WEDNESDAY TEMPERATURE ON THE RISE FOR PAST 10 MONTHS, MARCH WARMEST EVER 10 Each of the past 10 months was the hottest globally, compared with the year-ago period, said Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) APRIL, 2024 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard HUMAN-INDUCED CLIMATE CHANGE TO BLAME 2 ND D E AT H I N 1 W E E K C3S, the European Union’s climate change monitoring service, said March 2024 recorded an average temperature of 14.14 degrees Celsius, which was 1.68 degrees Celsius higher than the month’s average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period. It said the rise in temperature is due to the combined effect of El Nino and human-induced climate change MISSING STUDENT IN US FOUND DEAD Arfath, from Hyderabad, was in the US to pursue a Masters in IT from Cleveland University PAGE 11 A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS NEW DELHI J8.00 Jolt to Kejriwal as HC rules ED arrest is valid Sanjeev Nasiar, who is a member of AAP’s legal team, told this newspaper that Arvind Kejriwal will move the Supreme Court very soon, mostly likely on Wednesday itself, against his arrest by the ED and remand. The party also alleged that there is a political conspiracy to finish it off P3 BJP GUNS FOR KEJRI’S HEAD After the HC ruled that Kejriwal’s arrest was legal, the BJP in Delhi pushed for his resignation with the saffron party’s Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva saying that the AAP national convenor has no moral right to continue as the chief minister P3 The material with the ED reveals that Kejriwal conspired and was involved in formulating the excise policy and used proceeds of crime HC judge EXPRESS READ Higgs, who predicted God Particle, no more Nobel prize-winning physicist Peter Higgs, who proposed the existence of the Higgs boson particle, also known as God Particle, has died at age 94, the University of Edinburgh said Tuesday. Higgs predicted the existence of a new particle in 1964. But it would be almost 50 years before its existence was confirmed at the Large Hadron Collider. Dera chief’s murder accused shot dead Amarjeet Singh Bittu alias Ganda, one of the assailants who allegedly shot dead Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara dera kar seva chief Baba Tarsem Singh last month, was killed by a joint team of the STF and police in an encounter on Tuesday. Bittu had a bounty of `1 lakh on his head. Another accused, Sarabjit Singh, fled the spot. 11 killed as bus falls into soil mine pit At least 11 people were killed and around 20 injured — all employees of a private firm — as the bus they were travelling in fell into a soil mine pit in Chhattisgarh’s Durg on Tuesday night, police said. The accident took place around 8:30 pm when the victims, all employees of a distillery company, were returning home after work, police said. Dressed in a white shirt, ‘veshti’ and ‘angavastram’ and carrying a small cutout of BJP’s lotus symbol, PM Narendra Modi along with four BJP candidates at the roadshow in Chennai on Tuesday | P JAWAHAR | P5 Centre to shift forces from Manipur to Bengal M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi AS the poll campaign heats up in West Bengal with Central probe agencies locking horns with the state police in one case after another, the Election Commission has directed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to deploy 100 additional companies of the Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPFs) in the state on or before April 15 to ensure a smooth process of Lok Sabha elections. Sources in the government said the direction of the EC would be adhered to and that the MHA has decided to withdraw a sizeable chunk of Central forces from ethnic violence-hit Manipur for fresh deployments. According to the directives sent out by the MHA to the CAPFs, this would entail the deployment of 55 companies (around 5,500 personnel) from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 45 companies from the BSF, which is aimed at fortifying security measures during the electoral process, sources said. The forces have been tasked with completing the deployment of additional CAPF companies in West Bengal by April 15. ‘Z-CATEGORY’ SECURITY FOR RAJIV KUMAR The MHA on Tuesday decided to accord ‘Z-category’ VIP security cover of armed commandos of the CRPF to CEC Rajiv Kumar following reports by intelligence agencies. At any given point of time, Kumar will be guarded by around 36 CRPF commandos. P9 West Bengal will see the highest deployment of Central forces in the Lok Sabha election season, as the state has witnessed political clashes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. To meet the additional requirement of the forces, the Centre has decided to withdraw WHAT IF WE DECIDE TO RENAME CHINESE STATES: RAJNATH’S POSER Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday rubbished China’s recent renaming of 30 places in Arunachal Pradesh, asking what if India does likewise and changes the names of some provinces of the neighbour. “Tomorrow if we change the names of some places or states in China, will it make them ours? China should not make this mistake... I