Vol. 65 No. 352 | WEDNESDAY | JUNE 22, 2022 | 17 Pages | Sena’s shirshasan on Yoga Day EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, Konkan, E-paper MARKETS CLIMB FOR 2ND DAY; SENSEX, NIFTY RALLY NEARLY 2% EDIT ACTED IN HASTE, NOW REPENT AT LEISURE I AM MORE CONFIDENT NOW BUT I HOPE THAT JUGJUGG JEEYO WORKS: KIARA Eknath Shinde sings Raag Hindutva; BJP in wait-and-watch mode as Sena douses political fire Sena heading for a vertical split SANJAY JOG MUMBAI The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, and the Shiv Sena in particular, are in a deep political crisis after a midnight coup by veteran Shiv Sainik and state urban development minister Eknath Shinde and few other legislators who left for Surat and were not traceable till Tuesday noon. Shinde, along with 32 legislators, including two independents, revolted as they were annoyed over Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s neglect and initiative in meeting them. Their grouse is lack of freedom and clearance for their proposals, including additional funds to their respective constituencies. After shifting to Surat, Shinde removed Sena from twitter bio and posted in Marathi, “We are Balasaheb’s staunch Shiv Sainiks... Balasaheb has taught us Hindutva... We have never and will never cheat for power regarding Balasaheb’s thoughts and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Saheb’s teachings.” If Shinde and other legislators team up to form a separate group, they may not attract the provisions of the anti-defection law. This will pave the way for them to seek the Speaker’s consent that will help them join the BJP, which, in turn, would cross the halfway mark of 144 in the 288-member assembly to form the government and win the vote of confidence. If the team fails to achieve their strength at 36, they will face legal and legislative hurdles. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE We are fully confident that Uddhav Thackeray will resolve this… We will find a way out… When we know the ground reality then we will work on our strategy… – Sharad Pawar BETWEEN THE LINES SANGLI SUICIDES: 13 LENDERS HELD A day after nine members of a family were found dead in their houses in Sangli, the police have arrested 13 persons, including a woman, for allegedly harassing the deceased to the point of taking their own lives. Twelve other accused are still wanted in the case. Apart from the charge related to abetment of suicide under the Indian Penal Code, the police have also invoked the Atrocities Act and the Maharashtra Money-Lending (Regulation) Act. The family allegedly owed money, by way of unpaid loans, to 25 accused persons. The police are trying to ascertain the exact amount borrowed. – See City IN US, COVID VAX FOR INFANTS T he US is expected to start Covid vaccination this week for children as young as six months old. The plan came after the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on the shots for an additional 19 million children across the US. The CDC’s advisory panel has unanimously recommended the PfizerBioNTech vaccine for children aged six months through four years, as well as the Moderna vaccine for children aged six months through five years. This was the last age group in the US without access to a Covid-19 vaccine. BAIL FOR NASHIK STUDENT T he Bombay High Court on Tuesday granted bail to a 22-year-old pharmacy student from Nashik, Nitin Bhamre, who was arrested last month for an alleged objectionable tweet against NCP chief Sharad Pawar. The court observed it can’t lose sight of the fact that he is “just a student” and that “an element of public interest is involved here”. A division bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and NR Borkar also noted that Bhamre has been in jail since May 19 for a social media post; he had been arrested by the Nashik police, as six different FIRs were registered against him for his one tweet. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE Surat hotel: Centre of rebellion Security was beefed up outside Eknath Shinde’s bungalow in Thane and Anand Ashram at Tembhi Naka on Tuesday. PIC: VIBHAV BIRWATKAR Kamal Nath: Cong observer in Maha W ith the ruling coalition in Maharashtra in a political turmoil, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has appointed former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath to be the party’s observer until the presidential elections next month. The Congress remains unaffected by the turmoil that has hit the Shiv Sena most, but the leadership is upset at the Congress getting only one seat in the Legislative Council elections on Monday as against the BJP opposition romping home with five seats. Despite intervention by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his wife Rashmi to quell the rebellion, Shiv Sena is heading for a vertical