FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. 13 NO. 314 | BHOPAL | FRIDAY | APRIL 26, 2024 | PAGES 14 NEW DELHI In an unprecedented move, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued notices to political parties, seeking responses to alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by their star campaigners. On Thursday the poll panel wrote to , BJP President J P Nadda regarding complaints about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge concerning complaints related both to him and party leader Rahul Gandhi. This marks a departure from the past, where notices of alleged MCC violations were served directly to the candidate or star campaigner concerned. Even during the ongoing campaign for the Lok Sabha election 2024, all MCC notices served by the ECI have been issued directly to party leaders, including Dilip Ghosh of the BJP Congress , leaders Randeep Surjewala and Supriya Shrinate, and AAP leader Atishi. Putting the party presidents on notice, the ECI has sought 'comments' from Nadda and Kharge by 11 am on April 29. Although the Commission's letter doesn't name the ECI says while star campaigners continue to remain responsible for their speeches, national parties are expected to set high standards Prime Minister, its letter to Nadda contains complaints filed by the Congress, the Communist Party of India, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). One of them includes complaints against Modi's recent speech in Banswara, Rajasthan, where he mentioned Muslims and claimed that the Congress party, if voted to power, could distribute the nation's wealth among "infiltrators" and 'those who have more children". The ECI's notice to Kharge includes complaints filed by the BJP, alleging he and Rahul Gandhi violated the MCC. The BJP claimed that during a speech in Kottayam on April 18, Gandhi made 'false allegations' against the PM, stating that he had advocated for 'one nation, one language, and one religion'. CONTD. ON P7 Explosion in scrap storage in Jabalpur, 2 workers missing OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in NEWS BRIEF Remotely piloted IAF plane crashes JAISALMER: A remotely piloted aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in Pithala village in Jaisalmer district, the IAF said on Thursday. No damage to any personnel or property has been reported, the IAF said. "No damage to any personnel or property has been reported. A Court of Inquiry has been constituted to find out the cause of the accident," the IAF said. 2 Maoists killed in Odisha BHUBANESWAR: At least two Maoists were killed early on Thursday in a gun battle between red rebels and security forces in Odisha's Boudh district, police said. The exchange of fire between Maoists and personnel of Odisha's elite Special Operation Group (SOG) took place in Parhel reserve forest under the Kantamal Police Station limits, Additional DG (Operation) Dev Datta Singh said. "Two bodies of Maoists along with arms, grenades and other articles were recovered from the operation site," he said. A major blast took place in a scrap storage in Adhartal area at Jabalpur sending ripples across the locality and prompting authorities to go for a search of two workers that couldn't be traced after the incident on Thursday. A body part of one of the workers was found meters away from the blast area. Perhaps, the ammunition scrap from ordinance factory might have caused the blast but no confirmation of any sort was available till filing of this report at mid-night. Fires tenders were rushed to the spot. District officials including collector, SP, officials of Jabalpur municipal corporation visited the area and started the rescue work. ASP Sonali Dubey told Free Press, “A blast had occurred in the Adhartal area of the Jabalpur city at around 3.30 pm. The explosion scattered the tin shades in the area. Two persons working in the storage are missing and police have found some body parts from the site.” The fire tenders have doused the blaze and the entire area has been sealed, said the ASP, adding that the bomb disposal squad and forensic team have been pressed into service. The officer, however, refused to comment if the explosion were related to defence ammunition, saying that it was too early to say something until the forensic team certified it. - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE EDIT BRITISH RAJ TO BILLIONAIRE RAJ 34.10c. 22.00c Sunrise : 05.59 Sunset : 06.51 OUR STAFF REPORTER Bhopal/Morena displayed on the Hirabaug Bridge, were installed by former Corporator Dinesh Kachadiya. They urge the public to confront Kumbhani over his actions. This public display of dissent follows the controversial disqualification of Kumbhani's Lok Sabha candidacy by Surat Collector and Returning Officer, Sourabh Pardhi, amid claims of inconsistencies in his nomination docu- QUALITY AT VALUE www.freepressjournal.in The name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi entered the election arena amid allegations and counter allegations on Thursday . At a public meeting in Morena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged that the Congress itself had abolished the Inheritance Act that the party was talking about. During the rule of Indira Gandhi, the Inheritance Act had been in vogue, but when Ravji Gandhi felt the government would take a portion of his property, he abolished it. Rajiv Gandhi did that to save his own properties, Modi said, adding that after acquiring a huge