FREE PRESS - VOL. XXXIX NO. 14 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | JUNE 22, 2022 | PAGES 16 MAHA CRISIS AS SENA LEADER REBELS WWW.FREEPRESSJOURNAL.IN RNI No. 38281/83 Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE FOR 24X7 UPDATES EDIT ACTED IN HASTE, NOW REPENT AT LEISURE AIMING FOR A HAT-TRICK Pg-16 NAGALAND KILLINGS: Army won't hand over troops for EKNATH SHINDE SINGS RAAG HINDUTVA; BJP in wait-and-watch mode as MVA douses political fire civil trial 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 Shiv staunch 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 POSSIBLE SCENARIOS: Shinde and other legislators team up to form a separate group, they may not attract the provisions of the antidefection 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. Thackeray-Shinde talk for 10 minutes Police outside hotel in Surat where Maharashtra MPs, MLAs are staying Sena's internal matter: Pawar NCP leader Sharad Pawar said, "We will find a way out of this situation". The former Union Minister said he would meet with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray tonight."We are fully confident that Uddhav Thackeray will resolve this," the NCP veteran told reporters, emphasizing that he considered the crisis an "internal matter of the Shiv Sena", which had nothing to do with other coalition partners. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had a 10minute phone conversation with rebel minister Eknath Shinde, at the centre of the new political crisis in the state. Sources said there was no breakthrough. Uddhav Thackeray had asked him to reconsider and return to the fold, sources said. Shinde needs 37 MLAs to claim a two-third majority to split the Shiv Sena. SENA HEADING FOR A VERTICAL SPLIT D espite 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, “The plan to lure Shiv Sena legislators was hatched at least four months ago, with the blessings of the BJP’s central leadership. It was decided to exploit the internal contradiction of the Maha Vikas Aghadi and lure Shinde and other disgruntled Shiv Sena legislators. The BJP is confident that Team Shinde will reach a strength of 36 to avoid the anti-defection law, paving the way for the formation of a new government in the state.” CONTD. ON P6 LATE NIGHT DEVPT: Sena rebels led by Shinde were being shifted from Surat to Guwahati when reports last came in FEARING POACHING, BJP FLYING ITS MAHA MLAS TO GUJARAT The BJP is all set to fly its 106 Maharashtra MLAs to Gujarat on a chartered flight, as the party fears poaching by the Shiv Sena. Meanwhile, in the evening another seven Shiv Sena MLAs landed in Surat. They were flown from Delhi to Surat. Party sources say that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda will be flying to Ahmedabad. If the team fails to achieve their strength at 36, they will face legal and legislative hurdles. , The BJP meanwhile, is in wait and watch mode. However, there is a likelihood that it will appeal to the Governor to ask the Thackeray-led government to prove his majority on the floor of the house. In that case, if Thackeray fails to lure most of the rebel legislators and keep the allies and independ- PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ents and small parties together, he may face defeat or he will resign citing lack of sufficient numbers. DAY’S ROUND-UP: In Surat, Shinde’s comrades in arms are Sandipan Bhure, Abdul Sattar and Shambhuraj Desai. The rebel leaders were also unhappy over the Shiv Sena’s alliance with the NCP and Congress, citing that it would ruin the party’s growth prospects. The turmoil hit the government a day after the BJP won all five seats it contested in the Legislative Council poll. The Sena and NCP bagged two each in the results declared on Monday However, Con. gress candidate Chandrakant Handore lost in a setback for the ruling alliance. Thackeray woke up to the news of Shinde’s revolt as the MVA government’s survival was at stake. However, trouble-shooters of the MVA parties were busy in the background to defuse and salvage the situation. Thackeray swung into action and chaired a meeting with party legislators and senior leaders at his official residence Varsha. In a swift move, Shinde was sacked as the legislative party group leader by appointing Ajay Chaudhary to the post. Nearly 17 legislators, including a few ministers, attended the meeting and thereafter Chaudhary handed over the letter to the deputy speaker Narahari Zirwal on his new appointment. But Shinde reportedly took objection against the party’s move saying that he continues to be the legislative party group leader. CONTD. ON P6 AGENCIES Kolkata The Army will try the Special Forces (SF) personnel allegedly involved in the killing of 13 villagers in Nagaland's Mon district on December 4, 2021 as per the report of its own Court of Inquiry (CoI), a source revealed. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), set up by the Nagaland government, has already indicted 30 personnel, including an officer, of the 21 Para SF for the encounter that went wrong. Based on the SIT report, chargesheets have already been filed against the paratroopers under Sections 302, 307, 326, 120B and others of the IPC. While Section 302 deals with murder, Section 307 relates to attempt to murder. Section 326 involves 'causing grievous hurt by danand weapons gerous means', Section 120B relates to criminal conspira. cy "If one were to go by the it chargesheet, SIT's would seem like a group of renegade soldiers went to the spot with the intention to kill innocent villagers. This is far from the truth. All the accused are highly-trained personnel of the Indian Army who were on a mission to neutralise a group of militants, including some of the top leadership of the NSCN (K-YA). NEW DELHI News Brief Bengal cops file FIR against CBI official West Bengal Police on Tuesday filed an FIR against several CBI officers including the one who is heading the central probe agency's ongoing probe in the coal smuggling