TRUMP SHOW A PAGE 12
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 12
U.S. President DonaldTrump will visit India on February 24 and 25, as per anoffi��cial announcement fromthe White House on Monday.
Mr. Trump and First LadyMelania Trump will visitNew Delhi and Ahmedabad.The White House said Ahmedabad was chosen for thevisit as Gujarat was home toPrime Minister NarendraModi and played an “important role” in Mahatma Gandhi’s life.
“The President and TheFirst Lady will travel to New
Delhi and Ahmedabad,which is in Prime MinisterModi’s home State of Gujaratand played such an important role in Mahatma Gandhi’s life and leadership of theIndian independence movement,” a statement from the
Offi��ce of the Press Secretarysaid.
Confi��rming the visit, theMinistry of External Aff��airsin statement on Tuesdaysaid, “During the visit, President Trump and the First Lady will attend offi��cial engagements in New Delhi andAhmedabad, Gujarat, andinteract with a wide crosssection of Indian society.”
Prime Minister Modi andMr. Trump had spoken overthe weekend, the WhiteHouse said.
U.S. President Trump confi��rmsIndia visit on February 24, 25He and wife Melania will travel to Ahmedabad and Delhi
Sriram Lakshman
Washington
Donald Trump
Arvind Kejriwal and his AamAadmi Party (AAP) were voted back to power with a massive mandate in the Delhi Assembly election as the partywon 62 seats in the 70member House.
The party dropped justfi��ve seats and less than a percentage point in vote sharefrom its stellar 2015 showing.
Despite a hardfought andbitter campaign that saw bigguns, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister AmitShah address rallies, the BJPmanaged to win only eightseats, up fi��ve from its 2015tally. The Congress, yetagain, failed to open its account — the party’s candidates looked set to forfeittheir deposits on 63 of the 66seats contested.
Speaking after the victory,Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “The people of Delhi have given birth to a newkind of politics — the politicsof work. This is a vote forthose who build schools,who provide electricity andhealthcare. This augurs wellfor the country.”
Ministers post winsThe AAP secured 53.57 % ofthe vote share, while the BJPgot 38.5% and the Congress4.3%. Though three of theAAP’s incumbent Ministers —Manish Sisodia, Kailash Gahlot and Satyendar Jain —were trailing after the fi��rstfew rounds of counting, theywent on to retain their seats.
Raghav Chadha, AtishiMarlena and Dilip Pandeyfrom the AAP, who lost in the2019 Lok Sabha election,strode into the Assembly.
On the other hand, formerAAP Minister Kapil Mishra,
who left the party and foughton a BJP ticket, was defeated.Anil Bajpai, also a formerAAP legislator, however, retained his Gandhi Nagarseat.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Ti
wari, while accepting responsibility for the dismalperformance, argued thatthe party had been able to increase its vote share. “I congratulate Arvind Kejriwal...In comparison to 2015, the
BJP’s vote share has registered an increase, which isthe result of the hard workput in by its workers... theseresults also seem to heraldthe dawn of a new politicalera in the city, which has be
come bipolar instead oftriangular,” he said.
AAP sweeps Delhi with 62 seats, BJP trounced
Jaideep Deo Bhanj
Jatin Anand
NEW DELHI
■ BJP wins 8 seats, 5 more than
2015, with 38.5 % vote share
■ AAP gets 53.6%, marginally
below its 54.2% share in 2015
■ Congress candidates likely
to lose deposits in 63 seats
WINNING FORMULA A EDITORIAL
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 12
CMYK
wednesday, february 12, 2020 Delhi
City Edition
22 pages O ₹��10.00
Printed at . Chennai . Coimbatore . Bengaluru . Hyderabad . Madurai . Noida . Visakhapatnam . Thiruvananthapuram . Kochi . Vijayawada . Mangaluru . Tiruchirapalli . Kolkata . Hubballi . Mohali . Malappuram . Mumbai . Tirupati . lucknow . cuttack . patna
follow us:
thehindu.com
facebook.com/thehindu
twitter.com/the_hindu
CBI gives clean chit toRakesh AsthanaNEW DELHI
The CBI on Tuesday fi��led a
chargesheet in a case of
alleged bribery against its
former secondincommand
Rakesh Asthana and others,
giving a clean chit to him and
another offi��cial. “The
investigation has not
revealed any role of public
servants,” said a CBI offi��cial.
NEWS A PAGE 12
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
NEARBY
Supreme Court to hearOmar sister’s plea todayNEW DELHI
A petition fi��led by Sara
Abdullah Pilot, the sister of
former J&K Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah, will be heard
by a threejudge Bench of the
Supreme Court, led by Justice
N.V. Ramana, on February 12.
She has approached the court
against the government’s
move to charge him under
the Public Safety Act.
NEWS A PAGE 12
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Kafeel Khan releasedfrom Mathura jail on bailGHAZIABAD
Kafeel Khan, the paediatrician
who was arrested on January
29 from Mumbai for making
an infl��ammatory speech at
Aligarh Muslim Unversity
against the CAA, was released
from Mathura jail on Tuesday
after being granted bail by an
Aligarh court.
NORTH A PAGE 2
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
HC seeks Centre’s replyon Jamia violence pleaNEW DELHI
The Delhi High Court on
Tuesday sought the Centre’s
response on a petition
seeking a courtmonitored
probe by a committee into
the police crackdown at
Jamia Millia Islamia on
December 15 last year.
CITY A PAGE 3
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Congratulating ArvindKejriwal for his resoundingvictory, Opposition partiessaid the BJP’s defeat showedthat politics of polarisationdidn’t pay dividends. WestBengal CM MamataBanerjee, in a tweet, said,“Leaders playing on faiththrough hate speech anddivisive politics should takea cue, as only those whodeliver on their promisesare rewarded.” A page 13
‘A referendumon BJP politics’
The Delhi Assembly electionresults could provide areason for Bihar ChiefMinister Nitish Kumar tosmile, say political analysts.The BJPled NDA’s crushingdefeat at the hands of theAAP would now emboldenthe Janata Dal (United) chiefto drive a harder bargain forseats with the BJP, in theupcoming Assemblyelection in the State, theysay. A page 13
Nitish gets areason to smile
Aam Aadmi Party legislatorand Leader of theOpposition in the PunjabAssembly Harpal Cheemaon Tuesday said the party’svictory in Delhi was a clearmessage that politics ofhatred is not accepted bypeople as they have votedfor development. AAP, hesaid, would replicate theDelhi model in Punjab inthe 2022 Assembly election.A page 2
Politics ofhatred rejected
The BJP’s sixth consecutiveloss in an Assembly poll —although the party managedto form a government inHaryana — points to a veryreal problem for the party.The Statelevel narrative ofthe party has not been asappealing as that of PMModi at the national level, somuch so that even Mr.Modi’s campaign did notmanage to lift the party’sfortunes. A page 13
Lack of localnarrative
The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Union government to approach thetrial court for issuance of afresh date for the executionof the death sentence of theNirbhaya gang rape convicts.
Appearing before a threejudge Bench led by Justice R.Banumathi, Solicitor GeneralTushar Mehta said the Nirbhaya convicts were tryingthe patience of the nation.
Mr. Mehta made a chillingreference to how policemenwho gunned down the fourgang rape and murder accused in Hyderabad werecheered by people, calling
the incident a symptom ofpeople losing faith in theprocess of law.
“This case [Nirbhaya] is of2012 and I am still strugglingto execute the death sentence. They [convicts] areacting in tandem to misusethe law by fi��ling one petitionafter the other… People willstop having faith in the judicial system. Seven years havegone by and the convicts arestill playing the judicial system… It is in situations likethis that people celebrate encounter killings,” Mr. Mehtasubmitted.
The Solicitor General saidconvicts Mukesh, Vinay andAkshay have seemingly ex
hausted remedies. Thefourth, Pawan Gupta, is yetto fi��le a mercy petition.
Fresh pleaMr. Mehta said a plea to fi��x anew date for the executionsin the trial court would immediately see one or the oth
er of the four convicts movecourt in a bid to further prolong the process.
As indicated, within a fewhours of the hearing, Vinaymoved the Supreme Courtchallenging the rejection ofhis mercy petition by thePresident.
Mr. Mehta stressed thatthe Supreme court should instead focus on the government’s appeal to allow thefour convicts to be separately executed. The court issuednotice to the four convicts onthis point and scheduled ahearing for February 13.
Solicitor General calls for separateexecutions of Nirbhaya case convicts
Legal Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Steel will: The parents of the Nirbhaya rape case victimoutside the Supreme Court in New Delhi in December. * PTI
A Delhi court on Tuesdaysought the response of thefour deathrow convicts inthe Nirbhaya gangrape andmurder case after a petitionwas fi��led by the victim’sparents and the Delhigovernment seekingissuance of fresh deathwarrant. PTI
Victim’s kinmove court
Babulal Marandi’s
JVM(P) to merge with
BJP on February 17
page 12
Coronavirus toll in
China crosses 1,000, as
WHO sees ‘grave threat’
page 14
The economy is
not in trouble, says
Nirmala Sitharaman
page 16
de Grandhomme, Guptill
and Nicholls help NZ
whitewash India
page 19
OPPORTUNITIES A PAGE 15
ELECTORAL DICHOTOMY
A DATA POINT
Students of Gargi Collegestaged a strike and boycottedclasses for the second consecutive day on Tuesday inprotest against the February6 incident when they were al
legedly harassed and sexually assaulted on campus during a college festival.
Several students andteachers from diff��erent departments held a meeting toconstitute a factfi��nding committee. Ashna, a fi��nalyear
student, said, “A general body meeting [of students andteachers] was held to constitute a committee which would investigate the events thathappened during the fest.”
Gargi College students boycott classesStaff Reporter
New Delhi
DETAILS ON A PAGE 3
All sitting Ministers in Delhi’sAam Aadmi Party (AAP) government as well as theSpeaker of the Legislative Assembly retained their seatsin the Assembly election.And all of them, except theChief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, also recorded a rise in their voteshare compared with theprevious election.
Some Ministers, includingManish Sisodia, Kailash Gehlot, Satyendra Jain, andSpeaker Ram Niwas Goelemerged victorious in tightcontests — all of them winning with a margin of lessthan 10,000 votes. Others,including Arvind Kejriwal,Gopal Rai, Rajendra Pal Gautam and Imran Hussain, wontheir seats with comfortablemargins of more than at least20,000 votes. Chief MinisterKejriwal, who won by margin of 21,697 votes, saw adrop of 3.04 percentagepoints in vote share.
Scare for SisodiaDeputy Chief Minister Sisodia, who encountered thelargest drop in vote share of4.31 percentage points from2015, won after a neckandneck battle with the BJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi in the Patparganj constituency. Mr. Sisodia, who had won by amargin of 28,791 votes in2015, looked to be losing theseat as Mr. Negi maintained alead in the fi��rst 10 rounds ofcounting. However, once heovertook his rival in round 11in the afternoon, he man
aged to hold on and won by amargin of 3,207 votes.
Similarly, Speaker Goeltrailed in the fi��rst 11 roundsof counting in the Shahdraconstituency before thetrend reversed and he managed to win by a margin of5,294 votes.
Health Minister SatyendraJain more than doubled hismargin of victory, retainingthe Shakur Basti constituency with a margin of 7,592votes over the BJP’s candidate S.C. Vats.
Transport Minister Gehlot, who won from the Najafgarh constituency, was thebiggest gainer in terms ofvote share, improving on hisprevious victory by 15.6 percentage points.
In Seemapuri, Minister ofTourism Rajendra Pal Gautam won by the largest votemargin among all ministers— at 56,108 and a 2.78 percentage point increase invote share. In Balimaran, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies Imran Hussain won bya margin of 36,172.Ministerof Labour Gopal Rai won theBabarpur seat by a margin of33,062.
All AAP Ministers sansCM and his deputy see rise in vote share Speaker, too, emerged victorious
STAFF REPORTER
New Delhi
Ram Niwas Goel
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Government can seek fresh execution dates, says SC
A special court here onTuesday sentenced BrajeshThakur and 11 others, including three women, to life imprisonment for the sexualand physical assault of girlinmates of a shelter home inMuzaff��arpur, Bihar.
Additional sessions judgeSaurabh Kulshreshtha alsoimposed a fi��ne of ₹��32 lakh onThakur.
Six others were sentenced up to seven years injail. Rosy Rani, who was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, has already servedthe term. Therefore, she has
been released.The court had earlier held
Thakur guilty under the Protection of Children from Sexual Off��ences (POCSO) Act.
The charges included aggravated penetrative sexualassault, gangrape, rape andother relevant provisionsunder the Indian Penal Codeand the Juvenile Justice Act.
Vijay Kumar Tiwari, Guddu Patel, Ramanuj Thakurand Kishan Kumar were alsoconvicted of aggravated penetrative sexual assault,rape, gangrape and otherrelated off��ences.
Thakur, 11 others get lifeterm in shelter home case6 others sentenced up to 7 years in jail
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
CONTINUED ON A PAGE 12
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 20202EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
NORTH
The Rajasthan Assembly witnessed noisy scenes duringthe budget session on Tuesday, when the OppositionBJP members fi��rst questioned the governmentabout the revenue loss afterDeepika Padukonestarrermovie Chhapaak was declared taxfree and later boycotted the Question Hour ontheir supplementary questions not being allowed.
BJP MLA from BeawarShankar Singh Rawat askeda written question about thefi��lm, but he was not satisfi��edwith the reply of Parliamentary Aff��airs Minister ShantiDhariwal. When Mr. Dhariwal said that declaring
Chhapaak taxfree was a“policy decision” in view ofthe movie’s message to thesociety in support of acid attack survivors, Mr. Rawat alleged that the decision wastaken because of Ms. Padukone’s “politicalinclinations”.
Speaker C.P. Joshi expunged Mr. Rawat’s supplementary question and saidhe would not allow any query which had no connection with the original question and pertained to theDepartment of Culture. Anynew question should beasked separately throughthe proper procedure, heruled.
Mr. Dhariwal told theHouse that the tax calcula
tion to fi��nd out the revenueloss could only be done afterFebruary 20. The BJP members entered the well andraised slogans, while Leaderof the Opposition GulabChand Kataria tried to speakon the issue, but the Speakerdid not allow him.
Ms. Padukone’s visit to Jawaharlal Nehru University inDelhi to express solidaritywith the students attackedby some masked persons onthe campus on January 5had led to a controversy.
After the uproar, the BJPmembers demanded thattheir right to ask questionsshould be protected by theSpeaker and staged a walkout, boycotting the Question Hour.
Rajasthan Assembly witnessesnoisy scenes over ChhapaakBJP members boycott Question Hour as queries were not allowed
Mohammed Iqbal
JAIPUR
Aam Aadmi Party MLA andLeader of the Opposition inthe Punjab Assembly HarpalCheema on Tuesday said theparty’s victory in Delhi was aclear message that politics ofhatred is not accepted by people as they have voted fordevelopment.
AAP, he said, would replicate the Delhi model in Punjab in the 2022 Assemblyelection.
Development agenda“People have rejected thepolitics of hatred peddled bythe Bharatiya Janata Partyand voted for the Kejriwal government’s developmentagenda,” he said here.
Party’s political aff��airscommittee chairman Harchand Singh Barsat said thehistoric victory of AAP in Delhi had redefi��ned the political
narrative across the countryby rejecting the divisive forces that are hell bent on destroying the social fabric ofthe country.
“The unprecedented victory of the party has sent outa message loud and clearacross the country that theelected governments wouldhave to work harder for betterment of education, healthcare, cheaper electricity, safety and security of women,”he said.
Collective wisdomSikh radical outfi��t Dal Khalsa’s spokesperson KanwarpalSingh said the people of Delhi in their collective wisdomhave defeated the BJP’s Hindutva agenda by reposingfaith in AAP. “The rejectionof the BJP government’s decisive, bully and fascist policiesis a severe blow to ModiShahduo,” he said in a statement.
Politics of hatred not acceptable,says Punjab AAP on Delhi winThe party will replicate the model in State Assembly polls in 2022: Harpal Cheema
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHANDIGARH
AAP workers off��ering sweets to each other in Amritsar onTuesday, after the party’s win in the Delhi Assembly election.
* AFP
After Deoband, the protestagainst the Citizenship(Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens hasspread to Gangoh town ofSaharanpur. Addressing hundreds of protesters, MaulanaMahmood Madani, secretary,Jamiat UlemaeHind, saidthe government had let theConstitution down by making a law that diff��erentiatedamong religions.
“Instead of speaking thelanguage of arrogance, thegovernment should introspect,” he said.
Praising the women whoare protesting against the
“black Act”, he said they hadshown “great courage”. Heensured full support of theJamiat.
Reminding the protestersof the signifi��cance of the Idgah ground of Gangoh, Mr.Madani said, “I am standing
at a place where Hazrat Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi had saidthat they would provide theBritish rulers with youth whowould happily kiss thenoose.”
In Deoband, social activistUzma Naheed addressed thewomen protesting againstthe CAA on Monday night. “Iam surprised and happy thatMuslim women who remained quiet for centurieshave spoken out to save theConstitution,” she said. Shesaid her forefathers had several opportunities to go toPakistan or somewhere else,but her grandfather said theyshould work to strengthenIndia.
