sharp shad-owing on tempera lends it a charis-ma. The grey-light palette, enlivenedby hues of deep grey as well as thevery elongated almost feather-weightdrapes of her sari, may have been

inspired by folk and rural symbolism.In Dasgupta’s single piece of bronze,we see a modernist mould, a balanceof bronze and entity as we arereminded of Henry Moore and hismany Mother and Child series. Thebeauty of both these images showsdevotion and deep love as well as acombination of styles and influ-ences that nonetheless depart fromthe prevailing interests of earlyRenaissance artists.

PRIESTSouza’s Priest, with a series of threechurches behind, is a dulcet drawingcreated in 1958. His limpid lines andclarity of expression are what excite

the art lover. It is a character of ugli-ness, not kind in any manner ofspeaking. Souza’s major formativeinfluences were Georges Rouault,Chaim Soutine, Picasso and theIndian sculptures of Mathura andKhajurao.

From Roualt, Souza borrowedthe frontal, icon-like compositions,the line-bound figures as well as thethick and porous application of lay-ers of paint; from Picasso, the use ofPrimitivist idioms and from Indiansculptures, the erotic, highly plasticand organic figure-handling. Hissubjects included Christ, iconicsaints, church functionaries, femalenudes and a wide selection of social

tropes. In 1957, Souza was awardeda prize in the Junior Section of theJohn Moores Liverpool exhibition. In1958, he was selected to representGreat Britain at the GuggenheimInternational Award and in 1959, hiswork was exhibited in the US,Germany and Sweden.

OIL ON CANVASThe late landscape genius RamKumar’s Oil On Canvas is a treat fortired eyes. In this work, the landscapebecame its own architecture. RamKumar commemorated vast, epicimages — the whirling onslaught ofthe storm, the descent of raggedforests along the courses of swollenrivers, the bronze echoes of the sunroaring above the cliffs, an eclipsefalling like the shadow of a great birdover honeycombed ruins, glaciersand fault lines. The paintings of thisphase defined the artist’s hallmarkpalette of ochre, ultramarine, siennaand viridian. They carry a sharp

whiff of pine from the Shivaliks, theHimalayan foothills.

Apocalypse and renewal, nostal-gia and hope were the themes of RamKumar’s idiom. The world is at a slantin these paintings — askew. It seemsthat everything is about to change itsform — the soaring wedge of themountain, the tumescent fork of thewatershed, the streaming avalanche,the floodburst.

GR SANTOSH’S UNTITLEDWORKAnother precious work is GRSantosh’s abstract artwork thatembraces geometry and symbolismat its best. Santosh was a poet,thinker and a practitioner of tran-scendent yogic meditation. His artwas born of his meditative experi-ences and so we see modern man-dalas in his work. He uses elementsof nature to create a yogic semblancethat has a trademark symbolism ofsheer ingenuity and the idea ofPurusha Prakriti.

His meditative landscape is adynamic equilibrium of floatingplanes. They are triggered by weight-lessness and the directional vectorsare all combined to form a medita-tive frame, precisely because theyhave moved from the perceptual tothe conceptual, from semblance tostructure. Architecture and long-looped identities symbolise theembodiment of energies and inertia,the simultaneous religiosity andspirituality of an individual who seesa civilisation in the twilight patternsof the sky.

For Santosh, the sky and themind became the place of the living.This untitled work looks like aserene mandala in the sky, unbrokenby the clouds and rays of the sun.Santosh’s oil on canvas force anawareness of the absolute nature ofboth birth and death, while alsocountering that life is an elegant ges-ture of the affirmation of presence.

(The auction ends today.)

The generous 5.3 hectareplot along Patna’s BaileyRoad allowed for a vari-

ety of site planning approach-es, while demanding sensitivi-ty to its low-scale surroundingsand prominent tree growth.Architect Fumihiko Maki hasrecreated an art oasis, like theNational Gallery of Art inWashington DC, in the coun-try with the Bihar Museum inPatna.

INTERCONNECTED LANDSCAPE To witness Himmat Shah’s ret-rospective by chief curatorRoobina Karode of KNMA, atits temporary exhibition spaceat the Bihar Museum, is anawakening about the creativi-ty of the artist in his lifetime of60 years where he kept rein-venting himself. This shows theevolution of Himmat Shah. Ofcourse he and Roobina sharethe relationship of an artist anda critic which goes back 30years and gives a deeper under-standing of his oeuvre. At theBihar Museum it is the terra-cotta sculptures of Himmatthat entice the eye.

