FP FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. XXXX NO. 246 | INDORE | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 12, 2024 | PAGES 14 `3 - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; Loot aur Phoot are Cong’s oxygen: PM FP NEWS SERVICE Jhabua Donning a smart waistcoat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the tribal Mahakumbh event here at the tribaldominated Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, where he expressed confidence that the BJP will cross the 370-seat mark in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Modi accused the Congress party of prioritising corruption and divisive politics over the welfare of the tribal communities, saying that “Loot aur phoot Congress ke oxygen hain” (corruption and politics of division are Congress' oxygen). They are anti-tribal and think of villages, farmers, and the poor only during elections, Modi said. “The local leaders of Congress are now discussing their strategy for campaigning against Modi ji, but they are facing a dilemma. No prominent leader is willing to take charge. The Congress party in Madhya Pradesh is in a state of chaos. They are struggling to break free from their past mistakes, but the more they try, the deeper they sink”, Prime Minister said. As they face defeat, Congress and its allies are making desperate attempts to secure their position. Their only strengths lie in their ability to loot while in power and sow division when they are not. Now, they are resorting to creating divisions based on caste, language, and region in order to gain political power. However, the people of the country and the state have rejected these tactics, and Congress will not be allowed to succeed, Modi added. Others abuse me, because I’m working for tribals, poor: Modi The Congress and other opposition leaders abuse him because he is working for the betterment of tribals and the poor, Modi said. "The Congress when it is EDIT POLITICAL MESSAGING OF BHARAT RATNAS PM interacting with tribals HIGHLIGHTS PM MODI inaugurates & lays the foundation stone for development projects worth Rs 7,550 crore CONGRESS IS trapped in the quagmire of sins, the more it moves its hands and feet, the more it will sink CONGRESS DID not worry about the development of tribal areas, kept worrying about palaces Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a road show in Madhya Pradesh's Jhabua on Sunday. People gathered on both sides of the road showered petals on the PM and chanted slogans as tghe Prime Minister greeted them on his way to the venue of his public rally in Jhabua. The visit assumes significance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections just a few months away. He was accompanied during the roadshow by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. NEW DELHI: A court here has issued a summons to food delivery app Zomato in a civil suit seeking a restraining order against the company from continuing its services allowing users to order "hot and authentic food" from "iconic restaurants" across the national capital. A Gurugram resident had filed the plea Women gang-raped on pretext of jobs JODHPUR: A case of gang-rape has been filed against the chairperson of the Sirohi Municipal Council in Rajasthan, Mahendra Mevada, and the former municipal council Commissioner, Mahendra Choudhary. They have been accused in the case of gangrape of nearly 20 women under the guise of providing employment in Anganwadi. 'UCC poses no threat to Islam' GHAZIABAD: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar said on Sunday that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) does not threaten anyone's religious identity and that some leaders have provoked Muslims by exploiting their illiteracy. ED quizzes J'Khand Cong MP for 5 hrs RANCHI: The ED on Sunday interrogated Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, a Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, for over five hours as part of the agency's investigation into a money laundering case related to an alleged land fraud, in which former chief minister Hemant Soren was arrested recently. supporters of jailed former PM Imran Khan after his party protested outside election offices where they said rigging had taken place in last week’s national vote. Section 144 has been imposed in capital Islamabad, allowing police to take legal action against any illegal assemblies and activities. The popular wave of discontent, stemming from the military s meddling in politics, amid charges of widespread rigging, is bound to put further pressure on Gen Munir to reach out to Imran. The three main political parties in Pakistan, meanwhile, intensified their efforts for the formation of a coalition government after it became clear that the coup-prone country faced a hung Parliament. Pakistan Army chief General Munir would have any day preferred its stooge, former prime minister and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif, but Imran Khan s stunning performance may mark a paradigm shift in a country where leaders who run afoul of the powerful military rarely find electoral success. CONTD. ON P7 Harda blast: 6th accused held FP NEWS SERVICE / Harda The Harda police on Sunday arrested the sixth accused in connection with the blast that occurred in firecrackers factory in Harda last week. Harda Superintendent of Police Abhinav Chouksey said sixth accused Abhishek Agrawal belonged to Dewas. The blast took place at Rajesh fireworks in old vegetable market in Harda on Tuesday The fac. tory was run by Rajesh Agrawal and Somesh Agrawal. Four accused Rajesh Agrawal, Somesh Agrawal, Rafeeq Khan and Ashish Tamkhane were arrested soon after the incident. On Saturday, fifth accused Aman Tamkhane, a resident of Harda, was arrested. All the accused are being questioned. 