Protest against CAA-NRCspreads to Saharanpur townJamiat UlemaeHind secretary praises women protesters
Special Correspondent
Ghaziabad <> I am standing at a
place where
Hazrat Rasheed
Ahmad Gangohi
had said that they
would provide the
British rulers with
youth who would
happily kiss the
noose
Maulana Mahmood Madani
Jamiat UlemaeHind secretary
Water conservationist Rajendra Singh on Tuesday saidunless society took it uponitself to conserve water andtake ownership of resources,revival of rivers and streamswas not possible.
Draft BillSpeaking at the National Water Right Convention to discuss the draft of the Right toWater Bill in Madhya Pradesh, he said, “Until now, activists been working alone.But with the government’ssupport, on the one handwaterbodies could be protected, and on the other water use could be madejudicious.”
Mr. Singh, known as the‘Waterman of India’, who isadvising the government onthe proposed law, said, “Ownership of water bodiesamong masses has led to the
revival of several rivers in aparched State like Rajasthan.With such laws, the modelcould be replicated acrossthe country.”
Under the law, he added,streams, rivers and other waterbodies would be identifi��ed, panchayats roped in,people would take the leadand an eff��ort would be made
to curb mining on riverbeds. Pointing to the waning
water resources in the State,Chief Minister Kamal Nathsaid, “Eleven of the Municipal Corporations and Councils get water once in fourdays, 50 get once in threedays and 117 get once in twodays. It’s a big challenge.”
Despite rain, he added,streams and rivers were drying up owing to negligence.“As many as 65 dams in theState have dried up due tounavailability of water and164 reservoirs have met thesame fate. Instead of movingahead, we are going back.”
Mr. Nath said new technologies must be leveragedin devising strategies to conserve water. “Technologiessuch as producing waterfrom air could be useful. Butthose valid 20 years ago,aren’t relevant any more. Sothere is an imminent need tofi��gure out where new tech
nologies could be used,” hesaid.
Stating that his politicallife was inextricably linkedto water, Mr. Nath related ananecdote from 1979 inChhindwara district. “I started my political career due towater problems. One nightas I walked on the road, Imet 1520 women carryingearthen lamps and plates,waiting at a spot for threehours. They said one of theirsons could fi��nd a prospectivebride as the water sourcewas 12 km away. This was alesson for me, and I decidedto join politics to make mycontribution.”
Mr. Nath cautioned thatthe next generation wouldnot forgive us for our negligence. “During the 1992 RioEarth Summit, I had said thetalk of environment and forests was incomplete withoutthe issue of water beingraised.”
Society must help conserve water: expertWith govt.’s support, waterbodies can be protected: Rajendra Singh
M.P. Chief Minister KamalNath addressing theNational Water Conventionin Bhopal on Tuesday.
* A.M. FARUQUI
Staff Reporter
Bhopal
Fortyseven diff��erently abledand underprivileged couplestied the knot at a mass wedding ceremony and took apledge against the dowrysystem in Udaipur. NarayanSeva Sansthan, a philanthropic institution, organised the ceremony on Sunday for persons whom it hashelped out through corrective surgery.
Thirty of the married couples were skilled through theSansthan’s vocational training programmes. The institution has also recruited afew couples by off��ering themjobs which fi��t their capacities, making them fi��nanciallyindependent andemployable.
During the ceremony, thecouples were given household items and saris.
Narayan Seva Sansthan
president Prashant Agarwalsaid the institution had so farorganised 34 mass weddingsin which over 2,000 diff��erently abled couples weremarried.
“Such people fi��nd it diffi��cult to marry because of fi��nancial constraints andphysical diffi��culties. Thisplatform has enabled them
to fi��nd their soul mates whowould support them in theirstruggle,” he said.
Mr. Agarwal said the objectives of mass weddingswere social inclusion, accessible atmosphere and accountability of every diff��erently abled person in orderto help the couples lead anormal life and become a
part of mainstream society.Ramu Kumari and Ganpat
from Pratapgarh, both ofwhom suff��ered from polioand had lost their fathers,were hopeful that their marriage would initiate a newphase of their lives. Arvindand Sonam from Barabankitook a pledge not to takedowry and generate publicopinion against the socialevil.
The Narayan Seva Sansthan has taken up activitiessuch as artifi��cial limb distribution, corrective surgery,skill education, health caresupport, free food off��eringand talent nurturing alongwith mass wedding ceremonies for the diff��erently abledto bring them to the mainstream. Mr. Agarwal said theSansthan had launched theWorld of Humanity Foundation for nurturing theirskills.
Diff��erently abled couples tie the knot at mass wedding
Thirty couples were given vocational training by NGO Narayan Seva Sansthan
Couples at the mass wedding in Udaipur. * SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.
Special Correspondent
JAIPUR
0DISCLAIMER: Readers are requested to verify and make appropriate enquiries to satisfy themselves about the veracity of an advertisement before responding to any published in this newspaper. THG PUBLISHINGPVT LTD., the Publisher & Owner of this newspaper, does not vouch forthe authenticity of any advertisement or advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s products and/or services. In no event can the Owner, Publisher,Printer, Editor, Director/s, Employees of this newspaper/company be heldresponsible/liable in any manner whatsoever for any claims and/or damages for advertisements in this newspaper.
Delhi Weather
Delhi City
Safdarjang
Palam
max
23
23
23
min
06
06
07
© Copyright Skymet Weather 2019
All rights reserved.
Delhi Palam Today22ºC Shallow fog/mist during cold morning is likely. The day will be windy and pleasant.
Delhi Palam Tomorrow 24ºC Pollution level may improve due to strong winds. Dry and pleasant weather is expected to prevail.
Timings
DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12
RISE 07:03 SET 18:09
RISE 21:38 SET 09:20
THURSDAY, FEB. 13
RISE 07:02 SET 18:10
RISE 22:42 SET 09:58
FRIDAY, FEB. 14
RISE 07:01 SET 18:10
RISE 23:47 SET 10:36
Kafeel Khan, the paediatrician who fi��rst came intothe spotlight as a whistleblower in the case ofdeaths of several infants atthe BRD Hospital in Gorakhpur, was releasedfrom Mathura jail on Tuesday after being granted bailby an Aligarh court.
Dr. Khan was arrestedon January 29 from Mumbai for making an infl��ammatory speech at AligarhMuslim Unversity againstthe Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Chief Judicial MagistrateKaruna Singh granted himbail on a bond of ₹��60,000to ensure the off��ence wasnot repeated.
Kafeel Khanreleased fromjail on bail
Special Correspondent
Ghaziabad A teacher in Saharanpur onTuesday claimed threat toher life after nearly 200 residents entered the schoolcampus and protestedagainst her visiting ShaheenBagh in Delhi where womenare protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
Nahid Zaidi, who teachesEnglish at Asha ModernSchool, told reporters thatshe was suspended from theschool for visiting ShaheenBagh on January 19 andspeaking to the media. “Isaid many things but onlyselective footage was shownby the media. Some peoplewho don’t like me put it onsocial media and created afalse opinion against me,”she said, adding the suspen
sion was revoked only whenthe police intervened.
Ms. Zaidi said she hadtaught at many schools andnever made a diff��erence between Hindu and Muslimstudents. “I have taught almost half of the city but stillI am being targetted.” Shesaid she lived alone andthere was a “threat” to herlife. On Monday, she said,around 200 residents entered the campus and raisedslogans against her.
Vineet Bhatnagar, Superintendent of Police (City),Saharanpur, told The Hin-du, “We have spoken toboth the school administration and the teacher. Shewas not suspended. An explanation was sought abouther comments. There is nothreat to her security.”
Teacher claims threat forvisiting Shaheen Bagh Special Correspondent
Ghaziabad
CMYK
THE HINDU DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 3EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CITY
Students of Gargi College staged a strike andboycotted classes onTuesday in protestagainst the February 6incident when they wereallegedly harassed andsexually assaulted oncampus during a collegefestival.
Several students andteachers from diff��erentdepartments held ameeting on Tuesday toconstitute a factfi��ndingcommittee. They alsodemanded that an Internal Complaints Committee be set up in thecollege.
Ashna, a fi��nalyearstudent, said, “A generalbody meeting [of students and teachers] washeld to constitute a committee which would investigate the eventsprior to the fest, eventswhich happened duringthe fest and specifi��ccomplaints against thecollege administration.”
The committee willsubmit its fi��nal report byFebruary 15, she added.
“One student and a faculty member from eachof the 17 departments
were elected to the committee. We want a fair investigation and the committee will look into allaspects before submitting the report,” said Ms.Ashna.
Festival budgetThe students also askedthe administration toprovide a breakdown ofthe budget of the festival, with an emphasis onthe funds allocated forsecurity. They said thestrike would continueon Wednesday as well.
Several students recounted events whichunfolded after a group ofmen entered the campus and began molesting and harassing them.
Preeti, another stu
dent, said, “We want safer educational spaces.Look at what happenedin Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia MilliaIslamia and now on ourcampus. When the principal was approached,she said that if we don’tfeel safe we should notattend the fest. How canone turn the tables onstudents? Is it not the administration’s responsibility to protectstudents?”
Asked about theprobe into the case, apolice offi��cer said thatinvestigation is underway and CCTV footage isbeing scanned for clueson the suspects.
(All names changed toprotect their identity)
Gargi students boycottclasses for second dayFactfi��nding panel formed to probe events during fest
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI
Students burn an effi��gy of Gargi College principaloutside Arts Faculty on Tuesday. * BIBEK CHETTRI
The Delhi High Court was on Tuesday informed by Twitter that the petition by senior advocate Sanjay Hegde in relation tothe suspension of his account was notmaintainable.
Senior advocate Sajan Poovayya, appearing for Twitter, sought time to submit its response on the issue. Justice Navin Chawla allowed Twitter to submit itsnote within two weeks.
Mr. Hegde’s lawyer urged that theTwitter account data of his client mustnot be deleted. The court did not passany order, but said the data should not bedeleted, if it hasn’t been done so already.
Hegde’s petitionuntenable: TwitterStaff Reporter
New Delhi
Settled dispute amicably,Subodh Gupta tells HCNEW DELHI
Artist Subodh Gupta, who
had posted sexual
harassment allegations made
by several women against
him, informed the High Court
on Tuesday that they have
settled their dispute
amicably. Mr. Gupta had filed
a defamation suit against
Instagram handle following
publication of anonymous
sexual harassment
allegations against him.
IN BRIEF
The Delhi High Courton Tuesday sought theCentre’s response on apetition seeking acourtmonitored probeby a committee intothe police crackdownat Jamia Millia Islamiaon December 15 lastyear.
A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice C. Hari Shankar also issued notice toDelhi government andpolice seeking theirstand on the petitionfi��led by a Jamia studentwho lost vision in his
one eye in the violenceand is battling to savesight in the other.
Md Minhajuddin, inhis petition, has alsosought compensationcommensurate withhis qualifi��cations forthe injury suff��ered byhim and also the registration of an FIRagainst police personnel involved in the incident. He has alsosought directions tothe authorities to bearexpenses of his treatment and to providehim a permanent jobcommensurate withhis qualifi��cations.
JMI violence: HC seeks
Centre’s reply on plea Courtmonitored probe sought
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
The Home Ministry said onTuesday that two roads inDelhi — one at ShaheenBagh and the other atChand Bagh — have beenblocked by protesters, butno assessment has beenmade about the loss incurred to the general publicdue to the blockade.
“Appropriate steps aretaken by Delhi Police tomaintain public order. Noassessment has been doneabout the loss incurred topublic due to blocking ofroad,” Union Minister ofState for Home G. KishanReddy said in Lok Sabha.
‘Loss due toroad blockadenot assessed’
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Talk: Seminar on SinoIndian Competition in the Indian Ocean: TheScope for Small State Agency by Dr.Pradeep Taneja, Deputy Head, TheSchool of Social & Political Sciences,University of Melbourne, at SeminarRoom, Institute of Chinese Studies(ICS), Civil Lines, 3 p.m.
Exhibition: “Colourful Harmony”, agroup show of painting by Anamika,Prakash Anegundi and Shashi Lata atConvention Centre Foyer, India Habitat Centre (IHC), 11 a.m. 7 p.m.
Exhibition: “Mapping Memories”, ashow of paintings and silkscreenprints by Madan Meena at Triveni Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, 205,Tansen Marg, 11 a.m. 8 p.m.
Exhibition: “Aarambh”, a groupshow of sculptures and painting atAlturaash Art Gallery, 147, DLF SouthCourt, Saket, 11 a.m. 7 p.m.
Exhibition: “Trails of Materials”, agroup show of paintings and sculptures by Satish Sharma, Anju Kaushikand Rubkirat Vohra at ShridharaniGallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, 205,Tansen Marg, 11 a.m. 8 p.m.
Screening: The Testament, a multilingual fi��lm, will be screened at TheStein Auditorium, IHC, 7 p.m.
(Mail your listings for this columnat [email protected])
DELHI TODAY
CMYK
M ND-NDE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 20204EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CITY
“This is a victory of all Delhiites... they have given birth toa new form of politics: kaamki rajneeti [politics of work],”declared Aam Aadmi Partynational convener Arvind Kejriwal from a makeshift stageat the AAP headquarters ashis party hurtled toward astellar win in the Delhi Assembly polls on Tuesday
“People of Delhi, you havedone wonders... I love you,”the AAP chief said while blowing a kiss to hundreds ofcheering supporters.
In a sixminute address,Mr. Kejriwal said: “I want tothank the people of Delhi,they have trusted their sonfor the third time. This is notmy win, it is a victory of allDelhiites, it is the victory ofall those families of Delhi whoconsidered me their son andgave us this huge mandate.
This is the victory of all thosefamilies who are getting 24hours of electricity, whosechildren are getting good education, who are getting goodtreatment at hospitals in Delhi,” he said.
“The people of Delhi havegiven birth to a new type ofpolitics: kaam ki rajneeti [pol
itics of work],” he added.The party’s campaign had
focused on the work done byAAP in the past fi��ve years.
“The people of Delhi havesent a message that only people who build schools, give24hour electricity, build mohalla clinics, and give water toevery house will get votes,”
Mr. Kejriwal said, adding:“This is not just a victory ofthe people of Delhi, this is avictory of Bharat Mata andthe entire country.”
The AAP chief said Hanuman has blessed the peopleof Delhi. “Today is Tuesday, itis Hanuman’s day, Hanumanhas blessed Delhi today, ma
ny thanks to Hanuman. Wethe people of Delhi requestGod to show us the path overthe next fi��ve years, give usstrength so that the two crorepeople of Delhi can togethermake the Capital a good andbeautiful city,” he said.
“I thank the people of Delhi... and all volunteers whoworked day and night... andmy family who also workedhard and supported me. Today is my wife’s birthday. Ihave eaten the cake, I willserve you people also.” hesaid, putting a hand aroundhis wife Sunita Kejriwal.
He was joined at the stageby his two children as well asAAP leaders Sanjay Singh andGopal Rai, among others.
“The people of Delhi, withgreat hope, have given usthese many seats and now wehave to work hard for thenext fi��ve years,” he said, adding: “We will work together,I cannot do it alone. Are youready?”
‘This is the birth of kaam ki rajneeti’ Delhiites havetrusted their sonfor a third time,says AAP chiefArvind KejriwalStaff Reporter
New Delhi
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal (centre) with his wife Sunita and senior party leader ManishSisodia off��ers prayers at the Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place on Tuesday. * PTI
As the Aam Aami Party sweptthe Delhi Assembly electionson Tuesday, the party’s futurecourse was evident from theposters at its headquarterswhich read: “Join AAP to buildthe nation”, even as AAP Delhiincharge Gopal Rai urged party workers across the countryto gear up to “bring change tothe whole of India”.
Addressing volunteers atthe party headquarters, Mr.Rai said the end to “hatespreading” politics of the BJPhas started from Delhi. “Thefi��ght has only begun. I want to
tell you and the volunteersacross the country: gear up,not just Delhi, the wholecountry needs change... makepreparations, what Delhi cando, the whole country can do.For this, do work in your village, mohalla, city and alongwith Arvind Kejriwal, take thisstorm of change to the rest ofthe country,” he said.
Calling party chief ArvindKejriwal “Delhi’s nayak”, Mr.Rai added that the “politics oflove has won... The brigadethat does hatredspreadingpolitics in the country, AmitShah and his supporters, hasbeen defeated,” he said.
We need to bring change to India, says Rai
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
AAP looks to scale up
Referring to BJP leaders calling AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal a “terrorist” during theelection campaigning, AAPMP Sanjay Singh on Tuesdaysaid: “Your son Arvind Kejriwal was called a terrorist.Mr. Kejriwal had said on [February] 11 our two crorestrong family will say thattheir son Kejriwal is not a terrorist but a strong nationalist.”
Alluding to the BJP, Mr.Singh, also the Delhi Assembly elections incharge,said: “they had termed theelection as a HindustanPakistan match and now Hindustan has won”. He added:“They had said it was a HindustanPakistan match. Hindustan has won, Hindustanhas won, Hindustan haswon.”
