source: x vijayawada l tuesday l march 19, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Tensions high as Pak airstrikes in Afghan territory kills eight The Pakistan Army said eight terrorists were killed in ‘anti-terror operations’ in the border regions inside Afghanistan on Monday a response to attack on army outpost: Pak strike killed civilians, says Taliban The airstrikes come amid heightened tensions between the two neighbours over a series of terrorist attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which Islamabad has blamed on groups based in Afghanistan. Pakistan said Monday’s airstrikes, which were in response to a recent attack on one of its army outposts, targeted a group allied with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan ■ ■ Afghan Taliban said Pakistan targeted civilian homes and claimed five women and three children were killed in the pre-dawn strike Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan rose after the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021. Pakistan said it had repeatedly urged the group to act against terror outfits operating in Afghanistan 6,000 Pak Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, says Pakistan official CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI SC directs SBI to share all data on poll bonds TDP set to hold more ‘Praja Galam’ meetings E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ Vijayawada The TDP has decided to conduct more number of public meetings in the name of ‘Praja Galam’. Besides TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu, top leaders from the BJP and Jana Sena Party (JSP) chief Pawan Kalyan will attend the public meetings, TDP sources said. During an interaction with some of the TDP senior leaders at his Undavalli residence on Monday Naidu reviewed the re, sponse from the people to the first ‘Praja Galam’ attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Chilakaluripet on Sunday . As the schedule for the elections for the Lok Sabha and State Assembly has been released, the TDP chief discussed the future course of action with the senior leaders and decided to organise more ‘Praja Galam’ public meetings across the State. The party is of the view that organising meetings would bring leaders of the three parties on one platform. This will ensure more coordination among the alliance partners. The party leaders informed Naidu that the police, at the behest of the ruling YSRC, created several hurdles for the meeting attended by Modi. However, people in large numbers turned up overcoming the hurdles and making the meeting a success, the TDP leaders told Naidu. Meanwhile, Naidu reportedly also discussed finalising the remaining MLA and MP candidates. The TDP is yet to announce candidates for 16 Assembly and 17 Lok Sabha seats which the party is contesting of the total 25 in the state. P4 express read YS Sharmila likely to contest Kadapa MP seat Vijayawada: APCC president YS Sharmila Reddy is likely to contest the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat in the coming elections. It has been learnt that the party high command wants Sharmila to contest the MP seat in the YSRC’s bastion. Currently, Sharmila’s cousin brother YS Avinash Reddy is the sitting Kadapa MP | P4 Directs bank to disclose alphanumeric numbers to ECI the Chief Election Commissioner to file a detailed compliance affidavit by March The Supreme Court on Monday directed 21 to ensure no further complications the State Bank of India (SBI) to disclose arise over the matter. all details related to the electoral bonds The details sought are related to elecin its possession by March 21, including toral bonds purchased and redeemed the unique alphanumeric numbers that after April 12, 2019. The court, however, can link donors to political parties. rejected a plea urging it to order the SBI Rapping the public sector lender over to disclose details related to electoral selective disclosure, the Subonds purchased and rePlea against preme Court said it had in its deemed prior to this date. disclosure February 15 verdict sought “With effect from April 12, complete disclosure of all data The Supreme Court 2019, we had directed the colrelated to electoral bonds in on Monday refused lection of details. Everyone the bank’s possession. to entertain pleas was put to notice at that time. The bench noted the submisThis is why we did not ask for by Associated sion of senior advocate Harish disclosure of bonds sold prior Chambers of Salve, who appeared for the to the interim order. This was Commerce & SBI, that there is no reservaa conscious choice by the ConIndustry of India tion on the part of the bank in and Confederation stitution bench,” the bench disclosing all the details of of Indian Industry said. Solicitor General Tushar electoral bonds in its seeking to delay Mehta said after the March 11 possession. the disclosure of order, those before the court “We had asked all details to electoral bonds started giving press interbe disclosed by the SBI which numbers views deliberately embarrassincludes electoral bond numbers as well. Let SBI not be selective in ing the bench. But the court said its disclosure,” the five-judge Constitution shoulders were “broad enough” to face Bench of the Supreme Court headed by the broadside. Chief Justice Chandrachud said once Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said. The bank’s chairperson was also di- the court delivers a judgment, it berected to file an affidavit by 5 pm on comes the nation’s property and is open March 21 stating that all details have for debate. He went on to say that court been disclosed to the Election Commis- was only concerned about enforcing its sion (EC). The court went on to direct directions. S uchitra K alyan M ohanty @ New Delhi NDA finalises alliance deal in Bihar, emerges as big brother RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi The BJP on Monday ironed out its seat-sharing deal with National Democratic Alliance partners in Bihar, pocketing 17 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state. It emerged as the undisputed big brother in the alliance, as the JD(U) will contest from 16, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) 5 and the Hindustan Awam Morcha (HAM) and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) one each. