MONDAY 18 CHILDREN AMONG 22 KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKES ON RAFAH 22 APRIL, 2024 Two separate overnight attacks on the southern Gaza city came even as the US approved billions of dollars of additional military aid to Israel epaper.morningstandard.in $26 bn facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard SIZE OF MILITARY AID TO ISRAEL CLEARED BY THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PIC: AFP MALDIVES PREZ MUIZZU GETS ‘SUPER MAJORITY’ ATTACKS CONTINUE AMID CALLS FOR RESTRAINT A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS NEW DELHI J8.00 PAGES 14 PAGE 11 Jailed leaders take centre stage at Oppn rally Kejriwal and Soren’s messages read out at Ulgulan Nyay Rally; will throw BJP out of power, say INDIA bloc leaders M U K E S H R A N J A N @ Ranchi THE leaders of the Opposition-led INDIA bloc on Sunday said that democracy in India is in danger and that the BJP should be thrown out of power to save the country Holding a . mega rally in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi in a show of strength ahead of the remaining phases of Lok Sabha polls, the leaders lashed out at BJP for “converting ED and CBI its extended department” and oppressing opposition leaders. Leaders from 28 parties took part in the ‘Ulgulan Nyay Rally’ but Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not attend the event due to ill health. In his speech, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Modi keeps saying that his government made a tribal the President of the country. “You (Modi) have done this not for the welfare of the tribals, but for the vote bank. You did not give jobs to the poor. You had talked about providing jobs to the youth, but this did not happen…. there was talk of doubling the income of farmers, but it also did not happen,” said Kharge. N o t a b l y, t wo e m p t y c h a i r s were kept on the stage for two jailed leaders—Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party and Hemant Soren of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Their spouses read out their messages. Reading out Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s message, his wife Will repeal CAA if voted to power: Chidambaram CYNTHIA CHANDRAN & PREETHA NAIR @ T’puram/New Delhi Leaders of Opposition INDIA bloc hold hands during ‘Ulgulan Nyay Rally’ in Ranchi on Sunday | PTI Sunita, Kalpana read out husbands’ messages Reading out CM Kejriwal’s message, Sunita Kejriwal said that it’s not that INDIAlliance is only for namesake. “Arvind ji a very brave…he is like a lion…the only thing he has in his mind is how to make lives of this country better,” she said. Kalpana Soren, the wife of another jailed CM Hemant Soren, also read out the letter written by him and fiercely attacked BJP at the Centre. Sunita Kejriwal said INDIA bloc is seeking votes to make the country better. “Arvind ji is a very brave. He is like a lion. The only thing he has in his mind is how to make lives of this country better,” she said. She also listed out the six guarantees including free electricity to the poor, government schools in every village to provide free education, multispecialty hospitals in every district, and fair prices for farmers. “If you give a chance to INDI Alliance, then we will make this country better and stronger,” she added. Reading out Hemant Soren’s message, Kalpana Soren alleged central agencies such as the ED and CBI are being misused to suppress the opposition’s voice. ‘Cong selling lies on Constitution to scare voters’ R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday tore into the Congress party saying it is trying to instill fear among the Dalits, tribals and minorities by spreading lies about the future of India’s democracy, the constitution and reservation. “The Congress sells fear, hunger and corruption in its shop,” Modi said addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara. “But the country is no longer in the grip of fear. That is why their lies are no longer working,” he added. He went on to say that if the Opposition won the election, it would redistribute the wealth of people to Muslims and cited former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s remark that the minority community had Ex-PM Manmohan Singh said the minority community had the first claim on the country’s resources. This mindset, my mothers & sisters, won’t even leave your Mangalsutra. They can go to that level A day after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attacked the Congress for being silent on the CAA in its manifesto, the party switched to a damagecontrol mode on Sunday, with senior leader P Chidambaram asserting that the controversial law will be repealed if INDIA bloc wins power. Clarifying the party’s stand, the former Union minister said, “I have a list with me, of a large number of laws, in which we have mentioned that five laws would be repealed. One of the five laws is CAA. Why we dropped the list in the manifesto is because it was already too long. This manifesto is 46 pages and it is a long list of 40 to 50 