Later in the day while addressing the media, Mr.Singh termed AAP’s “bigwin” a victory of “love”. “It isa win for the two crore peo
ple of Delhi... personal attacks on Mr. Kejriwal costother parties dearly. The BJPused money, power and liquor, but the two crore peopleof Delhi has given them a fi��tting answer,” said Mr. Singh.
Senior party leader Manish Sisodia after defeating hisBJP rival from Patparganjseat tweeted: “Being in government and providingquality education is real patriotism.” He told reporters:“I am happy to have won thePatparganj seat again. The
BJP indulged in politics ofhate. But I thank the peopleof Patparganj. Today, Delhi’speople have chosen a government that works forthem. They have explainedthe true meaning of nationalism through their mandate.”
He also thanked the people of Delhi on Twitter.
Addressing volunteers,party leader Raghav Chadhasaid “on a Tuesday, Bajrangbali has taught the BJP a lesson”.
(With PTI inputs)
Delhi proved Kejriwal not aterrorist, says Sanjay SinghOppn. had claimed election was a HindustanPakistan match
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
AAP workers celebrate victory in the Delhi Assembly polls atparty headquarters on Tuesday. * R.V. MOORTHY
As early as 7 a.m. on Tuesday,even before the counting began, supporters of the AamAadmi Party started gettingready for celebrations at theparty headquarters as the exit polls had shown a clear victory for them.
Space crunchAs the results started to trickle in, the crowd at the partyoffi��ce started increasing froma few dozen to hundreds ofsupporters to a point wherethere was no space inside thepremises for any more people.
As the volunteers spilledover onto the roads, the police had to block vehicularmovement outside the partyoffi��ce leading to ITO.
The party had set up atemporary stage on the offi��ceterrace and as trends startedshowing a clear win for theparty, its leaders addressedthe hundreds of volunteers,
who had gathered at the offi��ce by 12 p.m. A 28yearoldAAP volunteer since 2012,Babita from Madanpur KadarJJ Colony said the party wononly on the basis of the workdone. “My two daughters arestudying in the ‘school of excellence’ run by the Delhi government in our slum,” Ms.Babita, an Anganwadi worker, said.
Many AAP supporterswere dancing to the tune of“lage raho Kejriwal” — AAP’selection song — with party’sfl��ags and brooms in theirhands.
CM addresses volunteersAmid loud cheers of AAP supporters, party convener Arvind Kejriwal addressed thevolunteers at 3.30 p.m. fromthe terrace before leaving forHanuman Temple in Connaught Place at 5 p.m.
Multiple MLA elects alsotook out separate victory processions in their respectiveAssembly constituencies.
Celebrations inside AAP offi��ce began early morning
Police block traffi��c outside party offi��ce
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
At 6 p.m. on Monday, 34yearold Meenakshi Tomar put heroneyearold son Avyaan Tomar to bed early only to wakehim up in the small hours ofTuesday. Ms. Tomar drewAvyaan a moustache using kajal and made him wear ablack muffl��er, a pair of spectacles without glasses and anAAP topi.
The Tomars left their Mayur Vihar house at 5 a.m. forChief Minister’s residence inCivil Lines. From there, theyheaded towards the party offi��ce at ITO. People gatheredinside the offi��ce premisesstarted addressing the toddler as “chotta [young] Kejriwal” and he soon became thecentre of attraction with many queuing up to click selfi��eswith him as he played withballoons. “Our daughter haddressed up as little Kejriwalwhen the AAP national convener [Arvind Kejriwal] hadwon the election in 2015,” thetoddler’s father Rahul toldThe Hindu. “We are using thesame muffl��er for our son,” he
added. “It is up to them to decide
what to become but if mychildren can do 10% of the social work that Kejriwal does,then it will be great. I will behappy,” Mr. Tomar said.
When asked about the ideabehind dressing up his children as Kejriwal, he said:“When they understand thattheir parents have a role model, then they will also be interested in it.” By 4 p.m.,Avyaan, was tired and started
crying. His mother said: “Thesecurity guards had told usthat ‘sir [CM] wants to meethim’ and we are waiting for it.My son is very tired and willnow start crying.”
By 4.50 pm, after somefailed attempts to meet Mr.Kejriwal, the family decidesto leave the party offi��ce. “Wehave been waiting from 2p.m. to meet him. Theyshould have told us earlier,”Mr. Tomar said before leavingthe offi��ce.
At AAP HQ, ‘Chhota Kejriwal’ holds court
People queue up to click selfi��es with oneyearold Avyaan
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
Youngest cheerleader: Avyaan being held up in the crowd atAAP headquarters on Tuesday. * R.V. MOORTHY
The AAP on Tuesday saidthat one person died in an attack at Mehruali AAP MLANaresh Yadav’s convoy. Theincident happened near Vasant Kunj.
The party added that theMLA is safe. “Mr. Yadav's con
voy was attacked. AshokMann has been killed. Mr. Yadav was on his way back fromvisiting a temple," tweetedAAP MP Sanjay Singh.
“They were in a jeep andshots were fi��red at them. Oneperson died and another person has suff��ered injuries," anAAP worker told The Hindu.
AAP says one person has died
staff reporter
new delhi
‘Attack on MLA’s convoy’
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 5EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CMYK
M ND-NDE
CITY
In the end, Shaheen Baghcould not swing the Delhi Assembly elections in favour ofthe BJP. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his campaign stressing the manyachievements of his government did the trick for hisAam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The poll results is a setback for Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who made ithis mission to ensure thatMr. Kejriwal was denied athird term in offi��ce.
Union Minister of State forFinance Anurag Thakur wasbanned from campaigningfor 72 hours for raising theslogan of “death to traitors”on January 30, while he wasearlier removed from the listof the BJP’s starcampaigners.
Mr. Shah repeatedly saidDelhi’s voters should pressthe “lotus” button on theelectronic voting machine sothat the “current” was felt inShaheen Bagh, where thousands of people are peacefully protesting against theCAANRCNPR regime.
Mr. Shah personally addressed 52 public meetings,roadshows and street corner
meetings, U.P. Chief MinisterYoyi Adityanath addressed 12public meetings in Delhi andPrime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at three publicmeetings, including one onRamlila grounds.
At one time, it appearedthat the fi��ring incidents in Jamia and the entry of maskedhoodlums in JNU on January
5 (no arrests have been madeby the Delhi Police in thematter so far) could lead tomore violence. The ElectionCommission of India only intervened to remove the DCPin charge of the Jamia MilliaIslamia area.
In an interview to TheHindu before the poll, Mr.Kejriwal only spoke of his
work and the fact that he wasgoing to the people on thebasis of his performance. Hewas critical of Mr. Shah onDelhi’s deteriorating law andorder situation but did notdirectly criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hewas perhaps conscious of thefact that those who voted forMr. Modi at the Centre said
time and again they wouldback Mr. Kejriwal in Delhi.
For the BJP, the defeat inDelhi comes close on theheels of the loss in Jharkhand, where again it stressedon CAANRC and Ram mandir. In Delhi too, Mr. Shahpromised at several publicmeetings that a Ram templewould be constructed inAyodhya in four months.
It’s evident that whatworked for the BJP in the LokSabha election did not workfor it in Delhi or Jharkhand.The voter clearly has diff��erent interests and objectivesin national and Assemblyelections.
Though the BJP succeededin raising its vote share byabout seven percentagepoints to around 39% in thecurrent polls (counting wason at the time of writing), theAAP lost barely a percentagepoint from its 2015 tally.
The gap between the AAPand the BJP is more than 12percentage points and theCongress too has lost nearly5% of the vote since 2015.
Interestingly, in 2013,when the BJP got 33.07% of
the total votes cast, it won 31seats, while in 2015, with32.19% votes, it managed only three. In 2013, the Congress too got a healthy24.55% of the vote and eightseats, while in 2015 it couldnot open its account, withjust under 10% of the vote.
A threecornered contestin Delhi could have helpedthe BJP, but the Congress dida massive favour to the AAPby not campaigning.
Like in 2015, the Congressvoter turned out in largenumbers for the AAP whilethe party under Sheila Dikshit came second in the 2019Lok Sabha poll, pushing theAAP to third position.
Finally, Mr. Kejriwal wasthe face of the AAP and itsgovernance.
The BJP failed to settle forany leader in Delhi, chastened perhaps with its projection of Kiran Bedi aheadof the 2015 poll. It’s somewhat of a mystery why a powerful, organised andwealthy party like the BJPcould not build up a youngerleadership in Delhi.
Meanwhile, it is celebration all the way at the AAP’sheadquarters in Rouse Avenue in New Delhi.
Why Kejriwal’s AAP was able to retain DelhiThe Chief Minister has been the face of the party, with focus on its performance
Amit Baruah
new delhi
AAP workers celebrating the huge victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, at the party’sheadquarters in New Delhi on Tuesday. * R.V. MOORTHY
NEWS ANALYSIS
Buried in countless discussions on the failure of hatecampaign against ShaheenBagh and the victory of theAam Aadmi Party’s politicsof “kaam” has been the actual role of the women ofShaheen Bagh. The UnionHome Minister’s exhortationto deliver “electric current”to Shaheen Bagh, the chanting of “goli maro” and the actual attacks by stray shooters, crafting seditioncharges against individuals,have contrasted singularlywith the pictures of rows ofwomen sitting with children,waving the fl��ag and copies ofthe Constitution and most ofall, dedicated to peacefulprotest. The importance ofthis cannot beunderestimated.
Hate as strategySpeaking at a panel on the results of the Delhi elections ona television channel, Seshadri Chari, a senior BJP spo
kesperson, described thecommunally vituperativecampaign of his party as “nothate politics but strategy”.This is a chilling statement.The problem, however, is notonly its questionable morality – an important if not scaryissue – but the failure of thestrategy.
Clearly, as strategy, it hashad its uses. The BJP voteshare in the 2020 Delhi elections has been reasonableenough. But it failed to produce a cutting edge preciselybecause the strategy did notextend beyond the rhetoricof incitement. It was the deliberate commitment topeaceful protest by the women satyagrahis – ordinarymothers, homemakers,youth – that staved off�� anyviolent counterresponse.Counterfactually speaking, ifthere had been the slightesthint of violent response, thespiral of violence and com
done by AAP. It became so effective that the ground campaigners of the BJP had totake recourse to questioningthe wisdom of providing“freebies” to the electorate.
For BJP aggressive polarisation has been importantfor both electoral victorywhile combining this with establishing the aff��ective andideological foundations of afuture Hindu Rashtra. But ifcommunal polarisation doesnot work as an issue, whatelse will the BJP have in itselectoral kitty? Delhi hasshown that a purely negativecampaign of discrediting theagenda of its rivals will notdo. Nor can it step back now,for the reputation of its ShahModi leadership has beenbuilt on its authoritarianstubbornness to defend itspositions. There is too muchnow at stake for the BJP leadership and too little ammunition at its disposal.
Pradip Kumar Dattateaches political science atJawaharlal Nehru University
ests were carried out by theyouth of diff��erent communities, becoming a platform forvoicing dissatisfactionagainst a governance perceived to be highhanded,regulative of lifestyles andunable to provide jobs.
The Delhi elections provided an opportunity to begin a counterinitiative by theBJP. The BJPruled States hadput down the protests withan iron hand.
Shaheen Bagh providedan opportunity to initiate anideological counteroff��ensiveagainst the protests. The only problem – which fi��nally defeated the BJP strategy wasthat it was dominated by women who refused to beprovoked.
The unresponsiveness ofthese women was complemented by the careful distancing of the AAP from theprotesters. Both of these putBJP out on a limb. More importantly, it allowed the focus to be put on a positiveelement, that is, the work
India’s elections. It hasraised questions of nationalintegrity, portraying Shaheen Bagh as a centre of terrorist and antinational activity – and then going on toassociate this unpleasing fi��ction with AAP. Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal himself hasbeen accused of being a terrorist. The basic elements ofthis campaign are by nomeans new. Over time, anyopposition to the BJP hasbeen progressively labelledas antinational. This hasprovided a momentum of aggression to BJP’s nationwidecampaigns.
Testing groundFor BJP, Shaheeh Bagh wasthe testing ground of a newuse of communal mobilisation. Within less than a yearof its massive general election victory, the BJP government has faced the strongestever protest that has spreadacross the entire country onthe issue of the CAANRC.Most importantly these prot
erately nationalised the elections. Beginning with thePrime Minister, organisedand coordinated by theHome Minister and deploying a phalanx of Chief Ministers and over 200 MPs, theBJP campaign has been oneof the most communal vituperative ever in the history of
tinuously faced the fear ofviolent ejection by the police. It is the silent contribution of the Shaheen Bagh women that remainsunremarked upon in thehighdecibel commentarieson the election results.
It raises a diffi��cult question for the BJP now. It delib
munal polarisation wouldhave been uncontrollable.The strategy of hate wouldthen have been unstoppable.It would have upended thepolitics of “kaam”.
It may be recalled that thewomen have carried on despite no acts of solidarity fromAAP; instead, they have con
The victory of the Shaheen Bagh womenThe silent contribution of the peaceful protesters went missing in high-decibel commentaries on the election results
Pradip Kumar Datta
AntiCAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh on Tuesday. * PTI
COMMENT
Failing to project a ChiefMinisterial face, failing tocounter the Aam AadmiParty’s power and watersubsidies, using a localelection as a “launch pad”for national issues, andstar campaigners “overshadowing” local candidateswere some of the problemsin the BJP’s campaign inthe Assembly polls, saidparty insiders.
The Delhi BJP hadthought that 240odd MPscanvassing in the Capitalwould further their chances but “unwarranted com
ments” made by these“outsiders” as well as somelocal MPs did a lot of “damage”, added sources.
“A signifi��cant issue withthe campaign was the decision not to project a CMface; the other big issuewas the kind of commentsmade by some star campaigners such as AnuragThakur and Parvesh SahibSingh,” said a party source.
“The events of seniorleaders ended up becoming platforms to push theBJP’s national agenda... local issues found brief or nomention at all,” said another party source.
‘BJP campaign failedon many fronts’ Local issues got buried: party sources
Jatin Anand
New Delhi
Aam Aadmi Party workers hold up a poster during victorycelebrations on Tuesday. * R.V. MOORTHY
In a repeat of 2015, the Congress was decimated in theDelhi Assembly elections onTuesday with its vote sharefalling from 9.7% to 4.27%.A total of 63 out of 66 Congress candidates forfeitedtheir deposit this time.
Arvinder Singh Lovelyfrom Gandhi Nagar, Devender Yadav from Badli andAbhishek Dutt from Kasturba Nagar were the only oneswho managed to save theirdeposits.
Even sitting ChandiniChowk MLA Alka Lambawho switched from the AamAadmi Party to the Congress lost her deposit.
The party’s strategy ofpromising voters a throwback to a “Congress wali dilli” and highlighting achievements during the 15yeartenure of Chief MinisterSheila Dikshit failed tostrike a chord with voters.
Rahul Gandhi’s four elec
tion rallies in which hepushed the party’s plans togenerate employment forthe youth failed to garnersupport from the voters.
Delhi Congress chief Subhash Chopra took responsibility for the defeat and saidthat the party would needto introspect on what wentwrong. He blamed politicsof polarisation for the party’s fall in vote share.
The Congress contestedthe elections this time in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), fi��ghting on66 seats and leaving four forits ally.
63 out of 66 Congresscandidates lose depositParty’s pitch failed to win over voters
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Empty seats at the DelhiCongress offi��ce on Tuesday.
In eight constituencies, allof which were won by theAam Aadmi Party, the margin of victory was above40,000 votes. On the otherhand, seven of the BJP’seight winning candidatescould secure only a marginof less than 17,000 votes.
The largest margin of victory was seen in Burariwhere AAPs Sanjeev Jha retained his seat with 88,158votes. Mr. Jha improvedupon his 2015 results whenhe won by a margin of67,950 votes.
The second largest margin of victory was seen inOkhla, dominated by members of the Muslim community and has been a siteof indefi��nite protestsagainst the Citizenship(Amendment) Act.
Here, AAP’s AmanatullahKhan won by a margin of71,827 votes compared to a
margin of 64,532 in the previous elections.
In Matia Mahal, also aMuslim majority constituency, Shohaib Iqbal wonby a margin of 50,241 votes,compared to the margin of26,096 votes by AAP’s AsimAhmed Khan in the previous elections.
Minister Rajendra PalGautam won with a comfortable margin of 56,108 votesin the reserved constituency of Seemapuri , improving on the vote margin of
48,821.In Sangam Vihar, said to
be the largest unauthorisedcolony in the city, AAP’s Dinesh Mohaniya defeated theBJP candidate by a marginof 42,522 votes, a small dipin the victory margin of43,988 in 2015.
In Sultanpur Majra, Mukesh Kumar, won by a margin of 48,052 votes. While inVikaspuri, the party candidate won by a margin of42,058 votes, in Deoli thevictory margin was 40,173.
Burari candidate wins by largest margin of 88,158 votes
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
AAP conquers eight seats by margins of over 40,000 votes
Nine Assembly Constituencyseats witnessed a close contest between the Aam AadmiParty and the BJP with candidates winning by a marginof less than 5,000 votes.
AAP won seven out ofthese nine seats.
In at least six of them, theparty saw a drop in the margin with which the candidates won as compared tothe 2015 polls. In one seat,however, the margin of victory increased for the party.
