MondAY Knights Ride on their momentum to post comprehensive victory 15 april, 2024 Kolkata Knight Riders outplay Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets while Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians on Sunday... epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard 160.98 X.com/TheMornStandard canada Kolkata has the highest batting SR in powerplay this season SO FAR indian student shot dead in car 24-year-old Chirag Antil’s family has set up a fundraiser to repatriate his body to India Page 11 salt peppers Super Giants at eden gardens A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS l New Delhi l l J8.00 While Sunil Narine has been taking the limelight so far, Phil Salt stepped up on Sunday with an unbeaten 89 from 47 balls as Kolkata overpowered Lucknow. Batting first, LSG had posted 161/7, thanks to Nicholas Pooran’s late blitz (45 off 32), but in the end, it was not enough. Mitchell Starc, with figures of 3/28 in four overs, was the standout bowler for KKR. p13 PAGES 14 BJP manifesto pitches for Viksit Bharat 2047 Promises UCC, one nation one poll, extended free ration scheme Cong says no warranty for Modi’s words How Israel thwarted 300 drones from Iran E x pr e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ New Delhi PM Narendra Modi giving a copy of the BJP’s manifesto to a worker | Express R a j e s h K u m ar t h ak u r @ New Delhi With just a few days left before the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls to begin, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday unveiled its manifesto titled ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ focusing on One Nation One Election, Common Electoral Roll, Uniformed Civil Code and pitching for a stable and strong government as an imperative for the realisation of goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India) by 2047. And to achieve that, the party will focus on youth, equality of women, farmers’ welfare and economical empowerment of poor, says the manifesto. Releasing the manifesto, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for electing a strong and stable government, saying with votes for the next five years he can shape the country’s destiny for the next 1,000 years. Modi said the UCC and One Nation One Election are in the interest of the country. The BJP also mentioned its resolve to remove AFSPA from North East in a phase-wise manner. Targeting voters in Tamil Nadu, the manifesto promises to establish Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centres across the world. “As the world’s oldest language, Tamil fills us with immense pride, and the BJP is dedicated to elevating its global stature through concerted efforts,” said Modi, who has spent considerable time campaigning in Tamil Nadu, which goes to polls in the first phase. Highlighting his government’s work in the past 10 years, the PM pointed out that 25 crore people have moved out of poverty. The free ration scheme will continue for five more years to support them so that they do not slip back into poverty he added. , Among others, the manifesto promises to include all senior citizens above the age of 70 years in the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which offers free treatment of up to `5 lakh per year to eligible persons. P9 The Congress on Sunday ter med the BJP manifesto ‘rhetoric’ and Modi’s guarantee a ‘warranty of jumlas’ saying he has failed to fulfil the promises he made in the past. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said India’s youth are struggling for jobs and food prices have skyrocketed, but the BJP manifesto has no mention of these issues. “No accountability for old guarantees, just empty jugglery of words,” he wrote in a social media post. Congress leader and Telangana CM Revanth Redy said the BJP’s manifesto is a ‘post-date cheque drawn on a failing bank’ and equated Viksit Bharat to BJP’s 2004 election slogan India Shining, which failed. Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said, “Have they fulfilled what they had promised earlier? Did they give `15 lakh? Did they generate 2 crore jobs? Did they double farmer’s income?” The BJP-led government has never fulfilled any promises and they will not fulfill in the future, too, he added. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in a tweet said, “The BJP is perilously intent on dismantling the Constitution. With a voracious appetite for re g ression, they plot to thrust our nation back by two centuries.” Designed 1 The Arrow:long-range 2 David’s Sling: It is to intercept designed to intercept missiles, including the types medium-range missiles, of ballistic missiles Iran launched on Saturday night such as those possessed by Hezbollah in Lebanon IRAN launched its first direct attack on Israel on Saturday night, firing over 300 drones and ballistic missiles, ad damaging an army base and injuring 12 people. The unprecedented action by Tehran, which used to target Tel Aviv via its proxies such Hezbollah in Lebonon and Syria, and Houthis in Yemen, worsened the already precarious situation in West Asia and sparked fears of a broader conflict in the region and beyond. Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said 99% of the launches were intercepted, declaring that “the Iranian attack was INSIDE @ Bhubaneswar Going with the trend in several other states like West Bengal and Punjab, the INDIA bloc seems to have failed in Odisha. With Congress announcing its candidates for Bhubaneswar and Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha seats, which were demanded by CPM and CPI respectively, the alliance in Odisha is on the brink of collapse. Besides, the party has also not left any seat for the alliance partners in the latest list of 75 assembly candidates announced by it on Sunday . The alliance talks between Congress and mainly the Left parties in Odisha have not taken off because of the reluctance of the grand old party to cede ground. The Congress has so far announced candidates for 17 LS (of the total 21) and 124 assembly (total 147) seats. In the first list, only two assembly seats, one each for CPM and JMM, were left by the party It . is also yet to announce any candidate for Mayurbhanj and Aska seats. While the JMM has already announced its candidate for Mayurbhanj, sources said CPI is also likely to field candidates from Jagatsinghpur and Aska. Sources said Left leaders are not happy with the unilateral announcement of candidates by the Congress. Senior CPM leader Janardan Pati said the party will announce its candidate for Bhubaneswar LS seat. Kanhaiya Kumar JP Agarwal mar’s name was proposed by senior leaders after the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. In a recent survey, Kanhaiya emerged more popular than the son of former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit. Kumar will face two-time BJP MP Manoj Tiwari from the seat with a sizeable population of Purvanchalis (residents of eastern UP and Bihar) and Muslims. A Purvanchali him- Israel Tel-Aviv Tehran iran foiled”. While 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles were shot down before reaching Israel, a few of the 110 ballistic missiles did get through, the Israeli army said. Iran’s proxies and allies also carried out coordinated attacks on Israeli positions, it added. Iran’s overnight barrage came in retaliation for a deadly strike on Tehran’s consulate in the Syrian capital by Israel. The Iranian ar my No counterattack, biden tells bibi A s h is h S ri v asta v a @ New Delhi The Congress on Sunday announced its candidates for Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, fielding former JNU students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar from the North East Delhi constituency, JP Agarwal from Chandni Chowk, and Udit Raj for North West. The Congress is contesting the elections in Delhi in alliance with AAP Under the seat. sharing agreement, AAP is contesting East, South, West, and New Delhi seats. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit was not considered for North East where his name was almost finalised earlier. Party sources said Ku- missile-defence system. Used to shoot down aircraft Agencies Congress chooses Kanhaiya over Dikshit Cong adamant, INDIA bloc in against BJP’s Tiwari for Delhi North-East EX P R E S S N EW S S E R V I CE Patriot: Specialist 3oldestdefenceAmerican-made rangeIron Dome:down short- 5 Ironsystem toIsraelmore air system is 4 inrockets, the type fired efficient Beam:a new is shooting developing the member of Israel’s intercept by Hamas. Israel says it has a success rate of 90% incoming threats with laser technology Global alarm as Iran launches its first-ever direct attack on Israel Seat sharing Odisha teeters Missile interceptors fired by Israel’s Iron Dome seen over central Israel on Sunday | AP Udit Raj self, Kumar had contested in 2019 from Begusarai in Bihar from CPI, but lost. Agarwal had won his last LS polls in 2009 from North East Delhi and lost to Manoj Tiwari in 2014. He will face BJP’s Praveen Khandelwal. Udit Raj, a former IRS officer, will fight for the Congress for the first time. He had won the North West seat in 2019 as a BJP candidate. express read Sarabjit Singh’s killer shot dead in Pakistan Amir Sarfaraz Tamba, an accused in the murder of Indian death row prisoner in Pakistan Sarabjit Singh and a close associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit founder Hafiz Sayeed, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Lahore on Sunday, reports quoted official sources as saying. ‘Gurugram man opened fire at Salman’s house’ One of the two men seen in a CCTV footage opening fire outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s house in Mumbai is suspected to be from Gurugram, Delhi Police sources said. Two men fired four rounds outside Khan’s Bandra apartment around 5 am on Sunday and fled. claimed its attack was “completed successfully”, hinting that