Vol. 67 No. 89 | THURSDAY | JANUARY 11, 2024 | 21 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper SHINDE ASLI, UBT NAKLI S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI CARTOON: HASAN ZAIDI Chief Minister Eknath Shinde scored a hat trick on Wednesday when Speaker of the legislative assembly Rahul Narwekar recognised his faction of the Shiv Sena as the original Shiv Sena. Earlier, he had won the floor test in the assembly; subsequently the EC had recog, nised the Shinde faction as the Shiv Sena and assigned it the Bow & Arrow election symbol on which the parent body had contested several elections. Shinde appears to have had a premonition of the impending victory on Wednesday because he was not in Mumbai when the order was being read out by Narwekar. Instead, he was addressing a massive rally in far off Hingoli, where he showered encomiums on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With Narwekar's verdict, Shinde's political position has been reinforced. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP who , was the architect of the split in the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and responsible for bringing down the MVA government, had repeatedly emphasised CONTD. ON NATION THE FINE PRINT ■ The Eknath Shinde faction is the “real Shiv Sena” ■ Its MLAs cannot be disqualified ■ In fact, disqualification petitions from both camps were dismissed ■ Uddhav did not have the power to remove Shinde from Shiv Sena ■ Narwekar based his decisions on the version of the constitution available with the EC, saying it will form the basis of deciding on the leadership structure. ■ This version, he said, was not the one submitted by Thackeray in 2018, but the one that was there since 1999 and which the Shinde faction has cited You can awaken a person who is sleeping but it is impossible to wake up a person who is pretending to sleep. —Rahul Narwekar India is viswa mitra in new UDDHAV TO PLAY world order VICTIM CARD IN PEOPLE’S COURT ROHIT CHANDAVARKAR MUMBAI The much-awaited verdict of the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly Rahul , Narwekar, was immediately dubbed as ‘a shock and setback’ for the Uddhav Thackeray camp, but this was exactly what the Thackeray camp had expected. A livid Sena (UBT) asserted that the decision is biased and, by late evening, it had announced that they would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.  Now, the politically crucial part is whether Uddhav Thackeray is able to leverage this development to his advantage and swing the hearts of voters all over Maharashtra and generate a mass wave of sympathy .  FPJ NEWS SERVICE / GANDHINAGAR The Thackeray camp had been repeatedly alleging that Narwekar was delaying the hearings in the disqualification matter beyond a reasonable limit and had filed petitions in the apex court over it. The dilly-dallying by Narwekar, followed by two visits to Chief Minister Shinde’s residence in the past week for discussion, was hyped by the Uddhav camp as a case of  ‘‘a judge visiting an accused’’. CONTD. ON NATION India has emerged as a ray of hope in a world enveloped in uncertainties and the world looks at it as an important pillar of stability a trusted friend , and an engine of growth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday . “In the rapidly changing world order, India is being perceived as ‘vishwa mitra’. It has given hope to the world that ‘‘we can decide on common goals and achieve them. India's commitment to world welfare, its dedication, efforts and hard work are making today's world more secure and prosperous,” he said at the inauguration of the 10th edition of the three-day Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, which saw participation of state heads and CEOs of top private companies. “Today the world looks at , India as an important pillar of stability a friend who can , be trusted, a partner who believes in people-centric development, a voice that believes in global good, a voice of global south, an engine of growth in the global economy a tech, nology hub for finding solutions, a powerhouse of talented youth, and a democracy that delivers,” he said. CONTD. ON NATION CONG DECLINES BJP is eyeing 400 LS seats Ambani turns AYODHYA INVITE cheerleader OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI A wary Congress will skip the Ram temple inauguration ceremony as it was a "political project" of the BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. A spokesperson said Congress leaders – Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury – who have received the invitation -have declined to grace what is clearly an RSS/BJP event. “Religion is a personal matter. But the RSS/BJP combine has turned it into a political project. The inauguration of an incomplete temple has been obviously brought forward for electoral gain,” read a statement from party gener- Domestic abuse angle to CEO case ONLINE REPORT / BENGALURU During the divorce proceedings, CEO Suchana Seth  had filed a domestic abuse case against her husband, PR Venkat Raman, and was issued a restraining order. According to court documents accessed by NDTV she , had