The least margin recorded was on the Bijwasan seatwhere AAP’s BhupinderSingh Joon defeated BJP’s SatPrakash Rana by 753 votes.
The Laxmi Nagar seat alsosaw a close fi��ght with BJP’sAbhay Verma defeatingAAP’s Nitin Tyagi by 880votes. In Adarsh Nagar constituency, AAP candidate Pawan Sharma won by a margin of 1,589 votes againstBJP’s Raj Kumar Bhatia.
Mr. Sharma was electedfrom the constituency in
2015 too but had won by amargin of 20,741 votes.
The Kasturba Nagar constituency saw AAP’s MadanLal defeat BJP’s RavinderChoudhry by a margin of3,165 votes. In the last election, Mr. Lal had won by amargin of over 15,800 votes.
Senior AAP leader ManishSisodia got reelected fromPatparganj by a margin of
3,207 votes by defeatingBJP’s Ravinder Singh Negi.
Mr. Sisodia had won by amargin of 28,791 votes in the2015 elections.
BJP’s Rekha Gupta fromhe Shalimar Bagh lost out toAAP’s Bandana Kumari by amargin of 3,440 votes.
The 2015 elections hadseen Ms. Kumari win theseat by 10,978 votes.
Chhatarpur AAP candidate Kartar Singh Tanwardefeated BJP candidateBrahm Singh Tanwar by amargin of 3,720 votes; in theprevious elections the former had won by a margin of22,240 votes.
The outlierIn Krishna Nagar, S.K. Baggaof AAP won by a margin of3,995 votes by defeatingBJP’s Anil Goyal — an improvement from his 2015election result where he hadwon by a margin of 2,277votes. The Badarpur seatsaw BJP’s Ramvir Singh Bidhuri defeat AAP’s Ram SinghNetaji by 3,719 votes.
AAP, BJP candidates win by margins of less than 5,000 votes
Staff Reporter
New Delhi
AAP leader Manish Sisodiagot reelected fromPatparganj by a margin of3,207 votes. * PTI
9 constituencies see close contest
CMYK
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 7EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
WEST
The Special InvestigationTeam, probing the casewhere a 25yearold womanlecturer was burned todeath by a stalker at Hinganghat in Wardha districtlast week, would fi��le acharge sheet within twoweeks, a senior offi��cial saidon Tuesday.
The victim, Ankita Pisudde, a resident of Hinganghat town, was set afi��reallegedly by her stalker Vikesh Nagrale (27) on February 3. She died on Monday ina Nagpur hospital, where
had been undergoingtreatment.
The SIT headed by Wardha Deputy Superintendent
of Police Trupti Jadhav ishandling the case.
When contacted, Ms. Jadhav said that statements of
six witnesses have been recorded and evidences fromthe crime spot have alsobeen recovered.
The charge sheet wouldbe fi��led within two weeks,she said. “The accused is inpolice remand till February20 and we will fi��le the chargesheet before the end of thatperiod,” Ms. Jadhav said.
She also dismissed reports in a section of the media that the accused was accompanied by a couple ofpersons at the time of crime.
According to informationgathered by the probe team,the accused executed thecrime alone and was not accompanied by any person,the offi��cial said.
The State government onMonday appointed re
nowned lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as the special publicprosecutor in the case.
Making the announcement in Mumbai, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray assured that the case, whichhas triggered widespreadpublic anger and outrage,will be tried in a fast trackcourt to ensure speedy justice to the victim.
During his decadeslongcareer, Mr. Nikam (66) hashandled several highprofi��lecases like the 1993 Mumbaiserial bomb blasts and fi��lmproducer Gulshan Kumar’smurder case.
The woman was set onfi��re by the accused, who waslater arrested, while she wason way to her college on February 3, police earlier said.
Lecturer burning case: charge sheetwithin two weeks, assure policeAccused in policeremand tillFebruary 20
Members of the women’s wing of the BJP taking out a silentmarch in Pune on Tuesday to condole the death of the younglecturer in Wardha on Monday. * MANDAR TANNU
Press Trust of India
Nagpur
With the Aam Aadmi Partyscoring another landslidevictory in Delhi Assemblypolls, Goa Chief MinisterPramod Sawant on Tuesdaysaid voters may have fallenfor freebies announced before the elections by the Arvind Kejriwal government.
The BJP leader said thatthe AAP government in Delhi failed to provide pollutionfree air and clean drinking water, which are basicnecessities.
“We accept people’s verdict. May be, people wanteda government that gives freebies from their own taxes,”Mr. Sawant told reporters inPonda town of North Goadistrict. Mr. Sawant, whocampaigned in Delhi for the
Assembly polls, said the Kejriwal government failed toprovide clean air and waterto citizens of the nationalcapital.
Goa Forward Party (GFP)chief Vijai Sardesai said Delhiites have rejected “divisive” issues. “Congratulations to #Delhi’s local party
@AamAadmiParty and @ArvindKejriwal for this resounding victory. It’s heartening to see the peopleemphatically supporting aparty that championed localissues and local development rejecting the nationaldivisive issues #DelhiPolls2020,” he tweeted.
Press Trust of India
Panaji
Aam Aadmi Party workers celebrate the Delhi results in frontof the party offi��ce in Nagpur on Tuesday. * S. SUDARSHAN
Delhi voters may have fallenfor freebies, says Goa CM
A Pakistani national hasbeen apprehended by theBorder Security Force(BSF) for illegally enteringKutch district after crossing the IndiaPakistan border, an offi��cial said onTuesday. The accused,Shoaib Ahmed (38), a resident of Shah Nawaz Bhuttocolony in Karachi town ofPakistan’s Sindh province,appeared to be a drug addict, he said.
Some Pakistani currency, an identity card and 150grams of a “sniffi��ng powder” were seized from hispossession, the BSF said ina release. “The Pakistaninational was apprehendedwhen he tried to enter Indianear Dholavira on Mondaynight. He was held fromnear border pillar number1024 by the BSF patrollingteam. He appears to be adrug addict,” InspectorGeneral, BSF, Gujarat Frontier, G.S. Malik said. He washanded over to the localpolice on Tuesday morning, the offi��cial said.
Pak. nationalarrested forentering Indiaillegally
Press Trust of India
Bhuj
The Ministry of Earth Sciences(MoES) is planning a ‘decadal forecast’ system along the lines of theUnited Kingdom’s Met Offi��ce toensure better predictability in theclimate time scale, said Dr. M. Rajeevan, Secretary, MoES recently.
Speaking on the sidelines of the6th International Conference onClimate Services being held at thePunebased Indian Institute ofTropical Meteorology (IITM), Dr.Rajeevan said the system, basedon a coupled climate model,would fi��rst be taking shape in theform of a research programmeand would be operational only after its merits had been evaluated.
“This is a new idea with morerelevance to present climate forecasting needs. So, given the needfor longerrange prediction for 10or 20 years, we will be starting a
new programme in the countryusing a coupled climate model byutilising signals emanating fromdeep oceans to predict decadalclimate changes,” he said.
Refusing to elaborate on the operational aspects of the programme, Dr. Rajeevan said thesystem would be explored as a research programme to be taken upby IITM along with collaborationfrom the India Meteorological Department and other entities.
“The operational part will bediscussed later. First, we will haveto conduct signifi��cant researchand determine the system’s eff��ectiveness,” he said.
The World Meteorological Organization has set up global producing centres, coordinated bythe U.K. Met Offi��ce, for annual todecadal projections that are already providing globalscaleinformation.
“As there is a lot fundamentalwork [on the decadal forecastingsystem] that has already beendone, we feel India should not lagbehind,” Dr. Rajeevan said.
Once the system was established, it would initially functionfor longrange forecasting at thenational level and the model, ifsuccessful, would later be downscaled to the state or even districtlevel, he said.
Dr. Rajeevan said there were anumber of gaps in the understanding of regional climate variability and its connections toglobal phenomena like IndianOcean Dipole. Indian forecasters,he said, faced a challenge inmaintaining the quality of climate observations, and there is aneed on the part of researchers todevelop applications for specifi��csectors based on the available climate forecast.
System based on need for long-term predictions; will begin as research
Shoumojit Banerjee
Pune
Ministry of Earth Sciences may goin for decadal forecast system
The Bombay High Court onTuesday issued summons toNCP leader Rohit Pawar,grandnephew of NCP chiefSharad Pawar, seeking hisresponse to an election petition alleging malpracticesand corruption on his partduring last year’s State Assembly polls.
A single Bench of JusticeS.M. Gavhane of Aurangabad Bench of the High Courtwas hearing a petition fi��ledby former MLA Ramdas
Shinde seeking disqualifi��cation of Rohit Pawar as MLAfrom KarjatJamkhed seat.
Mr. Shinde, who waselected from the same constituency on two occasions,in his plea, fi��led through advocates S.B. Talekar andMadhavi Ayyappan, claimedthat Mr. Pawar would nothave won the polls but forcorrupt practices.
Justice Gavhane, afterhearing brief arguments, issued summons to Mr. Pawardirecting him to fi��le his affi��davit by March 20.
HC summons to RohitPawar on Assembly win Press Trust of India
Aurangabad Rightwing organisation Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) on Tuesday appealed to the youth to celebrate February 14 as “parents’ day”, instead ofValentine’s Day. It also submitted a memorandum to the additional collector of North Goaand offi��cials from the State administration.
“This distorted version of love is being madepopular among youth to gain some business,and as a result, the young generation is drawntowards sensuality and immorality,” the organisation stated.
Incidents of teasing, have been reported onValentine’s Day, the outfi��t said. There is a rise in“malpractices” such as consuming alcohol,drugs, and smoking. Even sale of contraceptives goes up, it claimed.
Observe ‘parents’day’ on Feb. 14: HJS PressTrust of India
Panaji
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 20208EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SOUTH
Sri Lankan PM worships at TirumalaTIRUMALA
Sri Lankan Prime Minister
Mahinda Rajapaksa on
Tuesday took part in the
Astadala Padapadmaradhana
seva, a weekly ritual, at
the hill temple of Lord
Venkateswara along with his
son Yoshita Rajapaksa and
other dignitaries on Tuesday.
A team of TTD officials, led
by executive officer Anil
Kumar Singhal, accorded him
a traditional reception. Mr.
Rajapaksa was presented
with a memento and
‘laddu prasadam’.
IN BRIEF
Eight held for rapingwoman in TelanganaWARANGAL
A 24yearold woman was
allegedly raped by nine
people at Mahabubabad in
Telangana. Eight of them
were arrested on Monday.
Three days ago, the woman
had arrived at the Mahabub
abad railway station. As she
didn’t have enough money to
go to her village, she phoned
an acquaintance seeking help.
He asked her to meet him
some distance away. She
took an autorickshaw to the
spot, where she was raped by
her acquaintance, an auto
driver, and his friends. PTI
Kerala tribal man wins ₹��12 crore lotteryKannur
A member of the Kurichiya
tribal community in Kannur
has won the ₹��12 crore Kerala
Christmas New Year Bumper
lottery of the State
government. The winner,
Porunnan Rajan, 52, who
resides at Puralimala, told
The Hindu that he was in dire
need of money. He was in
debt after borrowing money
for the marriage of his
daughter and other purposes.
Mr. Rajan, who has two
daughters and a son,
wants to pay off his loans
and build a new house.
Within 24 hours of allocatingportfolios to newlyinductedMinisters, Karnataka ChiefMinister B. S. Yediyurappamodifi��ed some of them onTuesday, to placate thosewho were upset over not getting “prominent” subjects,including new entrants tothe Bharatiya Janata Party.
BJP sources said thechanges came after most ofthe new Ministers met theChief Minister in Bengaluruon Monday night, and protested the “raw deal” metedout to them. Some told Mr.Yediyurappa that they wouldrather continue as just MLAs.
Only three of the 10 newlyinducted Ministers had gotprominent portfolios inMonday’s allocation.
“Though the Chief Minister did not yield to pressurefor portfolios of their choice,he agreed to make modifi��cations,” a senior BJP leader explained.
Patil gets agricultureThe major change was thatof B.C. Patil, who was givenAgriculture as against Forest
that was allocated on Monday. In fact, Agriculture hadbeen taken away from Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi and given to Home Minister Basavaraj Bommaiadditionally only on Monday.
Small Scale Industries andSugar allotted to K. Gopalaiah were withdrawn and hewas allotted Food and CivilSupplies, which was given toAnand Singh on Monday. Mr.Singh has now been givenForest, Ecology and Environment Department, earlier given to C.C. Patil who alsoholds Mines and Geology.
Shivaram Hebbar, whohad been allotted Labour,has got Sugar also now. Shrimant Balasaheb Patil hasbeen given the additionalportfolio of Minority Welfare, which was earlier with
Animal Husbandry MinisterPrabhu Chauhan.
Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj, too,has something to cheerabout as his portfolio hasnow been strengthened byadding Karnataka Urban Water Supply and DrainageBoard and Karnataka UrbanInfrastructure Developmentand Finance Corporation.The Chief Minister has keptSmall Scale Industries withhim, along with other keydepartments.
Four new Ministers werekept out of the rejig. MajorWater Resources MinisterRamesh Jarkiholi has beenuntouched, as also Cooperation Minister S. T. Somashekhar, Medical Education Minister D. Sudhakar, and K. C.Narayana Gowda.
Yediyurappa placates newMinisters with portfolio rejigThey had met him to express anguish over not getting ‘prominent’ berths
Special Correspondent
BENGALURU
B. S. Yediyurappa
Who would have thoughtthat the better way to increase productivity is to allow employees to take aquick postprandial nap atthe workplace? A paper published recently by the nonprofi��t National Bureau ofEconomic Research (NBER),based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., argues thathigher quality sleep during apower nap improves economic and psychologicaloutcomes over an increase inthe number of hours of sleep.
The paper, by Pedro Bessone et al, was based on aproject that measured sleepamong 452 low incomeadults in Chennai, and ack
nowledges “generous funding and support” from thegovernment of Tamil Naduand the Massachusetts Institute of Technologybased Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, among others.“Adults in Chennai havestrikingly low quantity andquality of sleep relative totypical guidelines: despitespending eight hours in bed,they achieve only 5.6 hoursper night of sleep, with 32awakenings per night,” thepaper states.
Sleep effi��ciency “Sleep effi��ciency is calculated by dividing the sleep youare getting by the time spentin bed, expressed as a percentage,” explains Dr. N. Ra
makrishnan, senior consultant, sleep management,Apollo Hospitals, here. Justover fi��ve hours out of eighthours in bed is not goodsleep effi��ciency, he adds.That means sleep effi��ciencywas only 70% in the sample,which, the authors argue,was “much lower than in U.S.populations or even thosewith disorders such as sleepapnea”.
As part of the study, thesubjects were recruited for afulltime dataentry job forone month. The researchersthen crossrandomised thesample into two types of interventions to increase sleep:night sleep treatments, and anap treatment that gavethem, daily, an opportunity
tional minutes per night —rather than improved sleepeffi��ciency. Naps were eff��ective at increasing sleep — 88%of individuals fell asleep atsome point during their allotted nap time, yielding an average of 13 minutes of napsleep per day. This was of ahigher quality than nightsleep, the NBER records.
Productivity upIncreased night sleep did nothave any measurable positive impacts on a range ofoutcomes. Naps, on the other hand, increased work productivity by 2.3%, boosted ameasure of attention, andimproved psychological wellbeing. It also emerged thatnaps increased patience, and
actually resulted in 14% higher deposits in a savings account, says the paper.
“There is no doubt thatboth quality of sleep and thehours you get are important.But, lying in bed is not equalto sleep,” Dr. Ramakrishnanexplains. “In this particularstudy, the environmentsmight have contributed agreat deal to the benefi��ts derived from the nap.” In a lowincome group, he argues, theenvironments in which people get their night’s sleepmay not be ideal for a disruptionfree sleep. In contrast,when they were allowed torest in a disruptionfree environment at the workplace,they might have derivedgreater benefi��ts from it.
to take a halfhour nap in theafternoon in a quiet space inthe offi��ce.
The nightsleep interventions increased sleep by anaverage of 27 minutes pernight, but this increase intime asleep was entirely driven by greater time spent inbed — on average 38 addi
Adults in Chennai have strikingly low quantity and quality of sleep relative to typical guidelines, says U.S.based group
Ramya Kannan
Chennai
Benefi��ts of postlunch nap at work rated highly by study
A 50yearold man, whofeared that he had contracted novel coronavirus(nCoV), allegedly committed suicide near Srikalahasti town in A.P. on Tuesday.
Balakrishna had beenadmitted to a hospital in Tirupati for fever and doctors suggested that he weara mask to prevent thespread of the viral infection. This made him suspect that he had contracted the virus. Apprehensiveof infecting others, he keptaway from his family. Heleft his house on Mondaynight and allegedly hangedhimself from a tree. (Thosein distress can call 100.)
SuspectingnCoV attack,man kills self
Special Correspondent
TIRUPATI
The Supreme Court on Tuesday confi��rmed the Karnataka government authorities’decision to demolish restaurants, hotels, guest housesand other buildings constructed in Virupapura Gaddi, an oval islet formed byTungabhadra river and located west of the HampiWorld Heritage site.