laws. I am the chairman of the manifesto committee, take it from me. CAA will be repealed,” he said. “We will repeal, amend, and review the following sets of lawsCAA 2019 is at the top of the list,” Chidambaram said in Thiruvananthapuram. TNIE had reported though ‘repealing and amending of CAA’ figured in the original draft of the Congress manifesto, the top leadership of the party decided to drop any mention of the controversial legislation in the document. Instead, the manifesto said it would repeal all anti-people laws passed by the NDA if the INDIA bloc came to power in 2024 without referring to CAA. the first claim on the country’s resources. “This urban-naxal mindset, my mothers and sisters, they will not even leave your Mangalsutra. They can go to that level,” Modi said. Earlier, speaking at Jalore, Modi charged that Congress leaders exploited the country and they cannot be entrusted with leading the nation once again. The prime minister said the grand old party can only blame itself for its current predicament. “They ruled for 60 years, yet left our mothers and sisters longing for basic amenities like toilets, gas, electricity , and bank accounts. Their legacy of nepotism and corruption has weakened the nation, and they are now facing the consequences,” he said. MORE REPORTS ON PAGE 6,7,9 & 10 A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi DG (Prisons) wrote a letter yesterday asking for a diabetologist from AIIMS. This shows that the Centre and jail administration were lying till now that they have specialist doctors Saurabh Bharadwaj, health minister HC to hear CM’s plea The Delhi High Court will on Monday hear CM Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging summonses issued to him by ED as part of its probe into the excise policy-linked case. FIRE AT MT TRASH EXPRESS READ Days after filing a fresh case, the Enforcement Directorate on Sunday arrested retired Chhattisgarh IAS officer Anil Tuteja in the `2,000 crore alleged liquor-scam linked money laundering case in the state, officials said. The agency detained the 2003batch officer from the Anti Corruption Bureau office in Raipur, where the bureaucrat had recorded his statement. R A J E S H A S N A N I @ Jaipur AMONG the most keenly watched Lok Sabha contests in Rajasthan is the one at Jalore-Sirohi, since former chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav is in the fray against Lumbaram Chaudhary of the BJP . Vaibhav had lost the 2019 general elections from Jodhpur to BJP’s Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. The legacy of three-time Congress chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who has never lost an election, looms large over Vaibhav’s campaign. The younger Gehlot is striving to carve out his own identity, emphasising his contributions to the Youth Congress and his active involvement in Jodhpur’s political landscape. However, Vaibhav’s journey has not been without controversies. He has been under the Enforcement Directorate’s scrutiny over alleged foreign exchange violations related to Triton Hotels and Resorts Pvt THE Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday said Tihar authorities have asked for a diabetologist from AIIMS for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s treatment, which the party said negates their claims that all medical facilities are available for the CM in the jail. AAP produced before the media a letter dated April 20 written by the Director General of Prisons to AIIMS requisitioning a diabetologist. Addressing a press meet, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “The DG (Prisons) wrote a letter yesterday asking for a diabetologist from AIIMS. This shows that the BJP-led central government and jail administration were lying till now that they have specialist doctors. Till Saturday, these people were saying they have all the specialists, insulin. Everything is available in jail.” “He is a chief minister, he is a severe diabetic and is saying every day to show him to a diabetologist, I need insulin... an elected Chief Minister is not being given medicine,” he said. Bharadwaj quoted Kejriwal: “I have diabetes for 20 to 22 years, I have been on insulin for 12 years, I take 50 units of insulin daily If the sugar level of a . patient taking insulin increases, it can be controlled only with insulin.” Tihar administration responded to Bharadwaj’s charge, saying appropriate senior specialists from AIIMS provided consultation to Kejriwal via video conference on Saturday . “After a 40-minute detailed consultation, Kejriwal was assured that there was no serious concern and was advised to continue with the prescribed medicines, which will be evaluated and reviewed regularly,” a jail official said. “Neither the issue of insulin was raised by Kejriwal, nor was it suggested by the doctors,” the official said. Objecting to the “deviation” from the standard practice of monitoring blood sugar levels of fasting and post-prandial by relying on readings of random sugar levels, Bharadwaj said there is a set method of testing sugar levels. “You