FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS VOL. 13 NO. 248 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 20, 2024 | PAGES 16 r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; `3 r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 QUALITY AT VALUE www.freepressjournal.in - EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE WORLD WEATHER ‘YEAH AAJKAL KE BACCHE’: ROHIT LAUDS YOUNGSTERS OVER INDIA'S RECORD WIN AGAINST ENGLAND SPORTS NAVALNY'S WIDOW VOWS TO CONTINUE HIS FIGHT 32.40c. 18.10c Sunrise : 06.56 Sunset : 06.25 NATH’S DEAL WITH KAMAL WILTS, TO STAY WITH CONG SECOND BIG BLOW IN POLITICAL CAREER FOLLOWERS DEVELOPED cold feet at the eleventh hour NEWS BRIEF Shanties in Outer Delhi gutted NEW DELHI: Nearly 130 shanties were gutted after a major fire broke out in a slum area near Shahbad Dairy in outer Delhi, an official of the Delhi Fire Service said on Monday. No casualty was reported in the blaze that broke out on Sunday night. Fire officials said they received a call regarding the fire at 10.17 pm on Sunday. "A total of 15 fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was doused completely. No one was injured in the incident. Nearly 130 shanties were gutted," the official said. Priyanka discharged from hospital NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi who was admitted to Sir Gangaram Hospital in New Delhi after a complaint of dehydration and stomach infection has been discharged after the treatment, sources said on Monday. The Congress General secretary had earlier expressed her disappointment in not being able to participate in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra on February 16 due to her illness. "I was really looking forward to receiving the BJNY in UP today but unfortunately, have ended up admitted to hospital. I will be there as soon as I am better! Delhi riots case: Court acquits 4 NEW DELHI: A court here has acquitted four men accused of murdering two people during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, saying there was no evidence to prove that the accused were part of the riotous mob. Additional Sessions Judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing two cases registered against Ashok, Ajay, Subham, and Jitender Kumar for allegedly murdering Ashfaq Hussain and Jakir in Brijpuri here on February 25, 2020, during the communal riots. HC allows LoP to visit Sandeshkhali KOLKATA, Feb 19 (IANS) A single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Monday, allowed the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, to visit those places in Sandeshkhali where Section 144 has been withdrawn. Following the court order, Adhikari plans to reach the area on Tuesday. Initially, though the district administration imposed Section 144 in 19 village panchayats, at a later stage the prohibitory orders were withdrawn from four. Former chief minister Kamal Nath has received the second big jolt in his political career after 27 years. Before this, when he was found involved in Jain Hawala case in 1996, Nath fielded his wife Alka Nath from Chhildwara Lok Sabha constituency. After he had been acquitted of the case, he asked his wife to resign, and he fought the Lok Sabha by-election from Chhindwara. Although the Congress was ruling the state Nath lost to Sunderlal Patwa. This was his first political defeat. Nath has crafted a difficulty for himself by creating an atmosphere that he was going to join the BJP And this is palpable in . Chhindwara. Against this backdrop, Nath had no other alternative but to stay put with the Congress. The statements of Nath and his close aides in the past two days hinted at Nath’s talks with the BJP . Immediately after the deal failed, Nath said the party high command had prevented him from defecting to the BJP So gave up the idea of . quitting his parent party. NITENDRA SHARMA city.bhopal@fpj.co.in BHOPAL: Former chief minister Kamal Nath’s deal with the BJP has fallen through. So he had to step back from switching over to the ruling party . The terms and conditions, put up by Nath before the BJP leadership for joining the party, were right away turned down. Because the BJP leadership did not consider his demands, the legislators supporting Nath also backpedalled. THE STUMBLING BLOCKS Nakul to contest LS poll from Chhindwara on Congress ticket, says Sajjan Verma leaders rejected his demands. Nath also wanted assurances on some other issues. Nevertheless, those who were ready to join the BJP with Nath began to dither after the BJP discarded the former chief minister’s demand. Not only that, just a few legislators reached Delhi on Nath’s request. They were also opposed to contesting an election after quitting the Congress. Similarly, the former ministers refused to join the BJP; for, they did not get any assurance for tickets for the Lok Sabha election. On the other hand the state leaders of the