Spelling relief for conservationists and a victory forthe State government, aBench of Justices Mohan M.Shantanagoudar and R. Subhash Reddy concluded thatthe constructions were inviolation of the Mysore Ancient and Historical Monuments and ArchaeologicalSites and Remains Act of1961.
Agreeing with the Karna
taka High Court decisionthat the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority was empowered to order the demolition of theillegal buildings, the courtordered the authorities toproceed with their demolition work within a month ofthis judgment.
“It is incumbent upon theauthority not to turn a blindeye,” Justice Shantanagoudar, who authored the verdict, held.
The court upheld the validity of a 1988 State notifi��cation that “clearly indicatesthe entire village of Virupapura Gaddi as a protectedzone”. It said a place neednot necessarily boast a monument to be protected.
“It is possible for certainareas to be protected independent of the existence of
monuments, if there is a reasonable belief that they contain ruins or relics of historical or archaeologicalimportance,” the courtobserved
Historical importanceThe court further noted howthe Archaeological Survey ofIndia had itself recognisedthe historical importance ofVirupapura Gaddi.
“It appears that the government had consideredthe comprehensive geographical entity of the area,including attributes like itslandscape, prehistoric vestiges and water systems.Thus, the 1988 notifi��cationissued under Section 19(3) ofthe 1961 Act declaring Virupapura Gaddi as a protectedarea can’t be said to be without basis,” the court said.
It says constructions were in violation of Mysore Act, 1961 Krishnadas Rajagopal
NEW DELHI
SC backs move to demolishrestaurants near Hampi site
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 9EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
NATION
Weather WatchRainfall, temperature & air quality in select metros yesterday
Temperature Data: IMD, Pollution Data: CPCB, Map: INSAT/IMD (Taken at 18.00 Hrs)
Forecast for Wednesday: Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning likely at isloated places over Jammu. Heavy rain/snow likelyat isolated places over Kashmir.
city rain max min city rain max min
Agartala................—....28.2....10.5 Kozhikode....................—....35.5....23.8
Ahmedabad...........—....31.0....15.5 Kurnool .......................—....32.7....20.2
Aizawl...................—....17.9........ — Lucknow......................—....24.1......7.1
Allahabad..............—....26.7......8.0 Madurai .......................—....35.0....22.5
Bengaluru .............—....30.4....16.4 Mangaluru ...................—....36.4....21.9
Bhopal ..................—....27.7....11.5 Mumbai .......................—........ —....22.9
Bhubaneswar.........—....28.4....12.9 Mysuru ........................—....30.0....18.8
Chandigarh ...........—....22.0......7.3 New Delhi ...................—....23.0......5.9
Chennai ................—....31.6....22.6 Patna ..........................—....25.4......9.3
Coimbatore ...........—....31.9....21.9 Port Blair.....................—....31.6....25.7
Dehradun ..............—....23.6......6.0 Puducherry ............... 1.0....31.7....22.3
Gangtok................—....14.6......5.7 Pune............................—....29.8....17.6
Goa.......................—....35.2....21.4 Raipur .........................—....28.0....12.8
Guwahati ..............—....28.2....11.2 Ranchi .........................—....25.5......7.5
Hubballi ................—....31.0....19.0 Shillong.......................—....15.6......5.0
Hyderabad ............—....28.3....20.0 Shimla.........................—....15.9......4.1
Imphal ..................—....22.9......4.9 Srinagar.......................—......7.5.... -0.2
Jaipur ...................—....25.1....10.4 Thiruvananthapuram.........—....34.4....23.4
Kochi ....................—....33.6....25.2 Tiruchi.........................—....34.5....22.4
Kohima .................—....16.4......6.6 Vijayawada ............... 0.4....30.8....22.4
Kolkata .................—....27.0....13.5 Visakhapatnam .............—....28.8....22.8
(Rainfall data in mm; temperature in Celsius)
Pollutants in the air you are breathing Yesterday
CITIES SO2 NO2 CO PM2.5 PM10 CODE
In observation made at4.00 p.m., Ballabgarh,Haryana recorded an overallair quality index (AQI) scoreof 396 indicating ahazardous level ofpollution. In contrast,Tirupati, Andhra Pradeshrecorded a healthy AQIscore of 43
Ahmedabad..... 57 .69 .36 ..174 .132 ....*
Bengaluru ....... ..— .42 .67 ....50 ...78 ....*
Chennai .......... ..7 .20 .17 ....71 .....— ....*
Delhi .............. 33 .83 .63 ..395 .357 ....*
Hyderabad ...... ..2 .64 .33 ....99 ...90 ....*
Kolkata........... 12 .80 .24 ..266 .243 ....*
Lucknow ......... ..7 .76 106 ..319 .....— ....*
Mumbai .......... 14 .30 .40 ....98 .113 ....*
Pune............... 61 .18 .71 ....74 ...74 ....*
Visakhapatnam 10 .30 .46 ....95 ...95 ....*
Air Quality Code: * Poor * Moderate * Good (Readings indicate average AQI)
SO2: Sulphur Dioxide. Short-term exposure can harm the respiratory system,
making breathing difficult. It can affect visibility by reacting with other air
particles to form haze and stain culturally important objects such as statues
and monuments.
NO2: Nitrogen Dioxide. Aggravates respiratory illness, causes haze to form by
reacting with other air particles, causes acid rain, pollutes coastal waters.
CO: Carbon monoxide. High concentration in air reduces oxygen supply to
critical organs like the heart and brain. At very high levels, it can cause
dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and even death.
PM2.5 & PM10: Particulate matter pollution can cause irritation of the eyes,
nose and throat, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, reduced
lung function, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature
death in people with heart or lung disease
Bhim Army chief ChandraShekhar Aazad on Tuesdaymoved the Supreme Courtfor a review of its February 7judgment reiterating the settled law that an individualcannot claim reservation inpromotion as a fundamentalright.
The judgment by a Benchled by Justice L. NageswaraRao is based on a series ofConstitution Bench verdicts, from the Indira Sawhney case in 1992 to M. Nagaraj judgment in mid2000s.
However, Mr. Aazad hasargued in his review petition that the Februay judgment would “act as a tool inthe hands of the oppressorsto further oppress and exploit the SC, ST, OBC andthe economically weakersections, causing further
marginalisation within society, thereby defeating theendeavour to bring equalitybetween the citizens of thiscountry by the framers ofour Constitution particularly those of Babasaheb Dr.Bhim Rao Ambedkar.”
‘Not a mandamus’The Supreme Court had observed that State governments were not bound tomake reservations. Even thecourts cannot issue a mandamus directing the Statesto provide reservations.
“There is no fundamentalright which inheres in an individual to claim reservation in promotions. No mandamus can be issued by thecourt directing the State government to provide reservations,” the Court had observed in its February 7verdict.
SC’s order on quota inpromotions challengedBhim Army chief seeks review
Legal Correspondent
New DelhiThe number of people whodied while cleaning sewersand septic tanks in the country increased by almost 62%from 68 in 2018 to 110 in2019, according to a reply given by the Social Justice andEmpowerment (SJE) Ministry to the Lok Sabha onTuesday.
National surveySJE Minister of State RamdasAthawale replied to thequestion asked by BharatiyaJanata Party MPs Anil Firojiya, Mohanbhai KalyanjibhaiKundariya and Lallu Singhabout the incidents of manual scavenging, which isbanned under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and theirRehabilitation Act, 2013.
The reply said a total of14,559 manual scavengers
had been identifi��ed by Municipalities and Gram Panchayats in 13 States from20132014 till January 31,2020. Apart from that, a national survey was conductedin 194 districts in 18 Stateswhere 48,345 manual scavengers were identifi��ed tillJanuary 31, taking the totalto 62,904.
While saying “there havebeen no reports regarding
death of persons due to manual scavenging”, the Minister’s reply stated that the National Commission for SafaiKaramcharis had receivedreports about the death ofpeople cleaning sewers andseptic tanks.
These cases were reported from 18 States and UnionTerritories, while 13 Statesand UTs submitted “nilreports”.
Damini Nath
NEW DELHI
Cleaning of drains & septictanks claims 110 lives in 2019
The Maharashtra government sparked off�� acontroversy by including real estate developers Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka — who wereaccused and later acquitted in the 2G spectrum scam — in a committee to review issuesof the real estate sector.
The committee wasset up following a meeting of industry representatives with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.The MVA government later denied having included the two on thepanel.
Maharashtrarealty panelsparks a row
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Mumbai
An Army veteran was shotdead by his daughter afterhe opened fi��re at her and hiswife, seriously injuringthem at their home here,police said on Tuesday.
Chetram, 45, was shot
dead by his daughter whenhe tried to fi��re at his son after an argument with hiswife late on Monday.
“While Chetram, a retired soldier, died on thespot, his wife and daughterare battling for their lives ata hospital,” police said.
Army veteran who opened fi��reon family shot dead by daughter
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
Mathura (U.P.)
Driver of bus involved inmishap at Ganjam heldBERHAMPUR
The driver of the bus that
touched an 11 kv live wire in
Odisha’s Ganjam district on
February 9, causing the death
of 10 persons, was arrested
by the police on Tuesday. The
arrested driver had jumped
out of the bus to escape
when he found that the top
of its goods carriage had
come into contact with a high
voltage power cable.
HC seeks govt. stand onplea to ban acid saleNEW DELHI
The Delhi High Court on
Tuesday sought the State
government’s stand on a plea
by an acid attack survivor,
who has alleged that the
chemical was easily available
despite the Supreme Court’s
directions to regulate its sale.
She also alleged that the
statutory rules which
regulate the sale of acid were
not being implemented by
the authorities. PTI
Father of rape victimshot dead in U.P.FIROZABAD
The father of a rape victim
was shot dead in Firozabad
district of Uttar Pradesh and
the family suspected the
accused in the rape case to be
behind the killing, police said.
His daughter was raped six
months ago and a man
identified as Achaman
Upadhaya was made the
accused in the case, SSP
Sachin Patel said. PTI
Chief Minister Edappadi K.Palaniswami’s announcement on Sunday last that theCauvery delta region wouldbe declared ‘Protected Special Agricultural Zone’(PSAZ) may not aff��ect various ongoing projects in thedistricts, including hydrocarbon exploration. Mr Palaniswami had said no “new projects such as thehydrocarbon project” wouldbe allowed in delta districts.
The primary intention ofthe government is to prohibit any “fresh” attempts atexploration of gas and minerals in the Cauvery delta re
gion, senior bureaucrats indicated. “This is wetlandecology and such explorations would aff��ect agricul
ture severely. Moreover,such explorations would alsolead to seawater intrusion.”
Since the ongoing projects
in the Cauvery delta have already obtained necessarypermission from the authorities concerned, they may notbe aff��ected by the announcement,” informed sourcessaid.
The proposed ₹��50,000crore investment in Cuddalore by Haldia Petrochemicals would be allowed since“the unit is outside” theCauvery delta core region.Besides, it is only replacinganother private player.
CM yet to clarifyThe Chief Minister has so farnot clarifi��ed about the fate ofthe ongoing projects in theregion. The proposed PSAZ
would cover the entire Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur andThanjavur districts.
The remaining fi��ve districts would be covered onlypartially.
The declaration was toprimarily to stop “local exploitation of undergroundminerals and gas.” That way,refi��neries could be allowedsince they would only useimported oil, offi��cialsexplained.
Though the contours ofthe policy are yet to be outlined, sources hinted that infrastructure projects such aslaying of roads and railwaysand construction of bridgeswould not be aff��ected.
Agri zone may not aff��ect ongoing T.N. projects
Offi��cials say government only intends to bar fresh attempts at exploration of gas, minerals
Dennis S. Jesudasan
CHENNAI
A fi��le picture of an exploratory well near Neduvasal.
Bedi holds consultationswith fi��scal policy expertsPUDUCHERRY
Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi held
consultations with fiscal
policy experts deputed by
the Ministry of Home Affairs
to take stock of the stressed
financial situation in the
Union Territory. Concerns
over lossmaking PSUs were
raised.
IN BRIEF
CMYK
M ND-NDE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 202010EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EDITORIAL
The Delhi resultHas the Indian voterattained maturity? I amconfi��dent that this ishappening if one is to go byrecent trends in Stateelections. It was onlyrecently that the rulingparty at the Centreconsolidated its positionwith a massive majority.But the opposite seems tobe happening with the Statepolls: the voter appears tobe closing the door on theruling party. Is there arealisation that the topleadership of the rulingparty is only full of rhetoricand there is no coordination between whatthey say and what happens?The peace and tranquillityof the country have beendisturbed by whimsicalpolicies. It would not be anexaggeration to say thatthere is confusion and anair of uncertainty. Theredoes not seem to be anyvisible eff��ects ofdevelopmentalprogrammes. Following theDelhi result, the Central
government should stop itsstrategy of ignitingpassions. The IndianNational Congress shouldpull up its socks and workwith zeal and enthusiasm toinform the electorate that itis the only alternative thatcan take the BJP head on.Ananda Rao Mukkala,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
■ AAP’s refreshing approachto campaigning — purelybased on civics, completelybereft of anything to do withidentity, religion or caste — isunheard of in modern India,even in Kerala, a Stateconsidered progressive.Indeed, the AAP’s biggestunsaid contribution couldjust be restoring faith inpolitics, a profession oftenassociated with gangstersand sycophancy. Anothermost fascinating aspect ofthe victory shown issimmering anger and apalpable distancing of theyounger generation from theBJP’s medieval outlook. Theparty’s greed for power isnow so unbridled and itsambition so audacious that it
deliberately invoked themost dangerous mantras tobefuddle people and createhatred where none existed,at least not in any signifi��cantform. Delhi is not just another Stateor city. It is the heart of thecountry. Let us hope that themen who matter in thiscountry will hear theheartbeats.Javvadi Lakshmana Rao,
Visakhapatnam
■ Democracy is still alive.Delhi is a miniature Indiawith diverse cultural andcosmopolitan groups drawnfrom all States of India. Therejection of the BJP’selectioneering gives thosewho are genuinely interestedin the nation’s welfare hope.Social and religious tolerancehas become a practicalnecessity. The Delhi electionresults have also establishedemphatically the longcherished ideas of culturalpluralism in which a widevariety of cultural forms andreligions coexist. G. Stanley Jeyasingh,
Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu
■ The people of Delhi havegiven a befi��tting reply to thedivisive politics employed bythe ruling party at theCentre. Will the leadershipnow understand that thepolitics of hate and religiondoes not cut ice especially inan environment ofunemployment andeconomic doom? Delhishows that elections can stillbe fought and won on theagenda of developmentdespite many provocations.This should also serve as abenchmark for futureelection campaigns andshow the mirror to partiesthat indulge in hatemongering. The next test isBihar. Maqsood Haider,
Noida
■ AAP may have much to behappy about but whatcannot be lost sight of is thatit has lost seats; the BJP hasimproved its tally whichshows that its nationalpolicies have still beenwelcomed by the electorate.The Congress has come acropper and has been almost
any endorsement, good orbad. Insulting nationalleaders should be madepunishable in law.H.N. Ramakrishna,
Bengaluru
Asia and the OscarsIt is heartwarming that SouthKorea’s Parasite, became thefi��rst foreign fi��lm to win thebest picture andinternational featurecategory in the Oscars (‘Life’page, February 11). It is arecognition to Asian fi��lmsalso, which lay moreemphasis on familial bonds.The changing trend ofHollywood to include moreactors from other countriesand then award an Oscar isproof that the world is trulybecoming a village. Indianfi��lmmakers shouldunderstand that thoughcinema is a mass entertainer,quality is important. Ouraudience too has matured.We also have a rich cultureand fi��ne actors.T. Anand Raj,
Chennai
written off�� as a politicalparty. The absence of apromising leader, theabsence of constructive andpositive work and theinability to reconstruct theparty as there are no grassroot level workers are allevident. V. Lakshmanan,
Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
Leader denigrationIt is unfortunate that leadersmake such unsavourycomments about people whofought for the freedom of thecountry (OpEd page, “Thecalumny against Gandhi”,February 11) After critiquingNehru, it now seems to bethe tragic fate of the Fatherof the Nation to suff��er suchtaunts. The freedom strugglewas neither an “adjustment”nor a favour done by thecolonial masters to India.Millions of freedom fi��ghtersdid not suff��er imprisonment,loss of family life, death,bullets or lathicharges in vainfor such appallingcomments. Mahatma Gandhiwas one of the tallest worldleaders and he does not need
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.
To read more lettersonline, scan the QR code
Srinivasan Ramani
One of the more diffi��cultthings to do in any electionsince 2014 is to foreground
electoral issues related to whatthey are supposed to be actuallyabout — the ability of the contending party to govern eff��ectively. Ithas been relatively less cumbersome for opposing parties to makea mark in States where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has to standon its record, but far more diffi��cultfor parties that are already in power to retain them. Only the Biju Janata Dal in Odisha, the TrinamoolCongress (TMC) in West Bengaland the Telangana Rashtra Samitiand All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (in States wherethe BJP is weak) have managed toretain power and even these parties, barring the TMC, had shiedaway from taking a strong oppositional position to the BJP.