case in the state. ‘Prophet row hit India’s reputation’ The controversy around the remarks made by the BJP’s Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal on Prophet Mohammed has damaged India’s reputation internationally, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said Tuesday. Battle lines were drawn on Tuesday for the July 18 presidential election with the naming NDA BJP-led Droupadi Murmu, a tribal leader from Odisha, as its candidate while former Union minister Yashwant Sinha was declared as a joint nominee by major opposition parties, including the Congress, the NCP and the TMC. BJP president J P Nadda announced the candidature of 64-year-old Murmu, former Jharkhand governor, following a meeting of the party's parliamentary board, hours after opposition parties in a joint statement named Sinha, who was earlier with the BJP but fell out with the ModiShah leadership and joined the Trinamool Congress in March 2021. Murmu (64), a former Jharkhand governor, will be the first tribal woman to occupy the top constitutional post if she is elected, a strong possibility as numbers are stacked in favour of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). With her nomination, the BJP is sending out a significant political message after elevating a Dalit, Ram Nath Kovind, to the top post five years back. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Murmu has devot- Droupadi Murmu and Yashwant Sinha ed her life to serving society and expressed confidence that she will be a "great President". "Droupadi Murmu Ji has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, downtrodden as well as the marginalised. She has rich administrative experience and had an outstanding gubernatorial tenure. I am confident she will be a great President of our nation. "Millions of people, especially those who have experienced poverty and faced hardships, derive great strength from the life of Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji. Her understanding of policy matters and compassionate nature will greatly benefit ," our country Modi tweeted. soft-spoken Considered and affable, the leader, who comes from Mayurbhanj, one of the more backward regions of Odisha, has held various positions in the par, ty rising through the ranks, and was a minister in the state when the BJP was in alliance with the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD). CONTD. ON P6 CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan performs yoga on International Yoga Day in Bhopal on Tuesday Minister Narendra Modi's address on the theme of 'Yoga for Humanity' from Mysore Palace, Karnataka was also telecast. Addressing the gathering at the CM House Chouhan said, "Yoga training would be imparted in the schools of the state to make yoga an integral part of life for Afghan assassin tasked to target Imran: Report PESHAWAR Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has warned of an assassination threat against former Prime Minister Imran Khan, a media report said on Tues. day The threat alert issued by CTD's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa wing stated that "terrorists are planning to assassinate Imran Khan, for which they have sought assistance from an assassin in Afghanistan", Geo News quoted the Daily Jang report as saying. According to Daily Jang, the text of the threat alert has been shared with various forums, according to which an Afghan assassin has been given the responsibility to target the former premier. However, the said assassin handed over the responsibility to others. which Yoga teachers will also be recruited. Necessary arrangements will also be made so that people can practice simple yoga regularly at home." He said cooperation of yoga seekers will be taken from organizations like International Yoga Institute, Patanjali Yoga Sansthan, Hong Kong's iconic floating jumbo restaurant sinks in South China Sea A floating restaurant in Hong Kong that was an iconic landmark for nearly 50 years has sunk into the South China Sea. According to the BBC, the Jumbo Floating Restaurant capsized almost a week after processes to tow it away to an undisclosed location began. The parent company, Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises, said that it was “very saddened by the incident” but added that no crew members were injured. The restaurant owners informed that the vessel began to tip on Saturday when it encountered “adverse conditions,” as per the Independent. Water reportedly began to enter the vessel when it was passing the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. Nobel sold for Ukrainian kids shatters record at $103.5mn NEW YORK The Nobel Peace Prize auctioned off by Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov to raise money for Ukrainian child refugees sold Monday night for $103.5 million, shattering the old record for a Nobel. A spokesperson for Heritage Auctions, which handled the sale, could not confirm the identity of the buyer but said the win. ning bid was made by proxy The $103.5 million sale translates to $100 million Swiss francs, hinting that the buyer is from overseas. "I was hoping that there was going to be an enormous amount of , solidarity but I was not expecting this to be such a huge amount," Muratov said in an interview after bidding in the nearly 3-week auction ended on World Refugee . Day Previously, the most ever paid for a Nobel Prize medal was $4.76 million in 2014, when James Watson, whose co-discovery of the structure of DNA earned him a Nobel Prize in 1962, sold his. Three years later, the family of his co-recipient, Francis Crick, received $2.27 million in bidding also run by Heritage Auctions. Muratov, who was awarded the gold medal in October 2021, helped found the independent Novaya newspaper Russian Gazeta and was the publication's editor-in-chief when it shut down in March amid the Kremlin's clampdown on journalists and public dissent in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was Muratov's idea to auction off