BJP were against assembly by-elections. They convinced the senior leaders of the party that Nath’s entry. Sources said that Nath wanted tickets for Lok Sabha seats for some former ministers and tickets for assembly seats for legislators with whom he was going to join the BJP According to sources, Nath was holding talks with the senior leaders of the BJP, craving for some assurances from the BJP’s top leadership as Jyotiraditya Scindia did before defecting to the ruling dispensation. Apart from giving a ticket to Nakul Nath from Chhindwara, the BJP OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in Former chief minister Kamal Nath is not leaving the Congress party and his son Nakul Nath is going to contest Lok Sabha election from Chhindwara constituency on a Congress ticket, said former minister Sajjan Singh Verma to media, in New Delhi on Monday. Verma’s remarks came amid growing speculation that Kamal Nath and his member of parliament son, Nakul Nath, may cross over to the ruling BJP. Talking to reporters after meeting Nath at his residence in New Delhi, Verma said he had a detailed discussion with Nath, who told him that he would soon hold a meeting in Bhopal to ensure the success of the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. "He (Nath) told me; “I will call all the in-charges of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee and discuss the preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. I asked about the media speculation about him, to which he said why should I answer an imaginary question'," Verma said. "I do not think I need to answer such imaginary questions. I did not tell any media person that I was quitting (the Congress) or compromising with the BJP. In that case, I would have given a reply, but why should I answer an imaginary question?" said Verma, quoting Nath. He said the question of Nath leaving the grand old party does not arise. KAMAL NATH TAKES DOWN 'JAI SHRI RAM' FLAG OUTSIDE HOME Amid a buzz in the political corridors over former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath quitting the Congress and joining the BJP, the veteran leader has removed the "Jai Shri Ram" flag which was hoisted atop his residence. The flag was reportedly seen on the roof of Nath's residence in Delhi on Sunday. Will Ram Mandir eradicate poverty? Karnataka minister triggers outrage BENGALURU Karnataka Labour Minister Santosh Lad stirred a fresh controversy as he asked whether the Ram Mandir construction in Ayodhya would eradicate poverty . Mr Lad said the construction of the temple was driven by political motives. "The construction of Ram Mandir will not eradicate poverty It was constructed . for their (BJP) political gains," he said. He said the chosen location of the temple deviated from the Supreme Court's suggested site. "We are not opposing Ram Mandir construction. The place where it has been constructed is not correct. It was not constructed where the Supreme Court suggested. They have constructed only 40% of it," he said. He challenged the government's narrative, asking whether the construction of the Ram Mandir had led to the eradication of poverty or brought any benefits to the farmers. CONTD. ON P8 CHANDIGARH MAYORAL POLL Horse trading taking place: SC SEEKS ballot papers, video of counting day WANTS RO to be prosecuted NEW DELHI Observing that "horsetrading is taking place", the Supreme Court has said it would peruse on Tuesday the ballot papers of the Chandigarh mayoral polls and the entire video-recording of the counting day, and directed the registrar general of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to depute a judicial officer to bring the records safely to Delhi. The top court, on February 5, rapped Returning Officer Anil Masih, who conducted the mayoral polls, observing that it was obvious that he had defaced the ballot papers and that he should be prosecuted, adding that his action amounted to "murder" and a "mockery" of democracy . A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y ChandraAnil Masih chud directed the Chandigarh administration on Monday to provide security to the judicial officer, to be appointed by the high court, to ensure the safety of the officer and the records. "We ourselves will look at the records at 2 pm," the bench, also comprising justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said. "Horse-trading is taking place," the CJI said while declining a plea that the case on the mayoral polls be heard on some other day instead of Tuesday . Masih appeared before the bench in pursuance of the apex court's direction and was quizzed by the judges over the alleged tampering of certain ballot papers. CONTD. ON P8 Sandeshkhali: NCW chief seeks Prez rule, Didi’s resignation KOLKATA National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma on Monday called for resignation of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and