The setting, too, is ofimportance for architect Makiconceived the Bihar Museum asa “campus” — an interconnect-ed landscape of buildings andexterior spaces that maintain amodest but dynamic profile, inharmony with existing site con-ditions. For Mohammed Yusuf,director of Bihar Museum, thespace lends itself to many kindsof discourse. “A large number

of visitors tell us that art is beingvalued and appriciated. Eachprogramme zone(entrance/event, exhibition,administration andchildren/educational) has beengiven a distinct presence and arecognisable form within thecomplex,” states Yusuf. Thevarious zones are linked togeth-

er via interior and exteriorcourtyards and corridors ensur-ing that all spaces retain aconnection to the surroundinglandscape while remainingsheltered and comfortablethroughout the year.

FERVID AND FIRED There are sculptural wondersthat embrace both still life andrestrained rotund composi-tions which cover the entirespectrum from quaint to curi-ous. The terracotta works speakof ferment in the oldest medi-um of art — the humble clay.The works give a deeper under-

standing of the sculptorthrough a careful analysis of hishand-moulded terracotta mod-els. These not only shape hisartistic ferment but also show-case his inner rumination ofsimplicity born of history andmemory and experience.

DYNAMICS AND DIMENSIONSHimmat’s deep understandingof dimension and dynamicscome into play when we see histerracotta compositions. Thecircular orb with a large aper-ture is a catalyst for combustionin terms of ideation. We canimagine how he began byrapidly modeling small clayforms in geometry and symbol-ism with his own hands. Firedas terracotta, these studies aresmall yet expressive works intheir own right. Together withsmall monochromatic draw-ings, they preserve the firsttraces of Himmat’s fervid imag-ination and unique creativeprocess that evolved into someof the most quaint and curioussculptures in tone and timbre.

The small rotund formwith folds, a sliced image of abottle and other works in theexhibition retrace Himmat’sunparalleled approach to sculp-tural design and his use of vig-orous clay studies in directingthe language of his own soli-tude when he began working inthe studios of Garhi in Delhi.The terracotta panels in thisexhibition offer viewers a moreprofound insight into the artist’sdazzling, creative mind and his

impact on the fabric of texturein a medium that is as ancientas civilisation itself.

SOLITUDE AND THE STUDIO“I worked in terracotta becauseit was full of possibilities,” saysHimmat. The mind and thehands both work in syncbecause you can see that heexamined problems of con-struction and design by mod-elling damp clay with his fin-gers and tools with incredibledexterity. It is amazing to thinkabout his perseverance and hispatience as he created works inthe solitude of his own studioand how he would decide care-fully on the perspective of hismagical terracotta composi-tions. It is Himmat’s underlyingunderstanding of both mod-ernism and the power of con-tours that we see in his bril-liance and his ability to sculptin clay. Just a few pieces of ter-racotta are enough to showcasehis range as a modeller in thishistoric museum in Patna.

IMPASSIONED IMAGINATIONHimmat’s terracotta piecesdivulge an impassioned imag-ination and also raise the cur-tain on the deeper intensities ofsculpture-making. The beautyof these works is that occasion-ally, he also presented both fin-ished and unfinished models.The rough hewn edges speak ofthe testimony of time and thepower of juxtapositions in thecreative process. These explainthe evolution of Himmat’swork, as he shifted betweenmedia like bronze as well asdrawings.

At the Bihar Museum, it isthe few but small terracottaworks that create a rich, uniqueexperience for visitors becausethey speak of the ethos andessence of time and continuity.They also reflect the truth thatHimmat Shah is a modernistwho has worked in the solitudeof his own penumbra for 60years, and it is time that theIndian market wakes up to thetenor of his genius.

Fake news. Migration. Poverty. Globalwarming. Armed conflict. Political issues

that light up the airwaves and social mediaare getting a very open airing at the 58thVenice Biennale contemporary art fair,like so much laundry hung out to dry in thelagoon breeze.

American curator Ralph Rugoff, direc-tor of London’s Hayward Gallery, titled themain exhibition, May You Live in InterestingTimes. The title is itself an exemplary pieceof fake news, delivered by a British lawmak-er as Europe hurled toward World War IIas an ancient Chinese curse.