want to tell our neighbour that changing names will not achieve anything,” he said at a rally in Namsai in Arunachal. He pointed out that such moves can only harm bilateral ties. Rajnath quoted former PM A B Vajpayee as having said, “You can change friends but not neighbours.” Rajnath of late has been making headlines with his hard talk on allegations of extrajudicial killings in Pakistan. If terrorists run back into Pakistan, “to Pakistan mein ghus ke maarenge” (We will go there and kill them),” he had said. Singh also upped the political rhetoric, saying that the present government has fixed the mistakes made by Congress by developing border infrastructure. “The Congress used to call villages near the border the last villages, but we say they are the first villages of the country. We are developing the villages fast and our belief is that we will not be able to protect the borders to the extent that we want until the border villages are developed,” he said. Singh emphasised that not only were the villages strategically important but the people living in them, in Arunachal, were India’s strategic assets. But US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “We will not get into the middle of this situation,’’ but will encourage India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and resolve their issues through dialogue. I-T sleuths seize `32cr from TN poultry firm EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Coimbatore IN one the biggest-ever cash hauls in Tamil Nadu, the Income Tax department is believed to have seized around `32 crore of unaccounted money from the hatchery of a private poultry farm at Pollachi in Coimbatore district in a search operation that started late on Monday Though Election Com. mission sources ruled out any poll link to the money seizure, a full probe will be conducted Office of the poultry firm in Pollachi that was searched by I-T officials | EXPRESS separately they said. , According to the sources, a team of 10 I-T officials, acting on a tip-off, visited the admin- istrative office of MBS Hatcheries located at Water Tank Street of Alagappa Layout in Venkatesa Colony in Pollachi town on Monday morning. Simultaneously, another team visited the fodder production unit of the firm on Kollupalayam Road near Unjavelampatti in Pollachi, and carried out searches. As of 8pm Tuesday, the searches were still going on. After confirming the unaccounted cash stash, the I-T officials brought staff from State B a n k o f I n d i a , Po l l a ch i branch, to count the money on Monday . nearly 5,000 personnel of CRPF and BSF from Manipur after months of deployment during the unabated violence that began in May last year. The MHA has written to the police chiefs in Manipur, West Bengal and the CAPFs asking them to coordinate with the SHASHI Tharoor was on his first visit to Thiruvananthapuram after his candidature was announced for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. There was nobody from the Congress to receive him at the airport—not even a single party worker. But, then, Tharoor wouldn’t have bothered much. For, he had already won thrice on his own merit and charisma. The local Congress leadership had always cold-shouldered this diplomatturned-politician. So much so, Tharoor had to complain to the national leaders to get the party machinery running. Yet, he managed to win—even when he was under a cloud of suspicion after the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Tharoor seems to have created a vote bank for himself. Most o f t h e vo t e r s were proud to have a ‘global citizen’ representing them. It is the same affinity for ‘VIPs’ that saw the constituency send the likes of V K Krishna Menon, K Karunakaran and M N Govindan Nair to Parliament earlier. In Thiruvananthapuram, personalities seem to matter more than politics. But this time, Tharoor has an equally high-profile opponent: Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union minister of state for electronics and IT. If Tharoor is a prolific writer and orator, Chandrasekhar is a successful techie and an entre preneur. If Tharoor has the gift of the gab, Chandrasekhar is known as a man of action. If the former appears debonair, the latter exudes the air of someone who means business. Both are vying for the same vote bank—the upper class, the upper caste, the youth, and the aspirational middle class. This vote bank is crucial in Thiruvananthapuram—unlike elsewhere in Kerala—as it has 72% urban voters. In the past three elections, Tharoor had convincingly captivated the imagination of this segment of voters. Now, this vote bank is vertically split. The narrative that NDA is going to win 2024, and Chandrasekhar would invariably find a berth in Modi’s cabinet has found many takers in Thiruvananthapuram. And this is what gives the Tharoor camp CONTINUE ON P5 nightmares. state government and railway board for their forces’ deployment. “The 50 companies of CAPFs coming from Manipur are part of the deployment of additional 100 companies (55 of CRPF, 45 of BSF) being sent to the state as requested by the ECI for smooth conduct of polls,” a source said. Earlier this week, the EC had called a meeting with all states and UTs to assess the law and order situation, prevent illicit activities, and ensure strict vigilance across borders during the 2024 elections and a few state assemblies. Poll panel rate card: Tea, bread pakora for `6, chhole bhature `37 A S H I S H S R I V A S TA V A @ New Delhi A cup of tea and a bread pakora for `6, a plate of chhole bhature for `37, and a vegetarian thali for `80. These are the rates fixed by the Election Commission for the candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha polls in the national capital. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi, has approved a rate chart of over 100 items the candidates would use during public meetings and campaign trails. According to officials, the list would be enforced post-nomination and finalisation of the candidates. A gazette notification is expected by the month’s end wherein candidates would be informed about the same. The list of items includes hiring charges for vehicles, hoarding sites, tent items, and booking rooms in two to five-star hotels. Renting vehicles has specific rates: bikes cost `61 per day e-rick, shaws to be hired at `738, and cars for `1,476. The maximum candidates can spend hiring a horse is `3,075 for a day while for an el, ephant, the charges must not exceed `6,150. Room tariff at four & five-star properties has been decided for Lots and lotus of excitement in Thiruvananthapuram C I T H A R A PA U L @ T’Puram THE AVERAGE SURFACE AIR TEMPERATURE IN MAR 2024, 0.73°C ABOVE THAT OF 1991-2020 MODI PREDICTS NDA WIN IN CHENNAI ROADSHOW S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi AAP LIKELY TO MOVE SC TODAY 14.14°C Pm road Says evidence before court shows he was actively involved in use of proceeds of crime IN yet another major setback for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected his plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the liquor policy scam case after noting that “the arrest was legal.” The order means that Kejriwal has to remain in Tihar jail till he moves higher court for an appeal. “The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal was not in contravention of the legal provisions. The remand can’t be held to be illegal,” said Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma while delivering the verdict. Kejriwal, who is currently in judicial custody, also challenged his subsequent remand, apart from his arrest, by the ED in the case. “The material collected by the ED reveals that Kejriwal conspired and was involved in formulating the excise policy and used proceeds of crime. He is also allegedly involved in his personal capacity in formulating the policy and demanding kickbacks, and secondly, in the capacity of national convenor of AAP,” the judge said. The order said the rigours of Section 70 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) are attracted in this case. This measure penalises offences by companies. When a company contravenes the PMLA, every person who at the time of the contravention was in charge of the conduct of business of the company will be deemed to be guilty the court said in its order. , After the order was pronounced, Sanjeev Nasiar, the Aam Aadmi Party’s legal team member, told this newspaper that he would move the Supreme Court, most likely tomorrow challenging the HC order. Justice Sharma pronounced the judgment on Tuesday after hearing in detail the arguments and submissions from Kejriwal and the ED. Kejriwal claimed innocence and told the HC that the timing of his arrest right after the Model Code of Conduct was in force was to humiliate him and his party . “The timing ensures that I am (Kejriwal) unable to participate in a democratic activity and is meant to demolish my party,” Abhishek Manu Singhvi, senior lawyer for Kejriwal, told the HC. Kejriwal was arrested on March 21. The next day a trial court remanded him in six, day ED custody which was extended by four , days. On April 1, he was remanded in judicial custody till April 15. FULL COVERAGE ON P3 PAGES 14 WHAT’S ON MENU Cup of tea, bread pakora: `6 Chhole bhature/plate: `37 Renting bikes/day: `61 e-rickshaws: `738 Cars: `1,476 4 & 5-star hotel tariff: `6,150/day 3-star hotels: `3,690 2-star hotels: `1,968 Minimum cost for hiring drivers monthly: `17,234 Drivers on daily wages: `673 `6,150 per day, `3,690 for 3-star hotels and `1,968 for two-star hotels, excluding the taxes. However, drivers can’t be hired for less than `17,234 monthly and `673 on daily wages. Officials said the candidates would have to adhere to costs mentioned in the list against the items. “It was finalised after consultation with re presentatives of various political parties,” a senior election official said. These costs, fixed by the district election department, add to the political party’s overall spending, which cannot exceed `95 lakh per Lok Sabha constituency . MORE REPORTS ON PAGE 6, 7, 9 & 10 LEFT TO SEE The CPI has fielded Pannian Raveendran, 78, in T’Puram. But rumours that the CPM cadre may vote for Tharoor if Chandrasekhar has a winning chance is threatening his prospects ILLUSTRATION: MANDAR PARDIKAR
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