s FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. 13 NO. 96 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 | PAGES 16 KAVITHA ATTACKS 'SIX GUARANTEES' OF CONG Pg-7 - `3 r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE EDIT QUALITY AT VALUE r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 WEATHER FP 22.60c. 22.00c Sunrise : 06.14 Sunset : 06.27 FPJ: www.freepressjournal.in for 24x7 updates FESTIVE FEELS Pg-16 SUBTLE WINDS OF CHANGE IN GOP Row over Cong's Jan Aakrosh Yatra theme song 'Chalo, Chalo' BJP and Congress accuse each other of stealing theme song of Imran Khan OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in News Brief Govt to earmark 5% medical seats for govt school students: CM BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government will give 5 per cent reservation in medical studies to children from government schools from this year, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday. He claimed ever since admission in medical colleges started through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), children from government schools were not able to become doctors. Cauvery water: Fight legal battle: Bommai BENGALURU: Senior BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said the State government should approach the Supreme Court and convince it on the reason why Cauvery water cannot be released to Tamil Nadu. The former CM was reacting to the Cauvery Water Management Authority's direction asking Karnataka to continue releasing 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for another 15 days, Bommai termed the CWMA's order as one which cannot be followed. Amruta bribe case: Jaisinghani gets bail MUMBAI : A Mumbai court on Monday granted bail to alleged bookie Anil Jaisinghani in a case of attempting to blackmail and bribe Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis' wife Amruta Fadnavis. Jaisnghani was arrested by the Mumbai police in March this year in connection with the case filed by Amruta Fadnavis. Iran frees five Americans WASHINGTON: Iran has freed the five Americans who had been imprisoned in Iran for nearly six years. They have now landed in Doha, Qatar, before flying to the United States later on Monday, according to reports reaching here.Two relatives of the detainees are also on board, along with the Qatari ambassador to Tehran.The five were freed as part of a wider deal that includes the US unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds and swapping of a few Iranian citizens.The US had claimed that all of them were wrongfully detained. Sacred Ensembles of Hoysala on Heritage list NEW DELHI : 'Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala', the Hoysala temples of Belur, Halebid and Somnathapura in Karnataka, have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The world body made the announcement in a post on X on Monday, a day after Santiniketan, the famed place in West Bengal where poet Rabindranath Tagore built Visva-Bharati over a century ago, received the coveted tag. "Just inscribed on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: 48-hour bandh in Manipur IMPHAL: At least five local clubs and Meira Paibi units have announced a 48-hour statewide bandh from midnight demanding the release of five youths who were arrested for carrying weapons and sporting camouflage uniforms, officials said. Controversy erupted over the theme song of Congress prepared for Jan Aakrosh Yatra-- "Chalo, Chalo Congress ke sang Chalo Chalo". Both the Congress and the BJP accuse each other of 'stealing' theme song of former prime minister Imran Khan's party for poll campaigns, here on Monday . The Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf party was at the center of an exchange between the BJP and Congress in the state as both the parties accused each other of 'stealing' the theme song of Imran's party for their respective campaigns for the upcoming Assembly elections. First, the ruling BJP claimed that the Congress has "stolen" the theme song of Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf for its Jan Aakrosh Yatra campaign in poll- bound state. The Congress hit back, claiming that the song of the PTI was copied by Dushyant Chautala, Deputy CM of Haryana and similarly in Rajasthan (for the poll campaign). Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the Congress has stolen the campaign song of its Jan Akrosh Yatra from Pakistan. "The (erstwhile) Congress government had lost its credibility in the state because of the 'Chalo Cha- AICC general secretary and state in-charge Randeep Surjewala said that the BJP is trying to create confusion on the song, they are frightened with the Congress party poll campaign starting with Jan Aakrosh Yatra PM Modi’s tribute to Nehru in farewell to old Parl building ARTICLE 370, GST, One Rank One Pension: PM on 'historic decisions NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday recounted the journey of Parliament right from the framing and adoption of the Constitution in 1950 to the abrogation of Article 370 while addressing the special session. As the operations of Parliament are set to begin from the new building from Tuesday (September 19), PM Modi, while recalling his emotional moments when he first arrived in Parliament House as an MP in 2014, during his 50 minute address, recounted several historic moments which have been witnessed by Parliament in the last 75 years. "It is the occasion of the past meeting the present," the Prime Minister said, while addressing the Lok Sabha on the last day of functioning in the old building. He informed the House that in the current 17th Lok Sabha, there is the oldest MP in Samajwadi Party's Shafiqur Rehman Barq, who is 93 years old, while in Chandramani Murmu of the Biju Janata Dal, the House has the youngest MP at 30 years. The Prime Minister recalled CRPF CoBRA unit deployed for first time in Kashmir NEW DELHI: The Central Reserve Police Force’s elite CoBRA unit has been deployed in J&K for the first time, sources told News18 on Monday, indicating that security missions similar to the anti-Naxal operations in Left-Wing Extremist areas could be carried out in the Valley . Sources said the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) units, previously stationed in Bihar and Jharkhand, were stationed in Kashmir’s Kupwara after being brought for training in April. They however, weren’t given , any assignments yet. “But now, they are ready for deployment,” a source said. The CoBRA is a specialised guerilla warfare commando unit of the CRPF with extensive ex, pertise in fighting in forests. The majority of CoBRA teams, whose commandos are expected to have tough mental and physical attributes, are deployed in various Naxal violence-affected states while a few are based in the northeastern states for undertaking counter-insurgency operations. CONTD. ON P6 lo' (keep moving) jibe of Kamal Nath (MP Congress chief and ex-chief minister). The public is also go- WOMEN'S QUOTA BILL GETS NOD IN KEY CABINET MEETING NEW DELHI: A bill to ensure reservation of 33 per cent seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Monday evening, sources have told NDTV. The government, however, is yet to announce it and skipped the customary briefing after the cabinet meet. The meeting had spiked interest in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment earlier today that "historic decisions" will be taken in this special session. A series of key meetings were also held ahead of it -- Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi met Home Minister Amit Shah. BJP chief JP Nadda was also present at the meeting. There was speculation that the cabinet may clear anything from reservation for women or Other that right from first PM Jawaharlal Nehru's iconic "Tryst with Destiny" speech, which he delivered on the eve of Independence in the Central Hall, PM Narendra Modi addresses the media on the first day of the special session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Monday Backward Classes, "One Nation One Election" and even a change of name of the country. There were hopes of clarity after the meet, but the suspense continued with the government skipping the customary briefing. to Manmohan Singh, Parliament has seen the contributions of 14 Prime Ministers (including himself). CONTD. ON P6 MADHYA PRADESH ELECTIONS It's Sanatan vs corruption PM, RAGA change poll agenda NITENDRA SHARMA BHOPAL The tone of electioneering in Madhya Pradesh, which began with the announcements of welfare schemes by the ruling party and the guarantees of benefit by the opposition, has changed to Sanatan Dharma versus corruption. After PM Modi tore into opposition in Bina on September 14 over the issue of Sanatan Dharma, all BJP leaders have jumped on the bandwagon. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, his counterpart in Assam Hemant Biswa Sarma, deputy CM of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis and other leaders are taking the Opposition to task on Sanatan Dharma. The BJP leaders are targeting the members of INDIA bloc over the DMK leaders' remarks on Sanatan Dharma. The central leadership of the BJP is making Sanatan Dharma a major issue in MP. The effort is to polarise voters by keeping the issue alive. On the other hand, Rahul has directed the state leaders to make corruption an issue.After Rahul's directive, the Congress has turned corruption into an important issue. The electioneering was based on announcements and guarantees for welfare schemes. The BJP govt has been making announcements of various schemes. Chouhan is trying to create an atmosphere in favour of the party by announcing welfare measures. The Congress, too, wants to fight the election by giving guarantees of welfare schemes. So, former CM Kamal Nath gave guaranty for benefits. The party is also focusing on anti-incumbency . Ladli Behna Yojna, providing cooking gas at cheaper rates, Nari Samman Yojna, providing power at cheaper rates and many other things appeared to be the major issues in the polls. CONTD. ON P6 The GSB Seva Mandal's 'Mahaganpati', renowned as possibly India's richest idol and always the talk of the city for the opulent way it is decorated, will this year be resplendent in 66.5 kilograms of gold ornaments, more than 295 kilograms of silver as well as other precious items. The mandal, at King's Circle in the eastern part of the city, is celebrating its 69th year and a first is the installation of facial recog- nition cameras as part of the security arrangements, AIADMK says no alliance with BJP as of now, matter can be decided during polls CHENNAI The simmering tension with the BJP over its leader K Annamalai's attack on Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai prompted the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Monday to state it had no alliance with the saffron party as of now, and that a decision on the matter will be made during the upcoming elections. AIADMK sought to make it clear it cannot tolerate any affront to the late Chief Minister and its other leaders. The party trained its guns against BJP TN president K Annamalai, saying he was only keen to "promote" himself and was therefore targeting late Dravidian stalwarts Annadurai, fondly addressed as Anna (elder brother), EV Ramasamy 'Periyar' and late AIADMK veterans MG Ramachandran (MGR) and J Jayalalithaa. Responding, the BJP said the Dravidian party "has a problem," with the growing stature of a young leader like Annamalai and claimed it was growing stronger in the state. CONTD. ON P6 Left blow to INDIA unity: No tie-ups in Bengal, Kerala NEW DELHI: In a predictable setback for the opposition bloc, the CPI-M has decided against alliances in Bengal and Kerala, where its main rivals are INDIA partners Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool and the Congress. Additionally, it has decided not to name any representative for coordination meetings of the anti-BJP front. The CPM has decided to maintain a distance from "both the BJP and the Trinamool" in Bengal, exposing the fault lines in the opposition alliance that aims to fight unitedly in an attempt to defeat the BJP in next year's national election. The decisions were taken at a meeting of the CPM's politburo in Delhi over the weekend, to prevent division of opposition votes. The decision "doesn't negate the possibility of forging an alliance", said Politburo member Nilotpal Basu, a former Rajya Sabha member. "There are differences (within INDIA Bloc), and it is a reality," Nilotpal Basu told NDTV . "Before the Bengaluru INDIA bloc meeting, Sitaram Yechury made it clear that in West Bengal, we think the fight will be against both BJP And Trinamool, in Kerala there will be a fight between UDF and LDF. You cannot have an electoral adjustment at the national level, it can only happen at state level," he said. Basu also defended the decision to stay away from the INDIA coordination committee, saying any organisational structure within INDIA would create an impediment in the way of expansion of the grouping.The CPM did not attend the INDIA coordination committee meeting last week; a seat was kept vacant in the 14member panel. The Left's decision may not unsettle Mamata Banerjee, given her strong obvious discomfiture with the idea of sharing a stage with Left leaders. CONTD. ON P6 UP student dies by suicide in coaching hub Kota, 25th such case this year KOTA A 17-year-old medical aspirant from Uttar Pradesh died after allegedly consuming poison at a coaching institute in Kota - the coaching hub of Rajasthan. This is the 25th case of suicide by a coaching student in the city this year. Priyam Singh, from Mau in Uttar Pradesh, was in Kota for the last one year to prepare for NEET-UG . Her hostel was in the Vigyan Nagar area. The teen was seen vomiting outside her coaching institute. She was rushed to a hospital where she died during treatment. "The family members have been informed and her room would be searched after they are here," police said, adding the body has been placed in a mortuary for post-mortem. Lakhs of students come to the state every year to prepare for engineering and medical entrance exams. A spate of NEET-related suicides has been reported in the state over the past few years, especially from Kota. With 66kg gold, 295kg silver, this is 'India's richest' Ganpati AGENCIES Mumbai ing to tell 'Chalo-Chalo' to Congress in the assembly elections," he alleged. AICC general secretary and state in-charge Randeep Surjewala said that the BJP is trying to create confusion on the song, they are frightened with the Congress party poll campaign starting with Jan Aakrosh Yatra from Tuesday . "We have taken the theme from the film Lagaan, but on the other hand the BJP's allied party Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) had copied their song from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, we didn't", he said. a spokesperson of the GSB Seva Mandal said on Monday . "The mandal has taken insurance cover of ? 360.40 crore this year. For devotees, the organisers have introduced QR code and digital live mechanisms," he informed. A homa (fire based ritual also called 'havan') as well as other rituals will be held for successful construction and opening of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, the spokesperson said. An eco-friendly idol is made using 5,000 biscuit packets for Ganesh Chaturthi in Chennai. PLEA FOR NEW EXPERT PANEL IN ADANI CASE OUR BUREAU NEW DELHI: A new intervening application has been submitted in the Supreme Court requesting the formation of a fresh expert committee comprising individuals with unblemished integrity and no conflicts of interest in the Adani case in the matter related to Hindenburg report. The application has been filed by one of the petitioners, Anamika Jaiswal, highlighting concerns over certain members of the existing committee having conflicts of interest. In March 2023, the SC had established the committee to probe the allegations made against the Adani Group in the Hindenburg report and examine the potential regulatory failures. The committee, chaired by Justice (Retd.) Abhay Manohar Sapre, included members O P Bhatt, Justice J P Devadhar, KV Kamath, Nandan Nilekani, and Somashekhar Sundaresan. CONTD. ON P6 SC asks Maha Speaker to take up disqualification pleas within one week AGENCIES NEW DELHI In the Shiv Sena vs Shiv Sena legal war, the Supreme Court on Monday pulled up Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar for not acting on disqualification pleas on time and tasked him to take up such petitions within one week. SENA VS SENA The SC also asked the speaker to inform it within two weeks, of the timeline of how these disqualification proceedings would be conducted and expressed disappointment over the delay in the process of disqualifications that arose as a result of the rift within the Shiv Sena party between the Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde factions. The court’s disapproval Raut, NCP question Maha Speaker on delay in decision Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut accused Narwekar of deliberately delaying a decision on disqualification petitions filed against MLAs from the Shinde's camp by the Thackeray-led faction. This inaction shows Narwekar is supporting the unconstitutiona govt, he alleged. NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said, "Delay by Speaker must be questioned now because SC too has expressed its displeasure for the time taken by him on the disqualification petition of Shiv Sena MLAs. comes as the speaker of the Maharashtra assembly was earlier directed to decide the disqualification petition in a reasonable time, which he failed to deliver. CONTD. ON P6