Poll strategiesThe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP),which has been a bugbear of theBJP, not only retained power winning 62 of the 70 seats in the DelhiAssembly election, but also man
aged to nearly emulate its strongperformance in 2015 when it won67 seats. This is a credit not only toits governance record but also itsability to turn the election into areferendum on its tenure. TheBJP’s strongest point in recentelections has been to set the terrain of political discourse in therunup to the polls and force itsopponent to contest on thosegrounds. Aiding this strategy hasbeen the BJP’s machine that provides it an organisational superiority which is buttressed by fi��nancialpower unmatched by otherparties.
The runup to the Delhi electionfeatured a noholds barred campaign by the BJP that sought to foreground the cultural jingoist narrative of the Citizenship(Amendment) Act (CAA), the dilution of Article 370, and the demonisation of the protests against theCAA and the National Register ofCitizens embodied in the ShaheenBagh sitin. The campaign strategywas based on a calculus that hadworked before. The BJP had, onlyin May 2019, managed to win56.6% of the votes in Delhi, harping on the government’s decisiveaction following the Pulwama terror attacks. In recent Assemblyelections, the deft use of BackwardClass politics had been combinedwith the virulent use of the “Hindutva” card and this had more often than not, worked in the BJP’s
favour. AAP, on the other hand,had tried to position itself as a party that was evasive or malleablewith respect to ideology. DelhiChief Minister and AAP founderArvind Kejriwal has indeed articulated the importance of taking onthe politics of hatred and communal diff��erentiation, but his party’semphasis has largely been on hisgovernment’s record on deliveringbasic services to an urban electorate without recourse to identitarian biases. While doing so, AAPdid not seek to actively engagewith the BJP’s focal issues such asthe CAA/NRC and the nature of theprotests against this amendment.Meanwhile the desperate andreactive attempt by the BJP to resort to calumny against AAP’s leadership only backfi��red.
In trying to set the discourseduring the elections to be basedon its governance record, AAPprovided the Delhi voter a clearchoice — would they endorse thesteps taken by the regime or wouldthey judge it in terms set by the BJPand its communal discourse? This
was a pivotal achievement by theAAP and sets the party’s victory asone achieved in much more diffi��cult circumstances compared toits triumph in 2015 or its strong foray into electoral politics in 2013,graduating from a civil society ledmovement against corruption.
Party trump cardsIn 2015, AAP had managed to swaythe Delhi electorate and build amulticlass coalitional supportbase — of the urban poor and themiddle class with its promises ofdelivering on a corruption and patronage free governance thatwould reduce costs of basic services such as water supply andelectricity.
In 2020, it managed to retainthe support of this coalitionthrough actual delivery, by devoting a signifi��cant portion of its budget allocations to education,health, water supply and sanitation. The government’s emphasisin bringing particular greater equity in primary education throughthe ramping up of infrastructureand better learning outcomes ingovernment schools, bringing basic primary health care to colonieswhere the urban poor lived in theform of “mohalla clinics” andmeasures for aff��ordable and safepublic transport paid great dividends. This can indeed be a modelfor other urban centres in thecountry, provided the administra
tion in these cities are empoweredto allocate resources that wouldaddress glaring needs for thecities.
Yet, the lack of an ideologicalcore or even an attempt to take positions on various national and international issues has disabled theparty’s ambition to grow beyondthe metropolitan borders of India’s National Capital Territory region and which has resulted in itsdecline in the only State where itmade a mark beyond Delhi — inPunjab. The party started as a coalition of technocrats/managerswho promised good governanceand social movementorientedideologues who sought to resuscitate a fl��ailing social democraticspace in the Indian polity. But thesplit in 2015, that led to activistslike Yogendra Yadav and PrashantBhushan leaving the party, reduced it only to the former whohad to make the best of the limitedspace in government in the UnionTerritory in order to survive. Tothe credit of Mr. Kejriwal and hiscolleagues, their governance hashelped them retain public supportwithin Delhi, but there is still timefor the party to evolve if it needs toexpand beyond the capital regionand capture the imagination ofother progressive and liberalminded people in the rest of thecountry.
Celebration of a pivotal achievement In trying to set the Delhi poll discourse to be based on its record, AAP provided the Delhi voter a clear choice
PTI
Being both the symbolic spacethat holds the reins of powerover the nationstate and a
geographical place that hosts millions of everyday lives, Delhi is politically split. Local elections in Delhi are neither simply provincialnor straightforwardly national.The Sufi�� saint Nizamuddin Auliya’sfamous words, “Hunooz Dilli doorast” (Delhi is distant yet), apply tothe city itself. Though they coexist in the same city, the diff��erentavatars of Delhi can be quite farfrom each other. The elections tothe Delhi State Assembly have underlined as never before the vastgulf between the national powercentre and the regional State.
Study in contrastsThe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)contested the Delhi election asthough it was an extension of the2019 Lok Sabha campaign. TheAam Aadmi Party (AAP) fought theelection as though it was aboutmunicipal matters such as waterand electricity and nothing else.The Indian National Congress(INC) pretended that it was notpretending to fi��ght the election.These contrasting styles of campaigning point to the larger challenges facing not just our politybut the very idea of India today.But before looking at the reasonswhy this is so, a quick look at theresult.
AAP won 62 of 70 Assemblyseats, with the BJP bagging 8,
while the INC experienced an evenmore emphatic whitewash than in2015. But do these results supportthe swift and sure conclusions thatare already being drawn by thepundits? Has achieving a secondlandslide win truly vindicated theAAP strategy of presenting itself asa nonideological managementconsultancy that refuses to engagewith the burning political issues ofthe day?
Does a second successive defeatin its Lok Sabha stronghold —where it won all seven seats in thepast two general elections — meanthat the BJP’s politics of hate has fi��nally failed? And does a repeatrout in a State that it ruled for 15years imply that the INC must nowbe issued a political death certifi��cate? Though the details will become clear only later, it does looklike the immediate answer to eachof these questions must be a qualifi��ed no.
Even before the results were declared, it was clear that this was anelection where the manner inwhich BJP conducted its campaignwas more important — almost —than the outcome. It is hard tocome up with another State election where electioneering hasbeen so full of shrill, hatefi��lled aggression designed to incite violence.
In fact, the BJP tried its hardestto make this election into an antiminority vendetta centred on theprotests at Shaheen Bagh. Its formidable media resources were deployed to paint all opposition tothe Citizenship (Amendment) Act,2019, or CAA, 2019, and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) asantinational, terroristinspired,and based on paid protesters. Thepublic language of politics wasmade to plumb new depths as se
nior leaders repeatedly said anddid things that violated everynorm of basic decency. The eventual outcome of this contestseemed to pale into insignifi��cancein the face of the new norms ofpolitical engagement that were being enforced.
But the defeat of the BJP in Delhi does not necessarily mean thatthese tactics have backfi��red, oreven that they have failed. It onlymeans that they did not succeed inthis place at this time. The big bonus for the BJP is that its strongestopponent did not oppose thesetactics. In fact, AAP often seemedas if it was playing a diff��erent kindof dog whistle politics that was saying, in eff��ect, “Don’t worry, wehave no problem with communalpolitics, but please don’t ask us tosay it openly.”
Now that it has won big, thispolicy of nonengagement is beingpresented as an astute strategy.But its shortterm electoral gainsneed to be compared to its mediumterm political costs. The BJPhas been so successful in redrawing the terms of political discoursethat not only AAP but most otherpolitical parties have been forcedto take a few steps in the same di
rection to polish their majoritariancredentials.
Regional versus nationalThe consequences of this playitelectorallysafe strategy are visiblein the impasses of a polity splitbetween the regional and nationallevels. A party with local rootsstrong enough to sweep two Assembly elections could not evenget to second place in the parliamentary elections — AAP placedthird in the Lok Sabha polls, behind the INC. On the other hand,despite having lost several Stateelections, the BJP continues tohave an iron grip on the nationalpolity and enjoys an unchallengedmonopoly over agendasetting atthis level. In the past, our psephologist pundits nodded wisely at thisemerging split in our electoral system and told us that it showed theshrewdness of the Indian voterwho was pursuing diff��erent priorities at the two levels. Today, whenall our institutions are being undermined and a pervasive climateof impunity for bigotry is being established, this interpretationseems not just unhelpful butdangerous in its complacency.
The irony is that the last twomonths have witnessed the emergence of a remarkable political effervescence that defi��es all theusual frameworks of defi��nition. Itcannot be called a movement forthat word suggests somethingcoordinated and planned. Nor areits objectives classifi��able in theusual terms. Having crystallisedaround opposition to the CAA andNRC, this new energy and sociallyrooted resolve is visible not only innamed places such as ShaheenBagh but also in numerous unfamous locations in campuses,neighbourhoods, towns and cities
across India. This amazing political eff��ervescence is raising questions about politics with a capitalP, reminding us that the bedrockof citizenship is a shared sovereignty that we all inherit from thefounding moment of our republic.Because it has successfully mobilised this hitherto untouched yetpriceless political capital, this moment demands engagement interms far more serious than thoseallowed by pragmatic selfpreserving electoralism.
Congress’s optionsThis remarkable moment is alsoone which ought to encourage theINC to take more risks, since it isnow a party with little left to lose.Its tale is perhaps without precedent in modern world history — aparty which could eff��ortlesslycommand a 25% voteshare in theworld’s largest electorate, is nowon the verge of political irrelevance. If it is able to draw energyfrom this moment to remake itself,it may reclaim its rightful place inour polity.
If they want to remain relevantin the India of tomorrow, all thenonBJP parties have to remindthemselves that politics has to beabout more than winning the nextelection, however important thatmay be as an immediate goal. Formulas that win elections may notensure longterm relevance. Afterall, fascists can also make trainsrun on time and provide regularsupplies of water and power. So, aswe celebrate the welldeservedvictory of the AAP, we must remind ourselves that the other Delhi is still far away.
Satish Deshpande teaches Sociology at
Delhi University. The views expressed are
personal
The other Delhi is distant yet The Delhi elections have only underlined the vast gulf between the national power centre and the regional State
Satish Deshpande
AP
By making New Delhi their fi��rst stop abroad, Sri
Lanka’s new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who
visited in November, and Prime Minister Mahin
da Rajapaksa, after a fi��veday tour, have signalled hope
of beginning a new IndiaSri Lanka chapter. Contrary to
their last stint which ended in 2015, when Mahinda Ra
japaksa was President, and his younger brother Gota
baya was Defence Secretary, and ties underwent a
strain for several reasons, New Delhi too has indicated
that it would like to make a fresh start, working on deve
lopment projects, including a joint IndiaJapan propo
sal for the East Container Terminal at Colombo. Mahin
da Rajapaksa has also discussed extending the
$400million Line of Credit and India’s further assis
tance for nationwide housing. Air connectivity to Sri
Lanka’s north and east is already being improved —
there is a fl��ight from India to Jaff��na, and another one be
ing proposed for Batticaloa. On security, Mr. Rajapaksa
and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed intelli
gence sharing, training and the utilisation of a special
$50million Line of Credit extended by India after last
year’s Easter Sunday bombings. India, Sri Lanka and
the Maldives are expected to revive their trilateral on
security, including joint maritime security talks and an
titerror cooperation. Finally, Mr. Rajapaksa reaffi��rmed
his belief that among Sri Lanka’s friendships, India is
seen as a “relative”, given their history and culture.
The bonhomie is palpable, but the faultlines were al
so visible. Prime Minister Modi said India hopes that
the “expectations of the Tamil people for equality, jus
tice, peace, and respect” would be realised and that de
volution of powers according to the 13th amendment
would be taken forward. Mr. Rajapaksa has given no
commitment on this and said, in an interview to
The Hindu, that he favoured the 13A but not solutions
that were “unacceptable to the majority [Sinhala] com
munity”. India’s case for the special status for the North
and East also comes across as contrary to the Modi go
vernment’s strong stand about removal of the special
status for Jammu and Kashmir. Mr. Rajapaksa has ruled
out taking forward the MoU signed by his predecessor
Ranil Wickremesinghe allowing Indian participation in
energy and infrastructure projects in Trincomalee; an
Indian stake in “Mattala airport” is not on the cards
either. However, of note is his appeal for India to help
Sri Lanka deal with its debt crisis — nearly $60billion
outstanding in foreign and domestic, and about $5bil
lion a year in repayments. New Delhi must consider his
request for a threeyear moratorium and be upfront
about its response, in contrast to the past when New
Delhi did not take up an off��er to develop Hambantota
port, and ceded space to China. Ignoring or rebuffi��ng
the new request could damage bilateral ties far more.
First callIndia and Sri Lanka share close ties,
but distrust and diff��erences remain
The spectacular victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
in the Delhi Assembly election is matched in its intensi
ty by the resounding defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Par
ty (BJP). Having been in power for the last fi��ve years,
AAP’s second consecutive victory is not an electoral en
chantment of a startup, but an endorsement of its
track record. Along the way, its founder and Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal has perfected a political cock
tail that turned out to be the most potent counter to the
toxic religious polarisation that the BJP has come to
champion. His governance brought succour to Delhi’s
poorest and the most vulnerable in the form of better
and accessible education, health care and water in par
ticular. It is clear that they voted with their feet, and
reinvested their faith in the maverick politician. On a
strong footing on the administrative front, Mr. Kejriwal
deployed his characteristic dexterity to sidestep the
BJP’s landmines with their aim of communal polarisa
tion. In the process, he narrowed politics to an effi��cient
delivery of public services and either skirted around all
contemporary issues of wider import, or tacitly sided
with the majoritarian sentiments on them. Devoid of a
governance story, the BJP dragged electioneering to a
new low to marginally improve from its 2015 tally. To
that extent, the Delhi outcome exposes the limits of di
visive politics and incentivises sensitive governance.
To read the Delhi result as a setback to Hindutva pol
itics and a celebration of good governance emptied of
all politics, however, will be a misleading exaggeration.
True, Delhi is the latest in a series of blows against the
BJP since its 2019 parliamentary victory, but it must be
fl��attered by the manner in which its strongest opponent
did not directly take it on. AAP did not contest the BJP
on questions it framed. AAP’s success has not been in
defeating the politics of the BJP, but in skirting it alto
gether. Nevertheless, the lesson that the BJP is likely to
learn from Delhi is that hyperventilating on nationalist
causes is not a suffi��cient condition for victory, particu
larly in State elections, and governance does count. Re
peated electoral upsets might spur some voices of dis
sent in the BJP, hitherto muffl��ed. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah may have
to rework their political idiom in order to hold sway.
They might even borrow from the AAP playbook, but it
will be the nonBJP parties including the Congress that
drew a blank for the second time in Delhi, that will be
dissecting the results for clues to a winnable nonBJP
plank. But it would be a mistake to conclude that taking
on majoritarianism by the horns is a poor strategy. The
lesson is that any eff��ective opposition to the BJP will
have to develop an alternative politics that centrestages
people’s everyday concerns, and their hopes and ex
pectations about life and livelihood.
Winning formula AAP won on its governance record, but its
tactics do not undermine the BJP’s politics
CMYK
M ND-NDE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 11EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
OPED
The Indian Science Congress met at Nagpuron 12120 and the fi��ve succeeding days. Thiswas the seventh Congress and the previoussix sessions were held at Calcutta, Madras,Allahabad, Bangalore, Lahore and Bombayrespectively. Nagpur is almost at the centreof India and one has to go as near as Bombayor Calcutta in order to reach that place.
On account of the visitation of plague, theManaging Committee were forced to alterthe arrangements they had made for thelodging and boarding of the delegates fromthe various parts of the country. At the eleventh hour, the Madras and Gujarati delegates were lodged at Roberton’s Bungalow—a commodious building whichaccommodated nearly forty delegates, theBengal delegates went to the Bengali schooland other makeshift arrangements had to bemade. The committee would have done better if they had taken into their body one ortwo representatives of the diff��erent Provinces or at least consulted such people with reference to accommodation, boarding etc. atdiff��erent stages. Much credit is due to Mr.A.R. P. Iyer, the acting Government Agricultural Chemist at Nagpur, for leaving no stoneunturned in looking to the convenience andcomfort of the Madras and Gujarat delegates.
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO FEB. 12, 1920.
The Indian Science Congress.
Mahatma Gandhi secured the participation of thousands of households in thefreedom struggle when he launched thecivil disobedience movement. For every household today, rich or poor, education has the same relevance as saltdid in 1930. This is seen in the resounding verdict given by the Delhi electoratein the Assembly election to the AamAadmi Party (AAP), which built its governance model around education.
In the last fi��ve years, the Delhi modelof education has caught the attention ofpeople in Delhi and beyond. For toolong, there have been two kinds of education models in the country: one forthe classes and another for the masses.The AAP government in Delhi sought tobridge this gap. Its approach stemsfrom the belief that quality education isa necessity, not a luxury. Hence, it builta model which essentially has fi��ve major components and is supported bynearly 25% of the State Budget. The validation of this model now creates a pathway for the next set of reforms.
Key components of the modelThe fi��rst component of the educationmodel is the transformation of schoolinfrastructure. Dilapidated schoolbuildings that lack basic facilities notonly indicate the apathy of the government, but also signifi��cantly lower themotivation of teachers and the enthusiasm of students. The AAP governmentsought to change this by building new,aesthetically designed classroomsequipped with furniture, smart boards,staff�� rooms, auditoriums, laboratories,libraries, sports facilities and so on.