imposition of President's Rule following allegations of sexual abuse by TMC leaders in Sandeshkhali. The NCW chief's remarks drew a sharp rebuttal from the ruling TMC, which accused the panel of echoing the BJP's agenda and wondered why the panel failed to show similar promptness in BJP-ruled states. Sharma, who led a delegation of NCW to the unrest-hit area in North 24 Parganas district, said the visit was aimed at bolstering confidence among women to speak out about their experiences. Amid ongoing tensions in Sandeshkhali over protests against TMC-led atrocities and sexual harassment, police maintained a strong presence as normalcy struggled to return to the area. CONTD. ON P8 WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL PASSPORTS 2024 India stands below Maldives, Saudi Arabia France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and Spain have the world's most powerful passports NEW DELHI: France, Germany Italy Japan, Singa, , pore and Spain have the world's most powerful passports. Allowing visa-free entry to 194 global destinations, these nations have occupied the top slot on the latest Henley Passport Index. These nations are followed by Finland, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden, which have visa-free access to 193 nations. With visa-free access to 62 nations, India stands at 85th position on the index, which ranks 199 passports based on their strengths. Indians have visa-free access to popular tourist destinations like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand among others. It must be noted that India has slipped one rank compared to last year's 84th position. The country stands behind nations like South Africa (55th), Maldives (58th), Saudi Arabia (63rd), China (64th), Thailand (66th), Indonesia (69th) and Uzbekistan (84th). India's neighbouring nations like Pakistan are at 106th place on the Index, while Sri Lanka is at 101st place, Bangladesh occupies the 102nd position and Nepal is at 103rd position. With visa-free access to 192 nations, the United Kingdom stands in third place on the index along with Luxembourg, Ireland, Denmark, and Austria. They are followed by three European nations—Belgium, Norway and Portugal, who have occupied the fourth place with visa-free access to 191 nations. CONTD. ON P8 END OF AN ERA SPORTS 2 kids die of suspected measles in Maihar MAIHAR Two children have died of suspected measles, and 17 have been infected in Maihar, prompting district authorities to shut down all schools in the eight villages for three days, a WHO TEAM TO VISIT AFFECTED AREAS health official said. A medical team has been deployed to prevent the further spread, the official said. "Two children, one of them seven years old, died of suspected measles on February 14 and 16. Another 17 were found to be infected in eight villages," the chief medical and health officer (CMHO) LK Tiwari said. Of those infected, seven have been hospitalised, he said. Based on a report, the collector has ordered the closure of all government and private schools in the eight affected villages for three days starting today and sought a survey of the habitations in the fivekm radius of these villages, the official said. The collector has also banned gatherings of children at any function in the affected areas, he said. CONTD. ON P8 50% rebate on vehicle purchase in Vikramotsav Mela OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in On the lines of Gwalior fair, cabinet has decided to provide 50 percent rebate in life time vehicle tax rate on purchase of non transport vehicles and light vehicles from Ujjain Vikramotsav Mela 2024. The rebate will be provided on permanent registration at Regional Transport Office, Ujjain. The automobile vehicle traders coming from outside Ujjain will be able to sell their vehicles after getting trading certificate from Ujjain RTO and ensuring their physical presence at the fair premises. Meanwhile, to sanction the new works under Mukyamantri Gram Sadak and infrastructure Ujjain-Indore Road to be six-lane In view of the upcoming Ujjain Simhasta, cabinet approved making the Ujjain to Indore road from the present four-lane to six-lane. This road will be 45.75 km long and will cost around Rs 1,700 crores. Also, the 1.10 km Shani temple approach road will be widened to a three-lane road. Apart from this, two flyovers, six underpass and eight comprehensive junction will also be constructed on the proposed six-lane road. development scheme, provision of Rs 1500 crores would be made under capital head. TANTAYA BHIL & TATYA TOPE VARSITIES Cabinet approved the amendment in Madhya Pradesh University Act 1973. As per the amendment, Tantaya Bhil University and Tatya Tope University will be created. Tantaya Bhil University will have Khargone and other districts under its jurisdiction. Likewise, Tatya Tope will have Guna, Ashok Nagar etc. They will be carved out from