It was, in fact, made up. Yet, Rugoffnotes, “it’s had a presence in political dis-course ever since.” Rugoff says contempo-rary art is particularly effective at unpack-ing the present-day specter of never-end-ing crises, by revealing complexity, ambigu-ity and conflicting emotions in a way thatmore traditional media often do not.“Where do we have a space in our culturewhere this part of being human is given aplace? It really exists in contemporary art,”Rugoff said on a preview walk through themain exhibit, split between the Biennale’stwo main venues, in the leafy Giardini andthe former Arsenale shipyard.

Many of the 79 artists invited to partic-ipate in the main exhibition make very lit-eral references to present-day woes. Swissartist Christoph Buechel transported ahulking smugglers’ ship where 700 migrantsperished in April 2015 to the edge of theArsenale, exposing to viewers the gapingholes in the hull that caused it to sink in theMediterranean. Chinese collaborators SunYuan and Peng Yu constructed a robot thatmechanically spreads a blood-like substanceevenly around. The impact of drug violenceis portrayed in Teresa Margolles’ razor wire-topped concrete wall “Muro Ciudad Juarez.”

Zhanna Kadyrova of Ukraine used old

tiles to create pieces of laundry that are hungoutside the central pavilion, which Rugoffsays serves as a reminder that while insidethe building “there is a lot of heavy think-ing and challenging art,” ordinary life con-tinues just outside, in the narrow Venetianalleyways where everyday flapping laundryis show of its own. By juxtaposing art to pro-vide comment on worldly events, Rugoffwants to create conversations and theGiardini Central Pavilion emits a vapor sug-gestive in a very literal way of thoughtprocesses, which in turn casts a veil of fogover the pavilion’s facade, “questioning theauthority of that institution.”

In a Biennale that puts a real emphasison the interactive experience of art, mist hasemerged a major artistic medium across thesprawling exhibition, which extends into 90national pavilions and manifold collateralevents.

Israeli artist Aya Ben Ron has createda field hospital to treat social ills fromdomestic abuse to racism to occupation,which forces hurried visitors to slow down,take a number and wait their turn.Australian artist Angelica Mesiti uses filmto examine ways citizens can assemble andcommunicate against the backdrop of frag-ile democracy. And American MartinPuryear explores liberty through a series ofclear, declarative sculptures and installationsthat are a rebuke against racism and testos-terone-driven power.

Beyond the Biennale, MarinaAbramovic of Serbia asks whether empathycreated in a virtual reality experience canmotivate action against climate change.

The French pavilion also emits vapour,meant to create a dreamlike environmentfor the journey proposed by 41-year-oldartist Laure Prouvost, only the third womanto represent France at the Biennale.

Hers is an immersive experience of film,

performance and installations featuring,among other details, two living whiteseabirds pecking along a neglected seasidewhere Murano glass shoes representinghumanity’s castoffs lie alongside colorful sealife, representing the artist’s concern aboutclimate change and ecology, according tocurator Martha Kirszenbaum. Mist is alsoput to effective use inside the IndianPavilion, which is a thematic tribute toMahatma Gandhi, marking the 150thanniversary of his birth. Artist Jitish Kallatprojects a 1939 letter written by Gandhi toAdolf Hitler, appealing to him to prevent warand addressing him as “friend.” Kallat saidthe “Dear friend” salutation projectsGandhi’s message across time “and asks thereader to rethink what they can do to savethe world from going to a savage state.”

Ghana also is making its Biennale debut,one of only six African nations participat-ing. The pavilion was designed by architectDavid Adjaye as a series of interconnectedunits that form a whole, recalling WestAfrican dwellings, while the late OkwuiEnwezor, the 2015 Biennale curator whodied in March, served as an adviser. It fea-tures all newly commissioned works, fromsculpture, to film and photography, whichwill travel to Ghana after the Biennale forshow.

“Things like this, I guess, is a form ofself-politics. It is a way of representing yourculture in a way other than political and eco-nomic,” said curator Nana Oforiatta Ayim.“We have so many pluralistic expressions,so many ways of being in Ghana, but oftenso often in the outside world, you just getone, and very often it is negative. This is verymuch how we represent ourselves to theworld in all our plurality, in all our diver-sity, in all our different layers.”

(Venice Biennale is on till November 24.)K)

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After enjoying an amazing IPL seasonwith Mumbai Indians where he

enthralled the crowd with his prototype of'Helicopter Shot', all-rounder Hardik Pandyahas now trained his eyes on World Cup tri-umph.

Shrugging the off-field controversies,Hardik was in his element scoring 402 runsat a strike-rate of 191+ and 14 wickets apartfrom 11 catches.