split. Even though the Sena claims that Team Eknath Shinde does not have the required numbers to engineer it, the latter has been reportedly in touch with the BJP to shore up the legislators to avoid action under the anti-defection law. A senior BJP leader told the Free Press Journal, “The plan to lure Sena legislators was hatched four months ago, with the blessings of the BJP’s leadership. It was decided to exploit the internal contradiction of the MVA and lure Shinde and disgruntled Sena legislators.CONTD. ON NATION PAGE DARSHAN DESAI AHMEDABAD 288-MEMBER MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY Shiv Sena NCP Congress 55 MLAs In an operation reportedly engineered by Gujarat BJP President CR Paatil, along with his daughter Dharti Deore, the Dhule Zila Parishad chief in Maharashtra, as many as 29 Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde are holed up in a plush hotel in Surat. All of them drove down to Le Meridien Hotel on Dumas Beach Road in installments, beginning at 2 am on Tuesday. Hotel sources confided that at least 30 rooms were booked by the MLAs two days ago. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE 51 44 Bahujan Vikas Aghadi Samajwadi Party, AIMIM and Prahar Janshakti Party 3 2 each MNS, CPI-M, Independent The BJP PWP, Swabhimani MLAs 106 Paksha, Rashtriya 13 MLAs Samaj Party, With the support of 7 Jansurajya Shakti Party and independents and one Krantikari Shetkari MNS legislator, BJP will have Paksha 1 each 114 BJP will need 30 to cross the halfway mark of 144 PBS says Pandey was bearer of veiled message BHAVNA UCHIL MUMBAI Former city police commissioner Param Bir Singh, after removal from the top post, felt threatened during a meeting last year with the then acting Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Pandey, who is now the city police chief. In the case against former state CBI CHARGESHEET AGAINST ANIL DESHMUKH minister Anil Deshmukh, Singh told the CBI that Pandey advised him to withdraw his controversial letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and said that the state government was considering initiating serious criminal cases against him. Singh’s statement forms a part of FACE THE DAY WITH YOGA Mass congregation at Gateway of India to mark the International Day of Yoga. Plea seeks protection for MVA leaders BHAVNA UCHIL MUMBAI Stating that the BJP is using Central agencies to harass Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, three Congress members, in a plea before a city court, have sought protection from arrest for all MVA leaders. The anticipatory bail application was filed by Advocate Madhu Holamagi, Yusuf the CBI’s chargesheet filed earlier this month. He said that he had sought the meeting with Pandey after his removal as top cop. The meeting lasted 45 minutes and took place at the DG’s office. Singh stated that Pandey started the topic of his letter in which he had made corruption allegations against Deshmukh and told him he can’t fight the system, that he himself had fought it, but Patel and Ranjeet Dutta. Advocate Holamagi submitted that the plea is for all MPs, MLAs and MLCs, seeking that they not be arrested in any false case. Special Judge MG Deshpande sought to know how such blanket orders can be passed without the persons concerned giving power to the trio to represent them. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE could not win. “He also told me that apart from the departmental inquiry initiated against me, the state government was also considering serious criminal cases and advised me to avoid the fight, even if I was right,” his statement read. Singh further said that Pandey offered to mediate between the government and him for an amicable solution. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE Indrani’s ex-husband is out of jail too SHEENA BORA MURDER CASE PIC: SALMAN ANSARI Possible Scenarios SANJAY JOG MUMBAI STAFF REPORTER MUMBAI The Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, granted bail to Indrani Mukerjea’s former husband Sanjeev Khanna, who is facing trial for murdering her daughter Sheena. Justice Bharti Dangre granted bail to Khanna on parity after the Supreme Court released Indrani on bail last month. Other than Indrani, her estranged husband Peter Mukerjea is also out on bail. Khanna has been directed to furnish a surety of Rs 1 lakh, said his advocate Shreyansh Mithare. On May 18, the SC granted bail to Indrani, observing that she has been in custody for six-and-a-half years, which is “too long a time” and also that the trial is not likely to conclude soon. Peter had got bail from the high court in 2020. As per the prosecution’s case, Indrani conspired with her then husband Peter Mukerjea and ex-husband Sanjeev Khanna and murdered her daughter Sheena with the help of her then driver Shyamvar Rai. Sheena was