100 Cong leaders get I-T notices OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in The Income Tax department has served notices to around 100 Congress leaders and asked them to appear before the Delhi office of the department, the leaders said here on Sunday . The Congress leaders, however, said they are unaware of why they were being called to the Delhi office of the I-T department. MLA Vikrant Bhuria, one of the recipients of the notices, told Free Press that he has received the notice and as per his knowledge, Madhu Bhagat and Devasish Jarariya have also received the notices. "I do not know why notice has been served to me, but I will appear before the I-T officials," he said. "As the Lok Sabha elec- tions are approaching, this may be the tactic to intimidate us, but we are not afraid," Bhuria said. It was stated that the summons were served to assess or witness under section 131 of the Income Tax Act in a case related to the Indian National Congress. They have been asked to give evidence or to personally produce the books of account for other documents specified. Congress leader Devashish Jarariya reached the I-T office on February13. In his video statement he said that he was being harassed for the work which he did not do. He alleged that he belongs to the scheduled caste and his harassment was intentional. He also added that he will file a complaint with the police. NOW EVEN Opposition leaders have started accepting that this time, NDA will cross 400 seats DEVELOPMENT AND respect of tribal society is Modi's guarantee CONG WAS humiliated in 2023, annihilation is certain in 2024 NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH Ahead of a proposed 'Delhi Chalo' march by farmer unions on Tuesday, authorities in Haryana and Delhi fortified borders with neighbouring states at many places by putting up concrete blocks, road spike barriers and barbed wires and deploying thousands of police personnel, besides imposing prohibitory orders. While the Centre has invited farmer unions for another meeting to discuss their demands on February 12, the move to block borders to prevent the protesters from entering the national capital drew flak from opposition parties and AAP wants all the 7 Delhi LS seats GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR NEW DELHI FP NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI In the ICC Under-19 World Cup final held in South Africa, the Indian team was mauled by Australia by a margin of 79 runs. This defeat echoed the outcome of the ICC Senior World Cup last year, where India, despite being strong contenders, suffered a loss to Australia on their home ground. Australia, batting first after winning the toss, set a challenging target of 254 runs for India. The innings was anchored by Harjas Singh, who scored a crucial half-century (55 runs), marking his first fifty of the tournament. Contributions from captain Hugh Weibgen (48), Oliver Peake (46), and Harry Dixon (42) propelled Australia to their highest total in an Under-19 World Cup final. CONTD. ON P7 farmer groups on Sunday . Authorities, however, defended the restrictions, citing the 2020 agitation against the now-repealed three farm laws that had stretched to over a year. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and several farmer associations, mostly from UP, Haryana and Punjab, have called the protest to press the Centre to accept their The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday quoted party convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as stating that the people of Delhi have made up their mind to give 7 out of 7 seats to AAP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The announcement by Kejriwal has virtually put an end to the seat sharing talks his party was having with the Congress. The development came a day after Kejriwal said his party would go it alone in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election in Punjab; the reluctance to share political space resonated in the Congress echelons with party president Mallikarjun Kharge boasting that the grand old party will not only go solo but also win all the 13 seats in the northern state. The two parties had two rounds of talks at Congress general secretary Mukul Wasnik s residence on January 8 and 12. Overall, the two parties were in discussions on seat-sharing in the five states — Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat and Goa. There are a total of 58 seats in these. Though no official word has come yet on the breakdown of talks, AAP s announcement has certainly revealed its intent and the roadmap for future. CONTD. ON P7 Unique Ayodhya bank where only transaction is 'spirituality, inner peace, faith' AYODHYA There is a unique bank here in the land of Lord Ram where money does not matter and the only return its 35,000 accountholders get is peace of mind, faith and spirituality! Catching the attention of the devotees and tourists visiting the newly constructed Ram temple is "International Shree Sitaram Bank". The deposits here are booklets with "Sitaram" scribbled on all pages. The spiritual bank, which was set up in November 1970 by Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the chief of the Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, has over 35,000 account-holders in India