"I played well this season, but now timeto move on. I want to lift that World Cup

trophy as well," Hardik said in a flash inter-view on Star Sports after Mumbai Indianslift their fourth trophy.

Hardik and elder brother Krunal werebarely into their teens when IPL started in2008 and it was a dream come true for themto have won the trophy together on twooccasions (2017). Hardik has now been apart of three IPL winning teams.

"I used to have Mumbai Indians postersin my room growing up, and to win withthem. Amazing."

He was happy that Law of averages did-n't catch up with Mumbai Indians, who haddefeated CSK thrice in this edition (twicein league stages and then Qualifier 1).

"Lot of people were saying that we hadwon three times so they would win thefourth. But I told Krunal, no, it's going tobe 4-0. I lost a few kgs today, such a tightgame it was."

Brother Krunal had a hand with anaccurate throw from the deep that got ridof Shane Watson.

"Unbelievable game. From childhood,we wanted to play good cricket together.Even when we weren't in the IPL, we want-ed to play for Mumbai Indians."

For the elder brother, who is now India'sT20 specialist, the younger sibling is thesource of inspiration.

"He has been unbelievable. I don't needto look elsewhere for inspiration, I haveHardik."

��■ �+��

Jasprit Bumrah is already thebest bowler in the world but his

best is yet to come, avowed bat-ting legend Sachin Tendulkar,who also termed young leg-spin-ner Rahul Chahar as "fabulous"talent.

Bumrah has bowled consis-tently throughout the IPL in thedeath overs. In the final againstChennai Super Kings on Sunday,the 25-year-old kept his side inthe hunt by returning remarkablefigures of 2 for 14 in 4 overs.

"Let me go on record and saythat he (Jasprit Bumrah) is thebest bowler in the world at thisstage and the best is yet to comehopefully," Tendulkar said in aninterview with Mumbai Indiansbatsman Yuvraj Singh.

Leg spinner Chahar alsobowled an astounding 13 dotballs, finishing with superb fig-ures of 1 for 14 in 4 overs.

Those who have seen Chaharbowl a total of 81 overs in anIrani Cup game for Rest of Indiaon a placid Jamtha track, sworeby his talent. The 13 wickets in13 games at an economy rate of6.55 in shorter version proved his

versatility across formats."Rahul Chahar stands out. I

shared my opinion (with Mahela)before he played his first gameand I thought he was fabulous.

Sixth to the 15th over, he bowledwith a slip there and that wassome real quality bowling in acrucial match," Mumbai Indians'Icon' Tendulkar told Star Sportsafter the game.

Chahar was with theMumbai Indians in 2018 also andcoach Mahela Jayawardene alsospoke highly of his talent.

"Rahul Chahar was brilliantand created the pressure throughout for us," said the former SriLankan skipper.

Meanwhile Bumrah, whowas adjudged Man of the Match,said he takes one ball at a timewhich helps him avoid the pres-sure.

"In the finals we know that itcan get close and winning thetitle with MI is a special feeling.Today, surprisingly, I was verycalm, I wasn't panicking at alland very happy to contribute tothe team's success," Bumrah said.

"I only take one ball and oneday at a time and if you think likethat you don't feel pressure at all,"he added.

Bumrah ended this IPL edi-tion with 19 wickets from 16matches with an impressiveeconomy rate of 6.63.

�/�■ ��

Jos Buttler refused to put alimit on his rapid run-scor-

ing as hosts England go insearch of a first men's WorldCup title.

Despite appearing in everyWorld Cup since the inaugur-al edition in 1975, Englandhave never lifted the trophy,with the last of their three los-ing appearances in the finalback in 1992.

But hopes are high that2019 may finally be their year,with key batsman Buttler com-ing into form ahead ofEngland's tournament openeragainst South Africa at TheOval on May 30 courtesy of astunning century in a 12-runwin over Pakistan in the sec-ond one-day international atSouthampton on Saturday.

The 28-year-old went tothree figures in just 50 balls,celebrating the landmark witha baby-rocking gesture as wifeLouise and new daughterGeorgia looked on from thestands.

Only Buttler himself, witha 46-ball effort against Pakistan

in November 2015, has scoreda quicker ODI hundred forEngland. But the 28-year-old,who has five of England quick-est 10 ODI hundreds to hiscredit, believes a new nation-al record could be within hisreach.

