FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. XXXX NO. 88 | INDORE | TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 5, 2023 | PAGES 16 AWESOME TWOSOME Pg-14 News Brief Omkar Markam is CEC member BHOPAL: Former minister Omkar Singh Markam was appointed member of the Central Election Committee of the AICC on Monday. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge constituted the party's CEC with 16 members including himself and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The development comes ahead of assembly elections in states like Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh. The panel also discussed and finalised the list of candidates. SC lists on Oct 3 FIR on hate speech by Thakur NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to October 3 a hearing on a plea filed by CPI-M leader Brinda Karat against the Delhi High Court order which had dismissed a petition challenging the trial court’s refusal for an FIR against Union I &B Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Pravesh Verma for allegedly giving hate speeches over anti-CAA protests. A bench comprising of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Pankaj Mithal fixed the hearing on Oct 3 and clarified that no further adjournments would be granted in the matter. Terrorist killed in encounter at Reasi JAMMU:One terrorist has been killed in an ongoing encounter between terrorists and security forces at Gali Sohab in T area of uli Chassana in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Monday. "One terrorist ahs been killed so far while one police personnel has also suffered injuries," police said. He said that it is a joint operation carried out by the police and army. The firefight started after a joint team of police and security forces got an input about the presence of terrorists in that area. I WILL REPEAT AGAIN & AGAIN N CHITHRA / CHENNAI While the BJP and its affiliated outfits stepped up their attack on Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin for his call to eradicate Sanatan Dharma, with an Uttar Pradeshbased sant announcing a Rs10 crore bounty for his head, the latter on Monday remained firm in his stand. Udhayanidhi said he would speak against Sanatan Dharma again and again, if there were attempts to intimidate him into stop speaking thus. The DMK politician, who is the son of Chief Minister M K Stalin, told journalists in Thoothukudi, that there was no need for him to resign from the Cabinet as he had not said anything wrong about Sanatan Dharma. CONTD. ON P6 - `3 r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE EDIT CALL FOR GENOCIDE OR OVERREACTION? FP NEWS SERVICE NEEMUCH Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday likened Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with former Team India captain and declared, "Chouhan is the Dhoni of politics." On reaching Neemuch, Singh along with Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav and CM Chouhan paid obeisance at Kileshwar Mahadev temple and flagged off BJP's Jan Ashirwad Jan Ashirwad Yatra. Addressing the gathering, the defence minister said, "I call him the Dhoni of politics because I have known him for the last 30 years. No matter how the start is, he wins the match through his good finish." Singh then enumerated achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nine years at the helm. He said that GDP was an apt achievement of the Modi government. Mentioning substantial hike in state's per capital income and success of PDS as state government's contribution to people's welfare, he hit out at former CM Kamal Nath and said "During 1.5 years of Congress rule, he cancelled all our schemes and hindered the schemes of the state and Central governments." Attacking Rahul Gandhi, he said that Chandrayaan successfully landed on the South Pole of the Moon but Congress failed to launch Rahulyaan. MP Sudhir Gupta, party workers and officials were present on the stage. Thousands of people from across the district attended the gathering. DIVINE INTERVENTION SOUGHT FOR RAIN MP POLLS TO SEE FOUR INNOVATIONS l There will be wave casting at 50% of booths l Youth completing 18 years on October 1 will be allowed to vote l EC will watch state borders through cameras l The citizens above 80 years and the physically challenged will get the facility to vote from their homes NITENDRA SHARMA BHOPAL The Election Commission will do four types of innovations for the first time in the assembly election. Some of the innovations were made in the by-elections. The most important of all innovations is that polls will be conducted at 50% of booths through wave casting. There are more than 64,000 polling booths in the state, and the EC will directly keep an eye on these booths. Similarly, the EC will watch through electronic cam- ELDERLY CAN VOTE FROM HOME: RAJAN eras whether the security men deployed on the borders are properly working or not. This is going to happen for the first time in the state.Another important aspect of the ensuing election is that those who have completed 18 years by October 1 will be allowed to vote. Since the voters' list was previously published on January 1, those who CHINESE PRESIDENT Xi Jinping, who has never missed a G-20 event since he assumed office, will skip the meet in New Delhi. No reason assigned SHANKAR RAJ Washington / New Delhi any commitment on any decisions taken at the summit. Journalists in India have been quick to jump to the conclusion that Xi is not coming because of the simmering tensions between the two countries at the LAC and the recent controversy over Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. CONTD. ON P6 completed 18 years after January could not vote. The EC has decided to include in the list the names of those voters who will complete 18 years by October 1. Nearly one million new electors will vote this year. Similarly the facility for casting , one's vote from home, which was provided during the bypolls, will be carried out this time. CONTD. ON P6 At Rs 6,046 cr, BJP has highest assets among top 8 parties NEW DELHI The total assets declared by the eight national parties increased to Rs 8,829.158 crore during financial year 2021-22, of which the highest assets were declared by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at Rs 6,046.81 crore during FY 2021-22, a report said on Monday. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), in its report said that the total assets declared by the eight national parties during FY 2020-21 amounted to Rs 7,297.61 crore which increased to Rs 8,829.15 crore during FY 2021-22. The report stated that during 202021, the declared assets of BJP totalled Rs 4,990.19 crore which increased by 21.17 per cent to Rs 6,046.81 crore during FY 2021-22. CONTD. ON P6 File affidavit pledging allegiance to Constitution, SC tells Lone AGENCIES/ NEW DELHI The Central government on Monday expressed displeasure before the Supreme Court and demanded an affidavit from National Conference leader Mohammad Akbar Lone, one of the petitioners challenging the abrogation of Article 370, who had allegedly raised 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan in J&K Assembly . At the outset of the hearing in a batch of pleas challenging abroga- FPJ: www.freepressjournal.in for 24x7 updates EDITORS GUILD IN THE DOCK FOR MANIPUR REPORT OUR BUREAU NEW DELHI: In an yet another brazen attack on freedom of press, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Monday said that his government has filed an FIR against the president and three members of the Editors Guild of India (EGI), and accused them of trying to provoke clashes in the state. Leading from the front, the Manipur Chief Minister told a press conference in Imphal that at a time when many have been killed and left homeless, the EGI published a “totally one-sided” report without understanding the complexity of the crisis faced by Manipur, the background and the history of the state. Sources said that the action by the state government was taken after extensive consultation between top policy makers of the Modi government and the state chief minister. Action is an attempt to send a stern message to that section of media that is still working independently and has refused to bow down to the dictates of the powers that be. CONTD. ON P6 Amit Shah to flag off Jan Aashirwad YatrasOUR STAFF REPORTER today from two places BHOPAL Union Home Minister Amit Shah is going to flag off Janashirwad Yatras from Mandla and Sheopur districts on Tuesday Shah who is ar. riving at Jabalpur in the morning will leave for Mandla. He will flag off another Janashirwad Yatra at Sheopur and leave for Delhi. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and BJP's state president VD Sharma will be with Shah. Xi trying to avoid Biden, not Modi Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has never skipped the annual G-20 event since he assumed office in 2012, has decided to miss the meet in New Delhi; and that too for no apparent reason. It is unusual for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing not to specify any reason for President Xi's absence from a high-profile conclave. Of course, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will be present in New Delhi on September 9 and 10, but other countries’ leaders will be sceptical about Li’s ability to make Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan offers prayers at the Mahakaleshwar temple, in Ujjain on Monday PG 4 According to chief election officer of Madhya Pradesh Anupam Rajan, several innovations are being done in the ensuing election. It is happening for the first time that the elderly can vote from their homes, besides there will be wave casting at 50 per cent of booths, so that the EC can keep an eye on any abnormal situation prevailing in any booth. tion of Article 370, an advocate appearing for NGO 'Roots in Kashmir', a Kashmiri Pandit group, raised the issue before a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud saying he has filed an affidavit about a "startling fact" which came to his knowledge. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for Centre urged the top court that Lone should file an affidavit asserting that he owed allegiance to the Constitution of India and oppose terrorism and secessionist forces by Pakistan in J&K. He must come on record. He is the petitioner in the lead petition. He is not an ordinary man. He is a member of Parliament. Despite it being brought to the notice of the court if he does nothing it might encourage others. The efforts of the nation to bring in normalcy which is substantially successful might be affected. Coming from responsible leaders it has its own seriousness, the Solicitor General said. CONTD. ON P6 32.90c. 22.10c Sunrise : 06.10 Sunset : 06.43 SACHIN WELCOMES JASPRIT-SANJANA’S 'YOUNG CHAMP' Pg-15 SHIVRAJ IS DHONI OF POLITICS: RAJNATH JAN AASHIRWAD YATRA QUALITY AT VALUE r RNI No. 38281/83 WEATHER FP CM lays foundation stone for Shri Ramraja Lok in Orchha RS 81 CR to be spent OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan performed bhoomi pujan and laid the foundation stone for Shri Ramraja Lok in Shri Ramraja temple complex in Orchha in Niwari district on Monday . Shri Ram Raja Lok will be built on a grand scale and will cost Rs 81 crore. The temple was built by Bundela rulers. Orchha has been included in the list of World Heritage. Shri Ramaraja temple complex is spread over 2.86 acres. Shri Ramraja Lok will be developed on 12 acres of land around temple. Its construction will begin from grand Darbar corridor at the entrance. FUNDS SANCTIONED A sum of Rs 41 crore has been sanctioned for development of plaza, which will have Shri Ramraja public entrance, prasadalaya, queue complex, development of Shri Janaki temple complex, food plaza, rehabilitation of nearby shops, crowd management, beautification of shops and Shri Ram as a child in the temple complex. There will be corridors and courtyards in which Bal Kand will be depicted. The architecture of Shri Ramraja Lok will reflect Bundelkhand culture. CONTD. ON P6 IMPORTANT MONUMENTS A sum of Rs 19.72 cr has been sanctioned for carrying out development of important monuments to provide facilities to visitiors. It is spread across 70 acres with monuments around Chaturbhuj Temple, Lakshmi Temple, Chhatris, Tulsighat and making them useful by providing public facilities. Other works Q Rs 1.05 cr: For development of Tulsi Ghat, boat club, changing rooms, lockers, public facilities. Q Rs 4.07 cr: For internal roads, pathways near Q Q Q Q Q monuments, walk paths around fort, public facilities, signage and boat club near ghat. Rs 1.5 cr: For beautification near fort complex Rs. 5.75 cr: On lighting near monuments Rs. 1 cr: For interpretation centre near Chaturbhaj temple, upgradation of kanchana ghat/chhatris, public facilities, signage for food stall and craft market. Rs 1 cr: On development of public facilities, signage and interpretation centre near Lakshmi temple. Rs 3.95 cr will be spent on other works.