allegedly drugged and strangulated in a car by Indrani and Khanna and her body disposed of in a suitcase in the Pen area of Raigad district. Indrani was arrested in 2015 and chargesheeted as accused for offences punishable under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 364 (kid-napping), 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. Sheena was born out of Indrani’s previous relationship. Indrani allegedly did not approve of her close relationship with Rahul Mukerjea, Peter’s son from his first marriage. School shock: Anytime lunch and naps LAST WORD CHAITALI DHARAMSHI MUMBAI Fidgety within minutes, impatience in queues, difficulty in making eye contact, sudden naps and unannounced lunch breaks. These are some of the serious and seriously hilarious side-effects of classroom learning for young children trying to unlearn being online for classes. After two years of computer learning, schools have resumed. While some students are relishing being back on their benches, reuniting with classmates and enjoying their teachers’ company others , who have never attended a school, or did so briefly before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, are finding it hard to inculcate the school-going habit. Dr Swati Popat Vats, president of Podar Education Network, said, “Kids are unable to sit for more than three to four minutes. They are unable to share or wait for their turn, though it was being practiced during online classes.” She said eye contact has been lost owing to screen usage and children are unable to complete their activities. “They require repeated reminders and motivation to complete their assigned tasks,” she said, adding that eye contact is being re-established through games such as blinking, looking, and looking away be, fore making eye contact again. Even selfregulation games like musical chairs are being used to assert the need for listening and waiting for directions. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE 290c. 260c. Sunrise: 06:02 am Sunset : 07:19 pm PREZ POLL Ex-Jharkhand Guv Murmu is NDA’s candidate FPJ BUREAU / NEW DELHI Former Jharkhand governor Droupadi Murmu, 64, a tribal woman from Odisha who took over as the governor in May 2015 and completed a full fiveyear term, was on Tuesday chosen as the NDA’s candidate for the presidential election. BJP president JP Nadda announced her candidature after the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting on Tuesday . Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and others were present at the meeting. During the day the leaders had met , vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu, too, sparking a buzz on his candidature. Murmu will be the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post if she is elected, which is a strong possibility as numbers are stacked in favour of the BJP-led NDA. PM Modi said Murmu has devoted her life to serving society and expressed confidence that she will be a “great President”. Millions of people, especially those who have faced hardships, derive great strength from the life of Draupadi Murmu, the PM said. “Her understanding of policy matters and compassionate nature will greatly benefit our country he said. ,” Choice of Oppn: Yashwant Sinha FPJ BUREAU NEW DELHI Several major opposition parties, including the Congress, the NCP and the TMC, on Tuesday picked former Union minister Yashwant Sinha as their candidate for the July 18 presidential polls. Opposition leaders gathered at the Parliament Annexe for a meeting convened by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, and unanimously agreed on Sinha’s name. Almost immediately after, Sinha said he will “step aside” from the TMC to work for the larger national cause of opposition unity He will file his . nomination papers on June 27. Taking to Twitter, TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “I would like to congratulate Shri @YashwantSinha on becoming the consensus candidate, supported by all progressive opposition par- ties, for the upcoming Presidential Election. A man of great honour and acumen, who would surely uphold the values that represent our great nation!” In a joint statement, read by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, the opposition said, “We regret Modi government made no serious effort to have consensus on a presidential candidate. Ramesh noted that the initiative to have a consensus candidate for the highest office of the Republic should have been taken by the government. In his long and distinguished career in public life, Sinha has served in various capacities – an administrator, accomplished parliamentarian and Union Minister of Finance and External Affairs. The leaders also announced that a committee formed to steer Sinha’s presidential campaign will start working immediately . CONTD. ON NATION PAGE