his prize, having already announced he was donating the accompanying $500,000 cash award . to charity Muratov has said the proceeds will go directly to UNICEF in its efforts to help children displaced by the war in Ukraine. Just minended, bidding after utes UNICEF told the auction house it had already received the funds. Online bids had begun June 1 to coincide with the International Children's Day observance. Many bids came by telephone or online. The winning bid, tendered by telephone, catapulted the bidding from the low millions to astronomical levels. CONTD. ON P6 35.40c. 21.60c Sunrise : 05.43 Sunset : 07.15 MPPSC BLACKLISTS PAPER-SETTER, TWO EXAM MODERATORS FREEPRESS IMPACT OUR STAFF REPORTER city.indore@fpj.co.in All states asked not to take trio's services Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) on Tuesday blacklisted a paper setter and two moderators, two days after an objectionable question on Kashmir was asked in the state service preliminary exam. The MPPSC also washed its hands of the question saying it did not agree with the content. The Commission added that it had made the question null and void. The move comes after Free Press published a news story about it in Tuesday's edition. Inviting ire from one and all, MPPSC on Sunday asked the question in general aptitude paper regarding giving away Kashmir to Pakistan. The question carried two arguments followed by four options. The students had to choose one of the options. The question was 'Should India decide giving away Kashmir to Pakistan? Ar- gument I: Yes, this will save a lot of money of India. Argument II: No, such a decision will lead to more similar demands.' The options were (A) Argument I is strong; (B) Argument II is strong; (C) Arguments I and II both are strong; and (D) Arguments I and II both are not strong. Candidates were taken aback when they went through the question and some of them had even lodged their objection on it with the examiners. CONTD. ON P6 BJP names Droupadi 'Yoga teachers to be hired for training in schools across state' Murmu, Oppn picks Yashwant Sinha A Yoga Commission was constituted in the state on Tuesday hours after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made an announcement to the effect on the 8th International , Yoga Day as per a notification from the state government. Earlier, stating his own example as to how Yoga helps him keep fit and work 18 hours a day Chouhan announced constitution of a Yoga commission in the state and training of yoga in schools across state during a programme held at the CM House. On the occasion Prime WEATHER ROW OVER KASHMIR QUESTION IN MPPSC YOGA COMMISSION CONSTITUTED AFTER CM'S ANNOUNCEMENT ON INT’L YOGA DAY OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in `3 QUALITY AT VALUE Isha Yoga Foundation and Art of Living. He said, "Yoga derived from the tradition of Indi, an culture and spirituality is today becoming the basis of global cooperation. This will prove to be a means of keeping the human body healthy International ." Yoga Day is a symbol of human vitality after the whole world has faced such a huge Corona pandemic. In his address Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Yoga is a source of peace for all of us. It is the individual medium of peace, peace for society, peace for nations and peace for the universe. Yoga paves the way for solution to all problems." CONTD. ON P6 MPPSC said that it had not only blacklisted the subject experts involved in preparing the paper but also informed other states about it. Panchbhai said, "Information has been provided to service commissions of all states and UPSC about the blacklisting of the subject experts with a suggestion that their services should not be taken." State Assembly’s Monsoon session from July 25 OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in The state legislative assembly’s monsoon session will be of 5 days beginning July 25, as per an official notifi. cation issued on Tuesday According to the state legislative assembly’s principal secretary (PS) AP Singh, the 5-day monsoon session will be the 12th session of the 15th state legislative as. sembly The PS informed the media that since there is no holiday during the session there will be as many as five sittings of the House during the duration. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Govind Singh demanded in a statement that the duration of the session be extended to three weeks instead of five days. KILLING OF THREE TOP NAXALS IN ENCOUNTER HAWK FORCE ‘LOSES’ WAY BUT NOT THE TARGET MAOISTS under pressure to expand base in MP: Cops RANJAN city.bhopal@fpj.co.in The team of hawk force and police achieved massive success in Balaghat district in eliminating three top Maoists on Monday having once got to a wrong place. It was some further leads and evidence left by Naxal group that led the team to the place where the team members had an encounter with the AK-47 carrying Maoists, as per officials in Balaghat district. As per officials, the position of the team while combing the area also helped avoid any casualty on its side. "The team was on higher position and the Naxals, who started firing on seeing the team, were on the lower side. In the counter attack the three ultras were killed. Had the team been on the lower side the casualty on its side was unavoidable", said one of the officers wanting not to be quoted. Another officer said, "We couldn't believe our luck when the dead bodies were identified and it turned out to be of topmost Maoists in the country- divisional committee member Nagesh who carried a reward of Rs 27 lakh and area commanders Manoj and Rame, both carrying a reward of Rs 14 lakh each. It hardly happens that police get not one but three top Maoists in a single encounter." He said there were many other Maoists along with these three commanders who fled the spot having seen the fate of their leaders. The officer said Nagesh had about 62 cases of crime registered against him in Maharashtra alone. CONTD. ON P6