property, the Congress wants to impose tax on the public, and Modi is standing as a wall. “Modi is standing with his 56-inch chest. So, the Congress will never be able to translate its plan into reality The congress is . keeping an eye on the property of people after their death,” he said. The Congress enjoys insulting Modi, because they are Namdaar but he is Kaamdaar, the Prime Minister said. PM Narendra Modi exchanges greetings with BJP candidate Shivmangal Singh Tomar during a public meeting for the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, in Morena on Thursday MODI SPOUTING LIES: CONG NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday termed as ‘lies’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that former PM Rajiv Gandhi had abolished inheritance tax after his mother Indira Gandhi's death to save her wealth from going to the government, as it cited then finance minister's budget speech on abolition of the estate duty. Hitting back at the prime minister, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X, "Yesterday the PM claimed that @INCIndia wanted to impose an Inheritance Tax. Once it became clear that it was actually the BJP that has been propagating an Inheritance Tax, he switched lanes." "Once again, his lies stand unraveled. Here is the paragraph from then-Finance Minister VP Singh's budget speech of March 16th, 1985, which proposed the abolition of estate duty. Paragraph 88 of the speech states the reasons clearly," Ramesh said and shared an excerpt from the speech. PATNA Rescue operations underway after a massive fire broke out in a hotel near the Patna railway station, in Patna on Thursday. Six persons, including three women, died in a major fire that broke out on Thursday inside a hotel, situated close to a railway station in Patna, police said. According to Chandra Prakash, SP (City Central), Patna, rescue work is over at the hotel near Patna Junction, where the blaze had erupted around 11 am with more than 20 people trapped inside. "The deceased include three women. In addition, two persons with severe burn injuries are in a critical condition, and they have been admitted to hospital," Prakash told reporters. Police are trying to ascertain the identity of the deceased and the critically injured persons so that their family members could be informed, he said. CONTD. ON P7 GOOF UP IN SURGERY PRACTICAL MARKS @MGM MPMSU revokes decision of re-exam, accepts revised result sent by MGM OUR STAFF REPORTER Indore In a sudden turn of events, the Madhya Pradesh Medical Science University (MPMSU), Jabalpur has withdrawn its decision of re-conducting surgery practical exam of 94 MBBS CINEMA ‘Cong tied Army’s hands’ Three women among six killed in Patna hotel fire University debars all the examiners for two years, all students to be declared pass with new result released in two days DOWRY DRAMA’S ABRUPT END Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Congress had tied the hands of the soldiers of the Indian Army. After the BJP came to power, the government has given the army full power to tackle the enemy, Modi said. “I have told the soldiers if the enemy fires a single shot, answer them with ten cannon shells,” the Prime Minister said. final year students of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, in less than 24 hours. FREEPRESS FOLLOW-UP Moreover, the university has accepted the revised result sent by the medical college along with the affidavit duly signed by all the examiners involved. Action has been taken against the four examiners of the medical college involved in the practical exam and they have been debarred from conducting examinations for two years. With this, all the students will be declared pass with the new result released by the university in two days. MBBS final year students of MGM Medical College had staged demonstration at the university in Jabalpur, on Thursday against the de, cision of re-exam. "We had already passed the exam but were marked fail due to examiner's error. CONTD. ON P7 Wanted posters for missing Cong leader surface in Surat SURAT: Wanted posters for Congress leader Nilesh Kumbhani have been put up across Surat, labeling him a ‘murderer of democracy’ and a ‘traitor.’ Amid rumours of Kumbhani's potential defection to the BJP, Congress supporters have staged protests outside his nowvacant residence, denouncing him as a ‘betrayer of the people.’ The posters, prominently r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 Rajiv abolished inheritance tax to save his property: PM KULDEEP YADAV IS AT HIS PEAK: DEEP DASGUPTA SPORTS Plaints against PM, Rahul; but notice to their party `3 WEATHER FP ments. Kumbhani has since become unreachable, sparking concern among his party colleagues and supporters. "He is neither at his home nor available on calls. He hasn’t contacted party members since the election of Mukesh Dalal," reported a Congress party worker. The situation escalated after Mukesh Dalal from the BJP was declared the win- ner unopposed in Surat, a result that came into place after all rival candidates, including those from major parties like the BSP myste, riously withdrew their nominations. Returning Officer Sourabh Pardhi had rejected Kumbhani's nomination papers and that of his substitute, citing discrepancies in the signatures of their proposers. CONTD. ON P7 It does not matter much if Naamdaars insult Kaamdaars, he further said, adding that the Congress is conspiring to do away with the reservation for