and abroad including the US, the UK, Canada, Nepal, Fiji, the UAE and other countries. The bank has a collection of 20,000 crore 'Sitaram' booklets from the devotees of Lord Ram. According to Punit Ram Das Maharaj, the manager of the bank, the number of daily visitors at the bank has increased after the consecration ceremony of the grand temple last month. "The bank provides free booklets and red pens to devotees and keeps track of each account. One has to write 'Sitaram' at least 5 lakh times to get an account opened in the bank and then a passbook is issued. PM’s presence is good fortune for tribals: CM Yadav C hief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, while addressing the conference, said that he welcomes all the brothers and sisters from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and remote areas of Madhya Pradesh to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the soil of Madhya Pradesh. He emphasised the significance of this event as an opportunity for the people to witness the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi firsthand. The arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on stage is a matter of good fortune not only for all of us but for the tribal brothers and sisters of the entire country . Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gifted 22 development projects worth Rs 7,550 crore. These projects will work to change the direction and condition of the state. CONTD. ON P7 Delhi, Haryana borders fortified ahead of march by farmers AAP, Cong decide they don’t need crutches AUSSIES LIFT ICC U-19 TROPHY www.freepressjournal.in ALANA KING AIMING TO MAKE WACA GROUND ‘HER OWN’ SPORTS MODI HOLDS ROAD SHOW SAJJAD HUSSAIN AND M ZULQERNAIN Islamabad, Lahore NEWS BRIEF Court summons to Zomato 26.20c. 13.00c Sunrise : 07.01 Sunset : 06.20 in power, indulges in loot, while out of power engineers divisions (in society) based on language, region, and caste. But the people know the truth about the Congress and will never let it succeed in its motives, the PM said. The Congress has drowned in its own sins, and the more it makes efforts to come up, the further it will slide down, the PM asserted. Attacking the Congress further, the PM said the party never thought of tribal development or respecting them when it was in power for a long time and treated them only as vote banks. CONTD. ON P7 Imran-Army thaw alone can retrieve situation With Imran Khan indicating that it is ready to bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones , the country s army chief, Gen. Syed Asim Munir, must now decide whether to have some sort of reconciliation with Khan or bulldoze ahead and hammer a coalition of anti-Khan politicians, one that many analysts believe would be weak and unsustainable. In a public statement on Saturday, General Munir, too, called for unity and healing, a sign some read as a willingness to engage with Khan. Meanwhile, the police fired tear gas to disperse WEATHER NITISH GOVT PREPARES FOR FLOOR TEST NATION EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE QUALITY AT VALUE r RNI No. 38281/83 "There are 136 branches of the bank across India and even abroad. The account holders also send us the booklets by post and we maintain the ledger here," Puneet Ram Das told PTI. He said the visitors also question the benefits of writing Sitaram and depositing it into bank. "I tell them that the way we visit temples of gods and goddesses for inner peace, faith and virtue, in the same way, writing 'Sitaram' and depositing the same into the bank is a form of a prayer. Don't we say that God has his own account of everyone's good and bad deeds? This is something similar. "The devotees find solace and profound spiritual enrichment in writing, chanting and reminiscing Lord Ram's name," he added. Puneet Ram Das explained that it is believed that by writing the name 84 lakh times, one can attain 'Moksha'. CONTD. ON P7 demands, including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared a video of road spike barriers being placed on state borders and said, "Is laying nailsthorns in the path of farmers 'amritkaal' or 'anyaykaal'?" Punjab Chief Minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann likened the roads to enter Delhi and Haryana to the IndiaPakistan border. "I urge the Centre to hold talks with farmers and accept their genuine demands. CONTD. ON P7 El Nino conditions weaken, Met predicts ‘bountiful monsoon’ NEW DELHI: After delivering a warm 2023, El Nino conditions are set to dissipate by June this year raising hopes of "bountiful monsoon" rains this season, meteorologists have predicted. At least two global climate agencies announced last week that El Nino, the warming of the equatorial Pacific Ocean that impacts weather across the world, has started to weaken and there is a probability of La Nina conditions setting in by August. La Nina conditions setting in by JuneAugust could mean monsoon rains would be better this year Weather scientists in India, tracking the developments closely, have said that rains would be better than last year. However, they also struck a word of caution citing the 'spring predictability barrier', considered a forecasting headache as weather models have a harder time making accurate forecasts. Madhavan Rajeevan, former secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said there is a good probability of La Nina developing by June-July . "Even if El Nino transitions into ENSO-neutral conditions, the monsoon this year should be better than the last year," he said. CONTD. ON P7