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, JD(U) and the undivided LJP were part of the NDA, which won 39 of the 40 seats. Both the BJP and JD(U) had contested from 17 seats each at that point in time. The big headline maker this time was Chirag Paswan, son of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan. His faction, LJP (RV), got five constituencies, including the prestigious Hajipur, the seat held by his late dad. Chirag later said he will vacate his Jamui seat and contest from Hajipur. Chirag’s gain was Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras’s loss. Paras, the brother of Ram Vilas, is the sitting MP from Hajipur. His breakaway faction of the LJP has five seats in the outgoing Lok Sabha. Paras is expected to tap the RJDled grand alliance in Bihar in a day or two. BJP sources said they were trying to mollify Paras with possibly a governor’s berth while accommodating his son and others from his faction in the assembly elections. However, his party could go it alone or forge a tie-up with the opposition. The NDA deal was announced by Vinod Tawde, BJP in-charge of Bihar unit of the party . Poll panel transfers West Bengal DGP The ECI on Monday ordered the transfers of the West Bengal DGP and home secretaries in six states — Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It also mandated the appointment of Vivek Sahay, once suspended by the poll panel, as the new Bengal police chief | P9 9 dead, 15 injured after building collapse Kolkata: At least nine persons died and 15 other were seriously injured after an under construction building collapsed here on Monday. Police arrested building promoter Mohammad Waser on charges of murder. The BJP demanded the arrest of local TMC councillor Shams Iqbal for his involvement in the project | P8 strategic exercise The IAF successfully carried out an exercise over the 4.1-km Emergency Landing Runway (ELR) at Pichikalagudipadu village in Baptla district on Monday | Express Satyendar Jain back in jail after SC cancels bail S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi AAP leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain on Monday returned to Tihar jail after the Supreme Court cancelled his regular bail plea and asked him to surrender immediately He was out on interim bail on . health grounds in the Delhi excise policy scam case since May 26 last year. The bail was extended multiple times on various grounds, primarily citing his health. A two-judge bench of justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal declined Jain’s plea to grant him at least a week to surrender, though he claimed that he continued to be unwell. “Jain arrived at Tihar jail in the evening. He was taken to jail number 7 after the formalities of lodging him in the prison were completed,” a jail official said. On December 14, 2023, the court had extended his interim bail till January 8. On January 17, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi had requested regular bail claiming that the health of his client was deteriorating. Jagan to take up ‘Memantha Siddham’ bus yatra next week E x p ress N e w s S er v ice @ Vijayawada YSRC president and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will undertake a bus yatra on March 26 or 27 covering 21 Parliamentary constituencies in the State. The party has decided on having yatras instead of roadshows as planned earlier with the elections set to happen in May Jagan will ad. dress one public meeting every day after meeting with the farmers, and other sections of people during the day He will be interacting with the . masses for almost 30 days. His campaign would be for 21 days and there will be a break in electioneering on Ugadi and Ramzan. A detailed route map for the yatra will be released on Tuesday . YSRC MLC and coordinator Talasila Raghuram said the bus yatra was named ‘Memantha Siddham’. During a meeting with the regional coordinators on Monday evening, the Chief Minister discussed the roadmap of the yatra, manifesto, and other issues. He directed the candidates to take advantage of the time they have to campaign for the elections, which are scheduled in May. He instructed them to visit every village/ward secretariat and seek the blessings of the people. Stating that changes were made in 81 Assembly and 18 Lok Sabha constituencies while finalising the candidates, the YSRC chief direct- Take advantage of time, CM tells candidates During a meeting with the regional coordinators on Monday evening, the Chief Minister discussed the roadmap of the yatra, manifesto, and other issues. He directed the candidates to take advantage of the time they have to campaign for the elections, scheduled in May. He instructed them to visit every village/ ward secretariat and seek the blessings of people ed the regional coordinators to take steps to establish good coordination between the party leaders and cadre in every constituency . Reiterating that the party’s aim is to win all 175 Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats, he told the coordinators, “You should stand by the candidates and the cadre in all constituencies, assess the situation periodically and guide them.” Further, he asked the coordinators to ensure that the bus yatra is as successful as the Siddham meetings. As the party had organised Siddham meetings in four Parliamentary constituencies in the State, the bus yatra will not cover these segments. “The unprecedented crowds at the Siddham meetings is a sign that people have pledged their allegiance to Jagan,” Raghuram remarked. Taking the campaign forward, the party is currently organising ‘Memu Siddham, Maa Booth Siddham’ to mobilise party members and leaders at the grassroots level P across every village in the State. 4
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