The second component is the training of teachers and principals. Apartfrom the fact that a forum was createdto encourage peer learning amongthem, several opportunities were givento teachers for their professionalgrowth. They visited Cambridge University; the National Institute of Education, Singapore; IIM Ahmedabad; andother models of excellence in India.The exposure to new pedagogy and leadership training enabled Delhi to gra
dually move away from a uniform training model for all to learning from thebest practices in India and abroad.
The third component involved engaging with the community by reconstituting school management committees(SMC). The annual budget of each SMCis ₹��57 lakh. The SMCs can spend thismoney on any material or activity, suchas even hiring teachers on a shorttermbasis. Regular dialogue between teachers and parents was initiated throughmega parentteacher meetings. Guidelines are provided on how to engagewith parents. Invitations for meetingsare sent through FM radio, newspaperadvertisements, etc.
Four, there have been major curricular reforms in teaching learning. In2016, the AAP government noted thatthere was a nearly 50% failure rate inClass 9 and admitted that the poorfoundational skills of children could bethe reason for it. Special initiatives toensure that all children learn to read,write and do basic mathematics waslaunched and made part of regularteaching learning activities in schools.Similarly, a ‘happiness curriculum’ wasintroduced for all children betweennursery and Class 8 for their emotionalwellbeing. Further, an ‘entrepreneurship mindset curriculum’ was introduced to develop the problemsolvingand critical thinking abilities of children in Classes 9 to 12. Apart from thesenew curricular initiatives, the focus onexisting subjects too ensured betterperformance in Board examinations byClasses 10 and 12.
Fifth, there was no fee increase inprivate schools. While the fi��rst fourcomponents impacted nearly 34% ofchildren in Delhi’s government schools,arbitrary fee hikes earlier impactedabout 40% children who go to privateschools. In the past, almost all the
schools increased their fee 815% annually. The AAP government not onlyensured the refund of about ₹��32 croreto parents which was excessivelycharged by private schools, it also ensured that any fee hike proposal was examined by authorised chartered accountants. Thus, for two years noschool was allowed to raise its fee.
Agenda 2.0In the words of Manish Sisodia, theleader of the Delhi education model,“having built the foundation of education”, the focus now will shift to “education as foundation”. Going forward,there will be three key areas of reformapart from consolidating the gains ofthe past. First, the syllabus of Classes 1to 8 will be reviewed to emphasise foundational learning skills, the ‘happinesscurriculum’ and the ‘deshbhakti’ curriculum. Thus, apart from ensuring thatall children can fl��uently read, write anddo mathematics, the focus will be tobuild emotional resilience in childrenand ensure that they internalise ourcore constitutional values by the timethey complete eight years of schooling.Apart from that, early childhood careand education will be deepened furtherthrough Anganwadis. There will also benurseries in all government schools.
Second, a Delhi Education Board willbe set up to promote learning that encourages critical thinking, problemsolving and application of knowledgeamong children. This will prepare themto tackle the challenges of the 21st century with an entrepreneurial mindset.Additionally, for those who have graduated from Delhi schools in the recentpast, programmes like spoken English,soft skills and so on will be initiated toraise their employability opportunities.
Third, specialised schools will becreated in each of the 29 zones of Delhito nurture the aptitude and talent ofchildren in the areas of science andtechnology, literature and language, visual and performing arts, and sports.
Now that Delhi has decisively acknowledged education as a top agenda ofgovernance, the natural expectationfrom the government would be to ensure that all children get education thatpasses the test of quality, opportunityand equity.
Shailendra Sharma is Principal Advisor to
Director Education at Directorate of Education,
Government of NCT Delhi
The AAP government believes that quality education is a necessity, not a luxury
The Delhi model of education
Shailendra Sharma
RA
ME
SH
SH
AR
MA The massive public campaign in 2011
demanding an independent anticorruption ombudsman resulted in thepassage of the Lokpal law. The politicaldividend of the agitation was reaped atthe national level by the BJP, which vociferously supported the demand for aneff��ective Lokpal and rode to power in2014 on the plank of anticorruption.
More than six years after the Lokpallaw received the President’s assent, theinstitution of the Lokpal is yet to playany signifi��cant role in tackling corruption in the country. The manner inwhich the Lokpal has been emasculated by the current regime closely mirrors the undermining of other institutions of oversight and accountability.
The preambular statement of TheLokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 notesthat the law has been enacted to ensureprompt and fair investigation and prosecution in cases of corruption againstpublic servants. The Lokpal was envisioned to be independent. It was accorded a high stature and given extensive powers including the power toinquire, investigate and prosecute actsof corruption.
Delay in appointmentsFor more than fi��ve years, the chairperson and members of the Lokpal werenot appointed. The governmentclaimed that since no one could be recognised as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) after the 2014 general election, the committee responsible forselecting members of the Lokpal couldnot be constituted. This malady couldhave been easily remedied by either recognising the leader of the single largest party in Opposition in the Lok Sabha as the LoP, or by amending theLokpal law to allow the leader of the largest Opposition party to be a memberof the committee in the absence of a recognised LoP (this was done for the selection committee of the CBI Director).However, neither recourse was taken.
The chairperson and members of theLokpal were appointed only in March2019 after a contempt petition was fi��led
in the Supreme Court following the failure of the government to comply withthe 2017 ruling of the court to initiatethe process of making appointments.
A truncated selection committee,without the LoP, was set up. The PrimeMinister, Speaker, and the then ChiefJustice of India appointed Mukul Rohatgi, who had earlier served as AttorneyGeneral of India during the BJP regime,as the eminent jurist on the selectionpanel. The leader of the largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha was invitedfor meetings of the selection committeeas a ‘special invitee’, which he declinedon grounds that it was mere tokenism.
The fourmember selection committee, having a preponderance of representatives of the ruling party with an inherent bias towards recommendingcandidates favoured by the government, selected the Chair and membersof the Lokpal. The manner in which theappointments were made raised doubtsabout the independence of the Lokpaleven before it became operational.
Despite the fracas over appointments, many had hoped that once constituted, the Lokpal would neverthelessbe a signifi��cant oversight body to checkcorruption and the arbitrary use ofpower by the government. More than10 months later, however, evidence suggests that the Lokpal is a nonstarter.Till date, the government has not maderules prescribing the form for fi��lingcomplaints to the Lokpal. The Centralgovernment has also failed to formulaterules regarding asset disclosure by public servants.
In order to ensure independent andcredible action on allegations of corruption, the Lokpal was empoweredunder the law to set up its own inquirywing headed by a Director of Inquiryand its own prosecution wing headed
by a Director of Prosecution. However,information accessed under the Rightto Information Act has confi��rmed thatthe inquiry and prosecution wings ofthe anticorruption ombudsman are yetto be set up. The Lokpal has also not appointed the Director of Inquiry or Prosecution. Further, regulations whichthe Lokpal was obligated to make underthe law are yet to be made, includingthose specifying the manner and procedure of conducting preliminary inquiryand investigation.
The website of the Lokpal states thatit scrutinised 1,065 complaints receivedtill September 30, 2019 and disposed of1,000. Since necessary procedures tooperationalise the law are yet to be putin place, the legal veracity of the decisions of the Lokpal could potentially bechallenged in a court of law.
Failure to meet expectationsWithout the requisite rules, regulationsand machinery in place, it is not surprising that the Lokpal has failed tomeet expectations. In recent times, theonly reason for the Lokpal being in thenews has been the resignation of its judicial member, Justice Dilip B. Bhosale,for undisclosed reasons.
The failure to operationalise the Lokpal in an eff��ective manner lays bare thelack of political will of the BJP government. It took nearly half a century forthe Lokpal law to be enacted from thetime the need for the oversight institution was fi��rst articulated. It is anybody’sguess how much longer it will take before India has an eff��ective, independentand empowered Lokpal.
Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri are
transparency and anticorruption activists
associated with the National Campaign for
Peoples’ Right to Information
Six years on, Lokpal is a nonstarterThe necessary rules, regulations and machinery are still not in place
Anjali Bhardwaj & Amrita Johri
SP
EC
IAL A
RR
AN
GE
ME
NT
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
DATA POINT
When Prime Minister Narendra Modiwelcomes U.S. President DonaldTrump to India this month, the mostmemorable images may well extendbeyond bearhugging and a ‘HowdyTrump’ rally. The two leaders are expected to sign a fi��rstever trade agreement. On substance, the agreementwill not be a big one but that is besidethe point. A U.S.India trade deal willhave historic signifi��cance, especiallyif it ushers in a period of strong collaboration to advance a shared bilateral trade agenda and eff��ectively resolves troubles as they arise.
The restoration of India’s Generalised System of Preferences benefi��ts,pricing of medical devices, and agriculture trade are all important, butthey are just the tip of the iceberg. Ifthe two sides continue eff��orts toachieve incremental outcomes, thestart of negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) couldeven be a credible scenario. Presently, this is not the case.
Incremental outcomesWhat might initial incremental outcomes be? The most obvious candidates are intellectual property rights(IPR), digital trade, and investment.Ideally there should be room to seriously consider better ways to encourage skilled professionals to workin the other’s economy.
None of these areas will be easy.That said, there are already someshared interests. For example, Indiainvests in the U.S. and continues toseek U.S. investment in India. Bothare grappling with the appropriatescope and approach for regulatingelectronic commerce issues in thisdigital age. IPR has historically beenan area of contention between thetwo, but discussions on IPR have progressed well in recent years.
With respect to investment issues,specifi��cally foreign direct investment(FDI), this is an important moment todo more to encourage it than simplywelcoming it. Ideally, the two sidesshould move ahead to negotiate anagreement on investment mattersthat can provide greater transparency, predictability, and regulatory certainty to investors from the othercountry. But it appears that the traditional approach through which countries pursue commitments on FDI,
bilateral investment treaties, or‘BITs’ (bilateral investment treaties)is off�� the table. The Trump administration has put a hold on negotiatingadditional BITs and appears to besuspicious of how well they balanceU.S. interests. The Indian government is similarly sceptical of BITs,having cancelled all existing onessoon after it came into offi��ce.
A new approachIn fact, the two sides might fi��nd common ground in devising a new approach to investment issues, at leastuntil they resume their work on BITs.A starting point should be to reviewwhat they have done in their recentFTAs. The recently concluded U.S.MexicoCanada Agreement containsa novel approach on investment, notably its abandonment of investorstate dispute settlement with respectto the U.S. and Canada. Similarly, theRegional Comprehensive EconomicPartnership, which India had beennegotiating with ASEAN, Australia,China, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand, does not include investorstatedispute settlement. While Indiachose not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnershipwhen it was concluded at the end oflast year, it appears to have been onboard with the FTA’s investmentprovisions.
A U.S.India investment agreementcould focus on fair treatment for investors from the other country, regulatory transparency and predictability, and approaches for resolvingconcerns short of investorstate dispute settlements. At a later stage,most likely when the two are prepared to negotiate a more comprehensive bilateral FTA, they can gofurther on investment matters.
For now, however, they should focus on what is doable. A new, hybridapproach on investment would be asubstantial step in the right direction.It will be critical to sustain momentum coming out of a fi��rst trade dealwhen the two leaders meet in Delhi.If India and the U.S. fail this test, thetrade relationship is more likely tolanguish than blossom.
Mark Linscott is a Senior Fellow with the
South Asia Program at the Atlantic Council; a
Senior Adviser with The Asia Group; and a
former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative
for South and Central Asian Aff��airs
A new approach on investment For India and the U.S., this will be critical to sustainmomentum coming out of a fi��rst trade deal
Mark Linscott
The odyssey of Kenya born Indian girl Ranjan Vaid – who had been refused entry to Britain and to her native country – ended lastnight [February 10] at London’s HeathrowAirport. The 21yearold girl had been shuttled on one airline and then another, fromone country to another for an entire weekand a total of 17,000 miles before Britain yesterday fi��nally decided to let her in for threemonths. Ranjan burst into tears and collapsed into the arms of her brother, Shantilal, who greeted her at the airport. “She istired and hungry, she has been living on rollsand coff��ee for a week. She has not slept for48 hours,” he said. Although she holds a British passport, she was denied entry into Britain because Kenyan Asians also require anentry certifi��cate, which she did not have. Kenya refused to take her back, because whenshe left she failed to obtain a reentry certificate. Meanwhile some Kenyan Asians, whowork in an honorary capacity for the BritishHigh Commission in Nairobi on Asian problems, have appealed to the British HomeSecretary, Mr. James Callaghan, to ease their“desperate” situation by allowing them andtheir colleagues to enter Britain.
FIFTY YEARS AGO FEBRUARY 12, 1970
Kenya girl’s odyssey ends
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
FROM THE ARCHIVES
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CMYK
M ND-NDE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 202012EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
NEWS
FROM PAGE ONE
One accused, Vicky, was acquitted. Among those convicted were Dillip KumarVerma, then chairman of theChild Welfare Committee inMuzaff��arpur, its then member Vikas Kumar and ChildProtection Offi��cer Ravi Roshan. Two others, Rama Shankar Singh and Ashwani,were convicted of criminalconspiracy and abetting
rape. Thakur’s accompliceShaista Praveen, Indu Kumari, Manju Devi, Minu Devi,Chanda Devi, Hema Masih,Neha Kumari and Kiran Kumari were also found guiltyof abetting rape and alliedoff��ences.
The shelter home was runby a nongovernmental organisation, “Sewa SankalpEvam Vikas Samiti”.
Thakur, 11 others get lifeterm in shelter home case
U.S. President DonaldTrump’s maiden visit to India will start on February 24at the Sabarmati Ashram inAhmedabad and the inauguration of the new Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium, thelargest cricket stadium in theworld.
Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi willhold the “Kem chho Trump”(Howdy Trump) event at thestadium with approximately1.25 lakh people witnessingthe special programmeaimed at showcasing the ModiTrump bonhomie.
Mr. Trump will be accom
panied by First Lady MelaniaTrump. According to senioroffi��cials in Gandhinagar, Mr.Trump will fl��y directly to Ahmedabad where Mr. Modiwill receive him at the airport. They will then visit theSabarmati Ashram where thePrime Minister will take thePresident and the First Ladyaround in the sprawling Ashram, including Hriday Kunj,Gandhiji’s house, where theywill operate a spinning wheel(charkha).
During their visit to theAshram, Mahatma Gandhi’sfavourite hymn, “VaishnavJan to” will be played in thebackground music.
From the Ashram, the
Prime Minister will accompany the President and theFirst Lady to the main eventat the stadium in the evening. The event includes a series of cultural pieces curated by highprofi��le agencies
and artistes. Insiders told The Hindu
that the event will be on thelines of the “Howdy Modi!”public reception accorded toMr. Modi in Houston duringhis visit to the U.S. last Sep
tember. Mr. Trump participated in the event attendedby around 50,000 people,mostly IndianAmericans.
City gears upPreparations have been under way in Ahmedabad forthe last two weeks with diff��erent agencies assigned tasks,including decorating theareas near the SabarmatiAshram and the cricket stadium, sprucing up roads. TheHome Department is makingelaborate security arrangements for the VIP event.
As per the instructionsfrom the PMO, the Gujaratgovernment has directed itsdepartments and agencies toensure that a crowd of 1.25lakh is organised for theevent. The stadium’s seatingcapacity is 1.10 lakh; 15,000
people will be seated on theground in front of the stage.
“People from across thecountry, including top business executives, will be attending the event,” a senioroffi��cial overseeing the preparations told The Hindu.
In the last one week,teams from U.S. Embassyand diff��erent agencies of theCentral government, including the Ministry of ExternalAff��airs, have visited Ahmedabad to oversee preparations.
Since Mr. Modi becamePrime Minister in 2014, Ahmedabad has emerged as thepreferred venue to host foreign dignitaries, includingPresident Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister ShinzoAbe of Japan and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuof Israel.
1.25 lakh to attend ‘Kem chho Trump’ show U.S. President’s twoday visit will beginin Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad
Mahesh Langa
AHMEDABAD
Getting ready: Workers giving fi��nishing touches to the SardarPatel Stadium at Motera in Ahmedabad. * VIJAY SONEJI
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birlaon Tuesday informed theHouse that he had receivedthe notice of privilege motion moved by the Congressagainst Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot forhis statement on the Supreme Court order on the issue of reservation in promotion for the SCs/STs and theOBCs.
“The issue is under myconsideration,” he said afterCongress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raised thematter.
On Monday, the Congress
accused Mr. Gehlot of misleading the House by statingthat the case pertained to adecision of the Uttarakhandgovernment in 2012 whenthe Congress was in power.The Minister had also informed that the Centre was
not a party to the case. Stating that it was a mis
leading argument, CongressMPs not only moved a privilege motion but Mr. Chowdhury also read out thenames of advocates who represented the BJP government in the Supreme Court.However, the Speaker cuthim by short, stating that themotion was under hisconsideration.
The Lok Sabha also elected Mahua Moitra of the Trinamool Congress and Manish Tewari of the Congress tothe Joint Committee of twoHouses on the Personal DataProtection Bill.
Received privilege motionagainst Minister: SpeakerCong. moved the motion for his statement on quota issue
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Thawar Chand Gehlot
SPG only secures PM and CRPF 56 VIPsNEW DELHI
The Special Protection Group
(SPG) only has the Prime
Minister under its cover,
while the CRPF secures 56
important people in the
country, the government
informed Parliament on
Tuesday. Without naming
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Minister of State for
Home G. Kishan Reddy said in
a written reply that the SPG
protects only one person.