"Absolutely," he said fol-lowing his match-winning 110not out against Pakistan "Whenthe opportunities arise, it givesyou lots of confidence. We'veseen other guys around theworld show it's possible."

Buttler, England's one-daywicket-keeper, has also madehis mark in global franchisetournaments such as theTwenty20 Indian PremierLeague and Australia's BigBash.

"In the last few years, I'vehad some brilliant experiences.

"A couple more years olderand worked things out a bitbetter, managing to drip-feedthem into my game reallywell.

"I'm really chasing thatconsistency and want to per-form every day. That's been abig part of the last few years totry and be more consistent."

��■ ��

Picking the West Indies andEngland as the biggest threat,India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya

Rahane on Monday said an "experi-enced" bowling attack on helpfulEnglish conditions could give ViratKohli's men edge in the World Cup.

"Overall our team is pretty strong.Our overall package is very good. Thistime the World Cup will be played ina new format, we will play nine leaguegames, so momentum and consisten-cy will be important," said Rahane,who couldn't find a place in thesquad.

"If you start well you will have tokeep up the momentum, you will haveto play consistent cricket throughoutthe tournament. In ICC tournamentany team picks up momentum at anytime, so we can't take any team light-ly," added the right-handed batsman,who last played an ODI for India inFebruary 16, 2018 against South Africain Centurion.

The Mumbai batsman said India'sbowling attack will give them edge onhelpful English conditions.

"Our overall attack, both pace andspin, is very experienced. The goodthing is that all the bowlers in our teamare wicket-takers and the team whichhas wicket-taking bowlers, theirchances increase. We have bowlerswho can pick up wickets in any situ-ation," he said.

"The English conditions will def-initely help our bowlers because theyknow the conditions well havingplayed their recently. They will defi-nitely have to make some adjustmentsbut that won't be a problem."

Talking about other teams, Rahanepicked New Zealand, apart from theWest Indies and England, as favouritesalong with India.

"I don't believe in pinpointing anyparticular team but England is a goodteam. New Zealand have done well inICC tournaments and West Indies isan unpredictable side. They can beatany team on their day," he said.

Rahane, who led the limited oversside at times in the past, saidMahendra Singh Dhoni's vast experi-ence will be of great help for skipper

Kohli in the showpiece."Virat is a very good leader.

Everyone has different qualities. Mahibhai (Dhoni) has different quality ofleadership and Virat will definitely getgood support and guidance fromMahi bhai. He is such a senior playerand being the wicketkeeper he can setthe entire field and guide the bowlerson what length and line to bowl," hesaid.

��■ ��

London Olympic Bronzemedallist Mary Kom will

make her competitive debut athome in 51kg in the secondedition of the India Open box-ing tournament, to be held inGuwahati from May 20-24.

With Olympic qualificationround the corner, India Openwith witness 35 men and 37women boxers from Indiavying for glory, even as close to200 pugilists from 16 boxingpowerhouses will participate inthe USD 70,000 tournament.

Mary Kom had opted outof the Asian Championshipslast month in order to preparefor the World Championshipsas the event will serve as goodpreparatory ground forOlympic qualification.

"I have been preparing wellfor 51kg category. Having gota real hand idea of the compe-tition in this class in Germany,I am ready to give my best atthis tournament and test myselfahead of the WorldChampionships," said MaryKom, who led six Indian box-ers to Gold in the last editionin New Delhi.

Keeping in mind theapproved weight categories forOlympic qualification, some ofthe Indian pugilists havechanged their weight divisions.

After her stunning per-formance at the AsianChampionships, where shebecame the first Indian to wina Gold in 81kg, Pooja Rani hasgone back to her originalweight category of 75kg.

Assam's Bhagyabati

Kachari too has made a simi-lar change while AsianChampionships Bronze medal-list Manisha Moun will befighting it out in 57kg for thevery first time.

Simranjit Kaur, a Silvermedallist at the continentaltournament in 64kg, hasswitched to 60kg and will becompeting with former worldchampion Sarita Devi, who

added her eighth Asian medalthis year.

While the six-time worldchampion will be India'sbiggest medal hope yet again,Amit Panghal (52kg) will belooking to continue his dom-inance after conquering theAsian Championships Gold.

Assam's Shiva Thapa(60kg), who created a recordby winning medals in fourconsecutive AsianChampionships, will be aimingto impress the home crowd,and so will Ankushita Boro(64kg), a Gold medallist at the2017 World YouthChampionship.