accused him of physically abusing the child and herself, and sought Rs 2.5 lakh per month in alimony claim, ing he has an annual income of over  1 crore. Rs  She had even submitted copies of WhatsApp messages and pictures, as well as medical records, to substantiate her claim of domestic abuse. The husband, who was in Indonesia when the alleged murder of their child took place, had denied the domestic violence charges. However, under the terms of the restraining order, he had been barred from entering his wife's home or communicating, either by phone or social media, with her or the child. Seth and Raman got married in November 2010, and their son was born in August 2019. She reportedly told the court she had been living apart from her husband since March 2021. al secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh. “While abiding by the 2019 Supreme Court judgment and honouring the sentiments of millions who revere Lord Ram, Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have respectfully declined the invitation,” read the statement. The refusal is set to become a new faultline between the Congress and the BJP ahead of the general election. Union Minister for Minority Affairs and senior BJP leader Smriti Irani was the first to react. She told newspersons, “Congress’ anti-Ram face has been exposed. It is not surprising as Congress under the leadership of CONTD. ON NATION The ruling BJP plans to announce its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in late January or early February , fielding candidates for over 400 of the total 543 seats; more important, it is looking at wining 50 per cent vote share. The party intends to contest on "more seats," as In the 2024 election template, the BJP will focus on more seats, "particularly in the 164 constituencies where the party previously struggled or narrowly won in 2019" against that in 2019 polls, party sources said. Then, the BJP had contested 436 out of 543 seats; it had won 303. Sharing details of the BJP's Congress focus on 255 T seats only template, sources claimed the party will focus on more seats, "particularly in the 164 constituencies where the party previously struggled or FROM OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI he Congress party has informed its state units that it is considering fielding candidates in 255 seats for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, according to media reports. The Congress on Thursday held a meeting with party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal in attendance. The leaders met members of the party’s five-member national alliance committee, and hinted at the willingness to contest from a lesser number of seats than it did during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. CONTD. ON NATION Pre-planned murder that went awry OUR CORRESPONDENT BENGALURU, PANAJI Investigations into the killing of a four-year-old child by her CEO mother and accused Suchana Seth have revealed that the murder was a preplanned one. Though Suchana was reportedly upset with the ongoing divorce proceedings with her husband and did not want him to meet the boy on Sunday as per court order, she did not commit the act of murder at the spur of the moment and narrowly won in 2019". The BJP reportedly plans to announce candidates for several constituencies including Rae Bareli, Mainpuri, Bijnor, Saharanpur, Sambhal, Muradabad, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Rampur, Azamgarh, Nagina, Amroha, Ambedkar Nagar, Shravasti, Ghosi, and Lalganj in the first list. CONTD. ON NATION had planned it. This angle emerged on Wednesday as the Goa police found empty bottles of a cough syrup in the room where the incident took place. This indicated that the fouryear-old boy was given a heavy dose of the cough syrup which led him into a deep slumber. The post-mortem has revealed the child was smothered to death either with a cloth or a pillow, as per officials. Dr Kumar Naik, who conducted the autopsy on the boy's body told the media: , “There are no strangulation marks on the neck. Swelling in nasal veins was noticed, largely due to congestion caused by smothering. She may have used a pillow, cloth or some other material to smother the kid. However, there was no sign of struggle or injuries on the body Based . on rigor mortis, we feel death may have occurred over 36 hours ago.” The service apartment staff revealed that Suchana had asked them to buy a small bottle of a cough syrup claiming she was having a cough, an officer said, adding the bigger bottle might have been carried by her. CONTD. ON NATION ALLOWS HIM TO BE WITH WIFE ON SAT; CAN CONSULT HIS DOCTORS FOR AILMENTS PTI / GANDHINAGAR Narendra Modi is India's most successful Prime Minister and the greatest global leader of the current generation, billionaire Mukesh Ambani said on Wednesday as he flaunted his group Reliance Industries' Gujarati heritage and its over USD 150 billion (Rs 12 lakh crore) investment in the last 10 years. With Prime Minister Modi on the dais, Ambani termed the biennial Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit -- conceived when Modi was chief minister of the state two