SC/ST. In 2011, the Congress-led government issued an order, reducing the reservation meant the OBC, he said. The order stated that reservation would be given in the name of religion, but the Anddhra Pradesh High Court cancelled it, Modi said. The Congress even went to the Supreme Court against the HC order, but the people threw the party – which wanted to give reservation in the name of religion – out of power in 2014, the Prime Minister said. CONTD. ON P7 Girl tops JEE Indore list INDORE: For the first time in history, a girl has bagged the title of Indore city topper in Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main. The inspirational girl is Shrestha Goyal with AIR 167 with 99.99%. Shrestha, though not officially announced by NTA, has also scored highest marks among girls in JEE Main 2024 and hence is girls topper in state. India trashes US report on human rights abuse NEW DELHI: India on Thursday termed the US State Department's annual human rights report on India "deeply biased" and stated that it shows a "poor understanding" of the country . It also mentioned the alleged attacked on minorities, journalists and dissenting voices across the country . Speaking to the media, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "This report is deeply biased and reflects a poor understanding of India. We attach no value to it and urge you to do the same." The report said the local human rights organisations, affected communities and minority political parties censured Central government for the delay in action to stop violence and provide humanitarian assistance in the north eastern Manipur embroiled in ethnic clashes. The report also spoke about the income tax department raids at the office of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It said The annual human rights assessment report by the State Department highlighted "significant" abuses in Manipur where an ethnic conflict broke out last year that although the tax authorities described the searches as motivated by irregularities in the media house's tax payments and ownership structure, the officials also seized equipment from journalists not involved in the organisation's financial processes. Referring to a BBC documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots."The government invoked emergency powers to ban screening of the documentary, forced media companies to remove links to the video, and detained student protesters who organised viewing parties," the State Department. The screening of the documentary was banned in India. 2nd phase of polling in six LS seats in state today 2,865 vulnerable polling stations OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in In second phase of Lok Sabha elections, 1.11 crore voters are going to cast their votes in six parliamentary constituencies of the state on Friday, said chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan, talking to media persons here on Thursday . The second phase of polling will be going to take place in Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa and Hosangabad. The CEO informed that 58.32 lakh male voters, 53.29 lakh female voters and 155 are the third gender voters who will be going to practice their votes. Total 80 candidates are testing their popularity in this phase; among them 75 are male contestants, four are women and one is third gender. Durga Mousi is contesting election from Damoh constituency as an independent candidate. For this phase 12,828 polling stations have been set up and of them 1,136 are Pink polling booth, 498 are model polling stations and 32 polling stations are Credit card data of 17K ICICI Bank users exposed BANK blocks cards, assures compensation AGENCIES New Delhi After credit card data of at least 17,000 new ICICI Bank customers was exposed and reached "wrong users", the bank said on Thursday that it has blocked these cards and is issuing new ones to the customers. The issue surfaced after some ICICI Bank customers voiced concerns on social media about the bank's iMobile Pay app exposing credit card details, including their full number and card verification value (CVV). On the finance-related forum Technofino, several users reported seeing sensitive data such as the full card number, expiry date, and CVV of unknown customers’ credit cards of some users suddenly on their iMobile Pay app. In a statement to IANS, the ICICI Bank spokesperson said that it came to their notice that "about 17,000 new credit cards which were issued in the past few days were erroneously mapped in our digital channels to wrong users". CONTD. ON P7 VOTER STATS n There are 1,108 voters who are above 100 years n 64,703 voters have crossed 85 years n 3.26 lakh are the first time voters n 27.8 lakh voters are at in the 20 to 29 years age group fully dedicated to specially-abled staffers. In the state 2,865 polling stations are critical polling stations. The Commission had identified 178 vulnerable areas and also identified 378 person who can affect the polling. Postman’s son tops CDS exam DHARAMSALA Rajat Kumar (22) from Kangra district has topped the Combined Defence Services (CDS II) 2023 examination. The result of the examination, which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for admission to Indian Military Academy, Indian Naval Academy and Air Force Academy, was declared on Monday . Kumar hails from Shahpur area of Kangra district. His father, Pradeep Kumar, is a postman, while his mother, Baby Devi, is a homemaker. CONTD. ON P7