2017 World BoxingChampionships bronze medal-list Gaurav Bidhuri (56kg) willbe another of the big medalbets from India.

�/�■ ��

Serena Williams made a winning returnfrom injury beating Swedish qualifier

Rebecca Petersen 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the sec-ond round of the Italian Open clay-court tour-nament on Monday.

Williams, 37, has not played since a hard-fought three-set win over Petersen in the sec-ond round at the Miami Open in March beforewithdrawing with a knee injury.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner — nowranked 11th -- also withdrew from Indian Wellsin March complaining through illness.

Watched by her husband Alexis Ohanian,Williams doubled faulted on her first matchpoint but sealed victory on her second againsther 58th-ranked opponent.

A four-time Rome winner Williams last wonon the red clay of at the Foro Italico in 2016.

She will play either her older sister Venus,

who received a wild card entry to the tourna-ment she won in 1999, or Belgian Elise Mertensin the second round.

Should Serena and Venus meet in Rome, itwill be their first meeting on European clay innearly 17 years.

Their last meeting on red clay came at the2002 Roland Garros final.

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Former India all-rounder MohinderAmarnath believes that the Virat

Kohli-led Indian team has the poten-tial and experience to do well in theupcoming ODI World Cup, but itneeds to click at the right time.

"I think we (India) have thepotential, we have the players, we havethe experience and they have to clickat the right time. And whatever theyhave played and all that, that is in thepast, it is fresh tournament, freshmatches and it is like playing like newgames, new preparation," Amarnathsaid.

Amarnath, who was one of the keyplayers of the 1983 World Cup win-ning India team, said all-rounderHardik Pandya has the potential but

needs to prove himself in the 50-overformat.

"I think, we should not compareIPL preparation to a World Cup. IPLis a different format, different kind ofcricket. He (Hardik) is a young guy and

getting better with time and experienceand all that. (But) he has to prove him-self in this format (50-over), that he canfit in as a genuine all-rounder. He hasthe potential and he can do the job. Butyou have to access the situation andplay according to the situation," saidAmarnath.

The 68-year-old feels that pacerJasprit Bumrah would make a differ-ence to India's campaign in the mar-quee event.

"He (Bumrah) is a fantastic bowlerand he is very awkward; he has got alot of variation, a crafted bowler andI think he is very crucial from India'spoint of view. He has to stay fit whatI personally fell and he will make a dif-ference (to India's campaign). He isvery consistent with line and length,"Amarnath said.

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India may be packed with fab-ulous 15 but there are no clear

favourites in the upcomingWorld Cup, which will be wideopen due to change in format,stressed former South Africastar Jonty Rhodes.

Rhodes said the ViratKohli-led India has balancebut it's not something whichother do not have.

"India might have the fab 15but there are probably six otherteams that might call them-selves the same. There are somevery strong teams in the WorldCup and it will depend on thebalanced 11 that they chose onthe day, depending on the con-ditions," Rhodes, still remem-bered for his exceptional field-ing skills, said.

India will open their cam-paign against South Africa onJune 5 at Southampton.

"India have got a lot ofexperience too. Even youngplayers like (Jasprit) Bumrah, isone of the more experienceddeath bowlers, so from thatpoint of view India will be fanc-ing their chances but there aresix other sides, top six.

"And I am not even talkingabout West Indies, who areranked seventh. They have

started to play decent 50-overcricket again and there is noteam that can go into anymatch of the tournament asfavourites. So every game isimportant, you need thosepoints. The change in formathas made it really wide open,"opined Rhodes.

For India, all rounderHardik Pandya will be animportant cog in the wheel andRhodes believes that the Barodaall-rounder will have to quick-ly adjust to the 50-over format.

"Hardik Pandya's role isreally important because he iscoming as a batsman and abowler and he has got theknack of taking wickets. But thekey is that he needs to quicklyadjust because in a T20 gameyou can face seven balls andbowl may be two overs andmake a difference.

"But in a fifty over game ifyou are going to finish a game,you might have to bat from 35overs, so that is going to be thedifference. And he (Hardik) hasgot the temperament, he backshimself and he just has to knowthat he has a job to do (and) it'snot about one helicopter shot.It is (about) taking a gamethrough like a Virat Kohli andfinishing the match for India,"said Rhodes.

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Documents

€¦ · The southern odyssey of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, with an eye on the post-poll scenario in Delhi, remained inconclusive despite a 70- minute long meet-ing