decades ago -- as "the most prestigious investor summit in the world". THE FP BULLETIN FAROOQ SUMMONED: National Conference leader and MP Farooq Abdullah has been summoned for questioning on Thursday by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association,  becoming the latest opposition leader to be summoned by the central probe agency. MALDIVES UPGRADES TIES: China and the Maldives upgraded their relationship on Wednesday during newly elected President Mohamed Muizzu's first state visit to Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking at the Great Hall of the People, called Muizzu "an old friend" as the Asian giant set the stage for further investment in the Indian Ocean archipelago by agreeing to a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership". "China and the Maldives' relations are facing a historic opportunity to carry forward the past and forge ahead into the future," Xi told Muizzu, Chinese state media reported. MAHADEV APP PROMOTER Goyal’s teary plea moves court DECKS CLEARED CHARUL SHAH JOSHI / MUMBAI The special PMLA court has allowed 75-year-old Naresh Goyal to meet his wife and be with her for a day on Saturday , . Besides hearing his plea, the court also allowed him to be examined by his doctors for all his ailments, observing that Goyal should not be admitted to hospital without submitting a report to the court. The directions came after Goyal broke down before the special court, when he appeared before it through videoconferencing. On Saturday , Goyal told the court that he had lost all hope and it was better that he be dead rather than remain alive thus. He submitted that he was turning 75 and had no hopes for the future. He also said that he missed his daughter and wife, both of whom are bedridden. Special PMLA Judge M G Deshpande, while considering his plea, noted that Goyal would be turning 75 and was suffering from multiple illnesses. His body was not responding properly  to treatment. His wife was bedridden and suffering from cancer. His only daughter was also reportedly unwell and unable to look after her mother. ‘‘In this way the accused , and his wife have become orphans. In such a situation, feeling to meet the ailing wife once is quite natural. No prejudice will be caused to the ED if the same is allowed. Considering this exceptional situa- tion, I am of the opinion that empathy warrants to consider the prayer of accused Naresh Goyal to meet the ends of justice on humanitarian grounds,’’ the court said, allowing him to visit his wife while in judicial custody . The court has prepared a schedule for Goyal, whereby on Saturday he would be al, lowed to meet his wife at their residence. ‘‘Goyal would be allowed to be with his wife for the whole day that is from , 10.30am until jail closing hours and not more than that,’’ the court order says. CONTD. ON NATION FOR DEPORTATION ASHISH SINGH / MUMBAI The path to deport the promoter of the  Mahadev Satta App, Ravi Uppal, from Dubai to India, has been cleared. The ED had filed an application in the Special Court of Raipur, and this has been accepted. Following this, a request has been issued to the Dubai court under the extradition agreement. This request will be sent to the UAE embassy through the Indian government after which further pro- ceedings will commence. The ED had issued a redcorner notice for Uppal through Interpol. Uppal is currently under arrest and in the custody of Dubai authorities. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had submitted an extradition application before Special Judge Ajay Singh Rajput, which was accepted on Wednesday The . judge approved the extradition application filed by the ED against Ravi Uppal. CONTD. ON NATION "Our beloved leader has emerged as the greatest global leader of our times. And he is Shri Narendrabhai Modi, the most successful Prime Minister in India's history said the head of India's ," most valuable company Reliance Industries Ltd. When Modi speaks, the whole world not only listens but applauds, the industrialist declared. CONTD. ON NATION IRISH ARTIST’S 50K PAINTING GOES MISSING VISHAL SINGH / MUMBAI An Irish American artist Michale J Ryan’s painting worth Rs 50K went missing while it was being ferried from the Jehangir Art Gallery in Kala Ghoda to his office in Colaba by his fashion designer wife. Vanesha D'Souza Michale Ryan used to keep paintings made by her husband on the 3rd floor of the Eucharistic Congress Building on Convent Street, Colaba, according to a complaint lodged by her with the local police. In the complaint, Vanesha said an exhibition of Ryan’s expressionistic paintings were to be held at Jahangir Art Gallery from December 12 to 18. On December 11, a day before the exhibition was to open, she asked a person named Gaurav to deliver 49 paintings to the art gallery and agreed to pay him Rs800 for doing this. Vanesha sought to accompany Gaurav in the tempo to the gallery but the latter did not agree to this, she said. As such, she took a taxi. When Vanesha reached the art gallery she asked the , tempo to unload only 34 paintings and asked Gaurav to take the remaining 15 paintings to her office. CONTD. ON NATION