say how much is your fasting sugar, that is, you wake up in the morning and measure your sugar level. Then, you eat breakfast and after two hours, sugar level is measured. This is a standard method,” he said. P3 Ltd and Vardha Enterprises Pvt Ltd, which surfaced just before the 2023 Assembly elections. His opponent Lumbaram Chaudhary represents the BJP’s grassroots strength in the Jalore-Sirohi region. With a history of active participation in party activities, Chaudhary earned his stripes through hard work and dedication. His tenure as the pradhan of the Sirohi Panchayat Samiti and his leadership roles in the Sirohi BJP unit strengthened his local appeal. Despite being overlooked in t h e p r ev i o u s a s s e m b l y elections, his commitment finally paid off with the Lok Sabha ticket after the BJP dropped its sitting MP Devji Patel. CONTINUED ON:P9 5 die, 3 injured as car with wedding guests hits divider E N S @ New Delhi FIVE wedding guests were killed and three others injured after their car collided with a divider here and turned turtle, police said on Sunday . The victims were heading from Greater Noida to Deoria in Bihar when the overspeeding car met with the accident near Kuberpur turning here on the Yamuna Expressway under the limits of Etmadpur Police Station on Saturday late night, they said. ACP Sukanya Sharma said five persons were killed and three injured in Agra due to overspeeding of the car that turned turtle. “The driver was inebriated. The injured were refered to SN Medical College and Hospital for treatment,” Sharma said. BIPOLAR BATTLE FOR THE CAPITAL Bitter rivals AAP and Congress have joined hands to take on their common enemy, BJP, which has been ruling all seats since 2014. What are the prospects of candidates? | P4 Nandini sponsors Ireland, Scotland T20 teams A fire breaks out at the Ghazipur landfill site, which is said to have been ignited by the soaring heat in the national capital | PARVEEN NEGI | P3 Retired IAS officer held in C’garh liquor scam Gehlot Jr strives for a win to shed born identity Tihar seeks diabetologist from AIIMS for CM: AAP Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public event in Jalore, Rajasthan on Sunday | PTI Despite international calls for restraint, Israel is continuing its near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. A man, his wife and their 3-year-old child was killed in one of the strikes overnight on Saturday. Another attack killed 17 children and two women as per hospital records. P11 ILLUSTRATION: MANDAR PARDIKAR Muizzu-led PNC secures a majority in Parliament by winning over 60 seats Man who killed cabbie held after encounter Buzz grows over Rahul’s contest from Amethi A week after a cab driver was shot dead near the Red Fort, the Delhi Police on Sunday arrested main accused in the murder case after a brief exchange of fire, officials said. The accused was identified as Firoz. The police acted after they got a tipoff about his whereabouts. When the accused was asked to surrender, he fired at the police team. P3 The Congress on Sunday announced 11 more candidates for the Lok Saha polls amid intense speculation that former party president Rahul Gandhi will contest from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi after the second phase. It is also speculated that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make her electoral debut from party stronghold Rae Bareli. P7 Brickbats too amidst bouquets While many were thrilled that Nandini is going global, several others, including former Infosys director Mohandas Pai, asked why a Karnatakabased product was sponsoring teams abroad, and not the state teams. P U R A N C H O U D H A R Y @ Bengaluru THE Karnataka Milk Federation’s ‘Nandini logo’ will now be seen on the jerseys of Scotland and Ireland cricket teams in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be played in the United States of America and West Indies from June 1 to 29. Under the dairy cooperative owned by the state, Nandini — a household name with its various dairy products — aims to acquire a global image by sponsoring the two teams. During the tournament, the brand is also looking to launch a whey-based energy drink, ‘Nandini Splash’, in the US in flavours including orange, litchi, lemon and mango. The cooperative sees the tournament, co-hosted by the West Indies and the US, as a good opportunity to increase its revenue and customer base. The brand name and logo will appear on the lead arm of the jerseys of the players. The cooperative will also run social media campaigns to promote itself in association with the teams. “Cricket is a much-loved sport and this sponsorship aims to reach the Indian diaspora in the global markets, making Nandini a brand across many countries. This will be a great moment for Kannadigas as a home-grown brand becomes a global one,” said KMF managing director KM Jagadish. Asked why the Indian cricket team was not sponsored, he said the costs are too high and “KMF won’t be able to offer such large amounts.”
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