Devi Ahilya University and Gwalior University. MARKAM, KOSHTI AS PSC MEMBERS Cabinet approved the proposal to appoint Dr HS Markam, assistant professor, (Dental) Medical College, Jabalpur and Dr Narendra Kumar Koshti, assistant professor, Economics, Government Mahakausal Arts and Commerce College, Jabalpur as members of Public Service Commission. Farmers' body rejects Centre's 5-year MSP offer NEW DELHI Amid a tense stand-off between the government and farmers, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha - an umbrella organisation of farmer unions not directly linked to those leading this round of protests - has rejected a fiveyear contract to buy three types of pulses, maize, and cotton at the old MSP . The SKM on Monday evening criticised the proposal as "diverting from the focal demands of farmers", and insisted on nothing less than the purchase of "all crops (23, including the above five) with guaranteed procurement (as) promised in the BJP manifesto (before the) 2014 general election". This procurement, the SKM stressed should be based on the C2+50 per cent MSP or minimum support , price, formula of the Swaminathan Commission and not the existing A2+FL+50 per cent method. Farmers listen to a leader at the Punjab-Haryana Shambhu border on Monday The SKM also criticised the government - led in this instance by three union ministers, including Agriculture minister Arjun Munda - for a lack of transparency through the four rounds of talks so far. And finally the SKM has , also demanded the government make progress on other demands, which include loan waivers, no hike in electricity tariffs, and the Four SPs changed, 10 IPS transferred OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in SPs of four districts Neemuch, Betul, Chhindwara and Jhabua including 10 IPS officers were transferred, by the state government. The orders were issued on Monday . SP Niwari, Ankit Jaiswal is the new SP of district Neemuch, commandant 25th SAF Bhopal Nishchal Jharia is appointed as SP Betul. AIG posted at PHQ, Manish Khatri is the new SP of Chhindwara, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Padam Vilochan Shukla is appointed as SP Jhabua. SP Jhabua Agam Jain is appointed as commandant 25th SAF Bhopal. CONTD. ON P8 FIVE IAS OFFICERS TOO GET MARCHING ORDERS State govt transferred five IAS officers on Monday night. Sheopur Collector Sanjay Kumar has been shifted as Addl Secretary. Swatantra Kumar Singh, Secretary, Backward Class and minority welfare department has been posted as Commissioner, Commercial Tax, Indore. Singh will have the additional charge of Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Finance Corporation, Indore. His name created ripples when Mandsaur firing incident took place. At that time, he was Collector Mandsaur. Lokesh Kumar Jatav, Commissioner, Commer cial Tax, Indore, with additional charge of MD, Madhya Pradesh Finance Corporation, Indore has been posted as Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department. Anurag Chaudhary, Additional Secretary, Animal Husbandry, dairy development, fishery welfare and fishery development department has been appointed as Managing Director, Mining Corporation. He replaces Rajiv Ranjan Meena who has been shifted as Additional Secretary. withdrawal of police cases filed during the 2020/21 protests, when protesting farmers had violent clashes with security personnel. There has also been no progress, the SKM said, on demands like a comprehensive public sector crop insurance scheme and a monthly pension of ? 10,000 to farmers over the age of 60. A demand to prosecute junior Home minister Ajay Mishra Teni in connection with the deaths of farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri - has also not been resolved. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha is not the farmer body at the head of these protests, which are led by a non-political offshoot with the same name. Nevertheless, as a large federation of farmer unions, it can influence those farmers who participated in Sunday's meeting with the government. CONTD. ON P8 Cricketer dies after cardiac arrest while playing, father dies of shock FP NEWS SERVICE Pipariya A 27-year-old cricketer died of cardiac arrest during a semi-final match of Pachmarhi Premier League in Pachmarhi on Monday. The youth Gaurav Kahar was captaining the Chunmun Club. His team mates said he had scored 49 runs He scored 49 runs in 16 balls & took 2 wickets in 16 balls and took two wickets, but breathed his last before the outcome of the match was out. Just as he fell to the ground, his friends rushed him to the military hospital where Dr Manisha declared him dead. But the tragedy did not end there. On getting information his parents and wife also reached the hospital where Gaurav's father, Kamal Kahar, who was suffering from heart ailments, also died of cardiac arrest. Gaurav was married eight months ago.