it won’t launch further attacks unless Israel retaliates. The development drew widespread condemnation and world leaders urged restraint amid fears that Israel will retaliate in kind, further escalating tensions. Israel’s top ally the US cautioned against an escalation. “We don’t want to see this escalate. We’re not looking for a wider war with Iran,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told NBC. US President Joe Biden said Washington will not support Israel in case it decides to launch a retaliatory strike against Iran. jAISHANKAR DIALS iRANIAN MINISTER New Delhi: A day after Iran seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship with 17 Indians on board near the Gulf of Oman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday spoke to his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to ensure their safety and early release. “I spoke with Iranian FM and took up the release of 17 Indians in MSC Aires. We discussed the situation in the region and stressed on importance of avoiding escalation, exercising restraint and returning to diplomacy,” said Dr Jaishankar, adding that he would remain in touch with FM Hossein Amir-Abdollahian Iranians torn between fear & pride I P11 SC to hear today Kejriwal’s plea against arrest, remand S u c h itra K a lyan M o h ant y @ New Delhi The Supreme Court will hear on Monday the appeal of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, challenging the Delhi High Court’s order dismissing his plea against arrest and remand in the Delhi liquor scam case. The apex court’s two-judge bench, led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta, will hear Kejriwal’s appeal. A day after his plea was rejected by the Delhi High Court on April 9, Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court, strongly pleading for listing his appeal as soon as possible. Kejriwal was arrested on the night of March 21. A trial court remanded him to six days of ED custody which was extended by four days. On April 1, he , was remanded in judicial custody till April 15. Kejriwal, who is currently in judicial custody, also challenged his subsequent remand, apart from his arrest, by the ED in the case. The CM claimed innocence and told the HC that the timing of his arrest right after the Model Code of Conduct was enforced was to humiliate him. Battleground of royal lineage vs commoner at Mysuru-Kodagu K A R T H I K K K @ Mysuru A high-voltage contest between royal lineage and grassroots appeal is on in the Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency While . Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has staked his reputation on his home turf, the BJP is eyeing a third consecutive win here. Eighteen candidates are vying for attention but the spotlight is on the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta , Chamaraja Wadiyar, contesting on a BJP ticket. His main challenger is the general secre- tary of the state Congress unit, M Lakshmana, a first-timer in the arena. The saffron party’s surprise nomination of Yaduveer, dropping its incumbent MP Pratap Simha, was hailed as a ‘masterstroke’. But it gave the CM the opportunity to play the Vokkaliga card. Internal dissent within the BJP after Simha’s axing was swiftly resolved with the intervention of top leaders. But since Simha is a Vokkaliga, there is some disquiet with the community So, the Congress . strategically fielded Lakshmana, a fellow Vokkaliga, to mine the disenchantment. In fact, Lakshmana is the first Vokkaliga fielded from the constituency by Congress for over 40 years. The clash, therefore, transcends par ty lines. The Congress turned the narrative into a dynasty versus commoner duel, emblematic of Karnataka’s intricate political tapestry . The BJP hopes to har ness the party’s electoral might and the JD(S) MLAs to secure a lead of at least 1 lakh votes for Yaduveer, Illustration: Mandar Pardikar while the Congress is banking on Lakshmana’s Vokkaliga roots while consolidating its traditional vote bank. However, the Congress faces the daunting task of dismantling Yaduveer’s royal aura, which is deeply ingrained in parts of Mysuru. The resurgence of the Wadiyar family in politics after two decades adds to the nostalgia factor. Yaduveer’s campaign emphasises industrial growth intertwined with heritage preservation, engaging with students and youth. In contrast, Laksh- mana outlines a comprehensive vision for Mysuru and Kodagu’s development and showcases the result of the Congress’ guarantee programmes. With Vokkaligas constituting a pivotal demographic, the Congress hopes to tap into it while defending its traditional strongholds. Siddaramaiah’s personal investment in Lakshmana’s candidacy shows the battle’s prestige, framing it as a referendum on his leadership. Would the BJP’s royal gambit outshine the Congress’ grassroots appeal? Or, can the Congress nibble into the BJP’s Vokkaliga support base? Watch this space.
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