According to a recent
amendment to the SPG Act,
the force now protects the
Prime Minister and members
of his immediate family
residing with him at his
official residence.
IN BRIEF
No bar on Indians visitingJ&K: Home Ministry NEW DELHI
There are no restrictions on
any Indian citizen visiting the
Union Territory of Jammu and
Kashmir, the government
informed Parliament on
Tuesday. In response to a
question on when the
government proposed to
allow Indian delegates to visit
Jammu and Kashmir, Minister
of State for Home G. Kishan
Reddy told the Lok Sabha
that there is no bar on any
Indian citizen visiting the
Union Territory. He said a visit
of the heads of 15 foreign
missions to Jammu and
Kashmir was organised on
January 9 and 10 because of a
request from them.
A petition fi��led by the sisterof the former Jammu andKashmir Chief MinisterOmar Abdullah, Sara Abdullah Pilot, will be heard by athreejudge Bench of the Supreme Court, led by JusticeN.V. Ramana, on February12. She has approached thecourt against the government’s move to charge himunder the Public Safety Act(PSA).
The other judges are Justices Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and Sanjiv Khanna.
Ms. Pilot has urged for theissuance of a writ of habeascorpus to the authorities toforthwith produce Mr. Abdullah before the court andset him at liberty.
The petition, representedby senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Gopal Sankaranarayanan, was mentioned before a Bench led by JusticeRamana on Monday.
Ms. Pilot has said she wasgravely concerned about thewelfare, safety and securityof her brother. He was already under detention from Au
gust 5 last — the day theCentre removed the specialrights of the Kashmiri peopleunder Article 370 — whenthe PSA was slapped on himon February 5, 2020.
Ms. Pilot has said she wasshocked to learn that justlike what happened to theirfather, the government hadimposed a fresh lease of detention under the PSA onher brother too.
She has noted that Mr. Abdullah’s detention from August 5 under Section 107 ofthe Cr. PC (security for keeping the peace) was sche
duled to end on February 5.His release was imminent.He had served the maximumperiod of detention. On February 5, the Executive Magistrate, instead of releasinghim, ordered his further detention under Section 8 ofthe PSA, 1978, in an “arbitrary exercise of power”.
Ms. Pilot asked what wasthe point of detaining a manalready detained throughthe long months of lockdown suff��ered across Jammuand Kashmir.
In fact, she has said, in thepast six months, there had
been no eff��ort by the authorities to verify the truth behind the “information” thatMr. Abdullah is a threat topeace. On the other hand,there are reams of materialin the form of tweets and public statements vouching forhis exemplary conduct tomaintain peace.
Ms. Pilot has said there isdanger to her brother’s lifeand liberty.
The government, in itsPSA dossier on Mr. Abdullah,has described him as a threatto public safety. It said hewas “planning activitiesagainst the Union government”. It also highlighted“his popularity and potential to draw voters to pollingbooths”.
The petition has arguedthat the detention order is illegal as it confl��ates ‘governmental policy’ with the ‘Indian State’, suggesting thatany opposition to the formerconstitutes a threat to thelatter.
“This is wholly antithetical to a democratic polityand undermines the IndianConstitution,” it has said.
SC to hear Omar sister’s plea today She had approached the court after the government detained him under PSA
Tight security: A CRPF soldier stopping vehicles near acheckpoint in Srinagar on Tuesday. * NISSAR AHMAD
Legal Correspondent
NEW DELHI
The Centre informed theLok Sabha on Tuesday thatit had no information onany group called the‘Tukde Tukde Gang’.
Minister of State forHome G. Kishan Reddysaid the Ministry had no information on whether theterminology was based onspecifi��c inputs from law enforcement agencies. “Nosuch information has beenbrought to the notice of thegovernment by any law enforcement agency.”
He made the remarks inresponse to the questionsfrom Congress membersVincent H Pala and JasbirSingh Gill. They askedwhether an organisation,called ‘Tukde TukdeGang’, had been identifi��edand catalogued by theHome Ministry; whetherthe terminology was basedon specifi��c inputs; andwhether the Ministry orany intelligence agencyhad drawn up a list of supposed leaders and members of the group.
‘No details of TukdeTukde Gang’
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), led byBabulal Marandi, will mergewith the BJP in Ranchi on February 17. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJPpresident J.P. Nadda will attend the function to be heldat Prabhat Tara Maidan.
“A meeting of the party’scentral committee has unanimously approved themerger with the BJP,” Mr.Marandi, the party’s president, told journalists in Ranchi on Tuesday.
Mr. Marandi has been thefi��rst tribal Chief Minister ofJharkhand after the Statewas created from Bihar inNovember 2000. But he leftthe BJP in 2006 and had
fl��oated the JVM(P). Earlier, Mr. Marandi ex
pelled MLAs Pradip Yadavand Bandhu Tirkey from theparty for “antiparty activities”. Mr. Yadav recently metCongress leaders Sonia andRahul Gandhi in New Delhi.
He is likely to join the Congress. “The expulsion of Pradip Yadav and Bandhu Turkey has also been approvedby the central committee,”Mr. Marandi said. In the recent election to the 81member Assembly, the JVM(P)won three seats, includingone by Mr. Marandi.
Makeover attempt Asked about his role in theBJP, Mr. Marandi said, “Whatever responsibilities theparty entrusts me with, I’lldo my best to fulfi��l them.”After it was defeated in therecent Assembly election,the BJP is trying to revive itsleadership with a tribal face.It is also likely to elect Mr.Marandi as its LegislatureParty leader.
Marandiled JVM(P) to mergewith BJP on February 17Amit Shah and party president J.P. Nadda will attend event
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
PATNA
Babulal Marandi was the fi��rst tribal Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
The government has decided not to send to detentionchildren who were excludedfrom the NRC in Assam butwhose parents were included, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Union Minister of Statefor Home Nityananda Raisaid the approved standardoperating procedures fordisposal of claims and objections had a specifi��c provision for children left out ofthe NRC, while their parentshad been included.
“The AttorneyGeneralstated on January 6, 2020,before the Supreme Courtthat the children of parents
included in the NRC, Assam,will not be separated fromtheir parents and sent to adetention centre, pendingdecision on the application,” he said in a writtenreply to a question.
The NRC was carried outin Assam under the supervision of the Supreme Court,and around 19 lakh peoplewere left out of the fi��nal listpublished in August 2019.Those excluded could challenge the decision beforethe Foreigners’ Tribunals.The State NRC Coordinatoris yet to issue certifi��ed copies of exclusion to the applicants and the process ofchallenging the order is yetto begin.
Centre not to detainchildren left out of NRCGovernment clarifi��es in Lok Sabha
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
The CBI on Tuesday fi��led achargesheet in a case of alleged bribery against itsformer secondincommandRakesh Asthana and others,giving a clean chit to himand another offi��cial.
“The chargesheet hasbeen fi��led against accusedManoj Prasad. The investigation has not revealed anyrole of public servants. Responses to the letters rogatory sent overseas are stillawaited,” said a CBI offi��cial.
Hearing at HC The move came a day beforethe matter was to come up atthe Delhi High Court which,in January, pulled up the CBIfor the delay and set a four
week deadline for submission of the chargesheet inthe lower court.
The FIR was lodged in October 2018 amid a turf warbetween the then CBI chief,Alok Kumar Verma, and hisdeputy that saw both of
them accusing each other ofcorruption and misconduct.Both were shunted by thegovernment following a Central Vigilance Commissionrecommendation.
The FIR named Mr. Asthana; the then CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police, Devender Kumar; Dubaibasedinvestment banker Manoj;and his brother, Somesh Prasad, as accused. It was alleged that Hyderabadbasedbusinessman Sana SathishBabu had paid over ₹��3 crorein bribe to get relief in a caseagainst meat exporter MoinQureshi. The CBI, which arrested Manoj on October 16,2018, got Mr. Babu’s statement recorded before a magistrate, alleging bribes werepaid in fi��ve instalments.
CBI gives clean chit to RakeshAsthana in case of briberyFIR lodged in October 2018 amid his turf war with CBI chief
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Rakesh Asthana was theCBI’s secondincommandwhen the case was fi��led.
Educomp case: CBIconducts searchesNEW DELHI
The CBI on Tuesday
conducted searches in
connection with the case
against Educomp Solutions
Limited (ESL) and others for
allegedly cheating an SBIled
consortium of 13 banks of
₹��1,955 crore. Those named in
the case are the company, its
managing director Shantanu
Prakash, guarantor Jagdish
Prakash, subsidiary Edu Smart
Services Private Limited and
directors Vijay Kumar
Choudhary and Vinod Kumar
Dandona. “The searches were
carried out at eight places in
Delhi, Dehradun and
Gurugram,” a CBI official said.
The Lok Sabha on Tuesdaypassed the Constitution(Scheduled Tribes) Order(Amendment) Bill by voicevote. It seeks to include theParivara and Talawaracommunities in the ST category.
The Siddi tribes of Belagavi and Dharwad in Karnataka would also be included in the category,apart from those living inUttar Kannada.
Tribal Aff��airs MinisterArjun Munda assured themembers that the government would take cognizance of their demands forinclusion of communitiesfrom their States.
Bill to includemore tribes inST category
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
“During a phone call overthe weekend, PresidentTrump and Prime MinisterModi agreed the trip willfurther strengthen the United StatesIndia strategicpartnership and highlightthe strong and enduringbonds between the American and Indian people.”
The Hindu has learnedthat India’s newly appointedAmbassador to the U.S., Taranjit Singh Sandhu, whopresented his credentials toMr. Trump last week, alsohanded over an offi��cial invitation to the President to visit India. (The White Househad waited for this prior toannouncing the visit offi��cially.) Preparations are underway in India. American security teams with scannersand equipment arrived inIndia last week.
The Indian and U.S. sidesare trying to put together a
limited trade deal which Mr.Modi and Mr. Trump willsign during the visit. Thetwo leaders could not signon the dotted line whenthey met on the sidelines ofthe United Nations GeneralAssembly in September, andtalks had continued sincethen.
Sources close to the negotiations told The Hindu lastweek that while they were“hopeful” a deal would bereached before Mr. Trump’svisit, it was not a given, asthere were gaps in the negotiating positions of the twosides.
A defence deal is also reportedly on the cards. Indiais preparing to approve a$2.6 billion deal for 24MH60 Seahawk helicoptersfrom Lockheed Martin, according to a Reuters report.
(With inputs from Suhasi-ni Haidar in New Delhi)
Trump confi��rms Indiavisit on Feb. 24 and 25
A 20yearold man, believed to be the son offormer Arunachal PradeshChief Minister Kalikho Pul,was found dead in the bedroom of his fl��at in Brighton in England on Sunday.
Local police offi��cialssaid there were no suspicious circumstancesaround the death of Shubanso Pul, which seems toimply a possible suicide.
“At 3.41 p.m. on Sunday,the police were called to anaddress in Falmer where a20yearold man was founddead in a bedroom,” thepolice said. “There wereno suspicious circumstances. The coroner for Brighton and Hove has been informed,” they said.
The coroner will nowopen an inquest.
Kalikho Pul’sson founddead in U.K.
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
London/Itanagar
The issue of repatriation ofRohingya migrants has beendiscussed with Bangladeshat the highest level and bothcountries have agreed onthe need to “expedite theirsafe, speedy and sustainablerepatriation to their homesin Myanmar”, Minister ofState for Home NityanandRai informed the Lok Sabhaon Tuesday.
The Rohingya belong toRakhine State in Myanmarbut more than a millionhave taken refuge in Bangladesh and some in India following a campaign of violence against them.
In a written reply, Mr. Rai
said there were reports ofsome Rohingya migrants indulging in illegal activities.
The Minister said theCentre had issued periodicinstructions to the States toask the law enforcementand intelligence agencies toidentify illegal migrants andrestrict them to specifi��ed locations as per provisions oflaw.
In response to a questionon the number of Rohingyaliving in India, Mr. Rai said,“Since illegal migrants enterthe country without validdocuments..., the data onthe number of such illegalmigrants living in the country is not maintained centrally.”
Delhi, Dhaka for speedyreturn of Rohingya ‘Number of illegal migrants not known’
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
BJP sources, however,blamed the party’s strategyof not projecting a chief ministerial face against Mr.Kejriwal, not being able tocounter the AAP’s powerand water subsidy schemesand “unwarranted comments” against Mr. Kejriwalby senior party leaders — in
cluding Minister of State forFinance Anurag Thakur —for the results.
“All that these star campaigners ended up doingwas overshadowing the local candidate; they alsotook the focus away from local issues,” a BJP insidersaid.
AAP sweeps Delhi with62 seats, BJP trounced
CMYK
M ND-NDE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 13EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
NEWS
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s(BJP) sixth consecutive lossin an Assembly poll — although the party managed toform a government in Haryana — points now to a veryreal problem for the party inupcoming Assembly polls.
Whether in a direct fi��ghtwith the Congress or a regional player like the AamAadmi Party (AAP), the BJP’sperformance in State elections has been sub par as perits own previous records.The Indian voter acrossStates seems to be making avery clear distinction between State and nationallevel elections, as made cleareven by the Assembly pollsin Odisha, where the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) Naveen Patnaik won a record fi��fth termin the midst of a Modi wave.
Newly elected BJP president J. P. Nadda does have aproblem on his hands as theStatelevel narrative of theparty has not been as appealing as that of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi at the national level, so much so that evenMr. Modi’s campaign inJharkhand and Haryana didnot manage to lift the party’sfortunes.
One reason put forward
by BJP senior leaders is thefact that State units in bothJharkhand and Delhi havehad festering issues of infi��ghting, as did the the Maharashtra unit of the party going into the polls. Many ofthese issues were not addressed and, specifi��cally inDelhi, it was felt that whileLok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwariwas made State unit chief asa concession to the large
number of Poorvanchalivotes, it was the old Punjabileadership of the BJP thatprevailed. “Even when issues are addressed, it hasbeen cosmetic,” said asource.
According to political analyst Rahul Verma, the BJP going into polls without Mr.Modi’s strong presence is aproblem for the party.“Prime Minister Modi is themost charismatic face thatthe BJP has and has a provenrecord of aff��ecting the vote,but when it comes to faces inthe State level, the Opposition has an advantage, whichis going to be the case in theupcoming elections too,” hesaid.
The most importantpoint, apart from the lack of
a strong face in States, is alsothe lack of a local narrativefor the BJP, making it rely onnational issues time andagain.
“Every election has onenarrative that dominates over another and in the last fewelections, the Opposition’snarrative has been strongboth in terms of aspirationand performance,” said a senior BJP leader.
While the national narrative of the BJP is in no peril,State elections are just as important if the BJP wants todominate Indian politics. Forthat, Mr. Nadda may wellhave to dip into the playbookof the old BJP led by latePrime Minister Atal BihariVajpayee and senior BJPleader L.K. Advani, when thelast crop of strong regionalleadership was cultivated bythe party.
BJP’s losses point to lack of local narrativeThe party continues to rely on Prime Minister Modi and national issues for its campaigns
Downbeat mood: The BJP offi��ce in New Delhi wore a quietlook on Tuesday. * SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Nistula Hebbar
New Delhi
NEWS ANALYSISThe Opposition parties inunison congratulated AamAadmi Party (AAP) convenor Arvind Kejriwal for hisresounding victory in theDelhi Assembly elections.They said the BJP’s defeat inthe elections showed thatpolitics of polarisation anddivision didn’t pay dividends.
Rajya Sabha fl��oor leaderof the Biju Janata Dal Prasanna Acharya said, “TheBJP claims to be the biggestpolitical party of the world.And it has been defeated bythe smallest party in thecountry. This shows thebeauty of Indian democracyand maturity of Indianvoters.”
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool CongressPresident Mamata Banerjeewas one of the earliest tocongratulate Mr. Kejriwal.She told reporters, “TheCentre with all its agenciesand brute force could not dowhat it wanted to do.” Describing the outcome as a“victory for democracy”,she stated that the BJP waslosing in all places whereelections were conducted aspeople were rejecting its“narrow divisive politics”.
“People want jobs, people want roti, kapda andmakaan [food, clothing andshelter]. People want development,” she said.
The Congress, whichdrew a blank in the elections, was all praise for Mr.Kejriwal. Former Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi, ina tweet, congratulated him,while former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, in a series of tweets, said the Delhiresults were a booster forthe confi��dence of the Opposition that the BJP could bedefeated in every State.
Rashtriya Janata Dal,which fought four seats in
Delhi, also complimentedMr. Kejriwal. “You have defeated negative & blatanthate politics decisively. Yourverdict marks the defeat ofpolitics of polarisation anddivision. I sincerely hopethe BJP takes a cue from thisresult and shuns communalism & bigotry once for all “,tweeted Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Development agendaDMK President M.K. Stalincalled the Delhi results aclear vindication of development over communalpolitics.
CPI(M) general secretarySitaram Yechury said theAAP had given a befi��ttingreply to the BJP’s politics ofhate and violence.
CPI general secretary D.Raja called it a defeat forPrime Minister NarendraModi and Home MinisterAmit Shah who, he said,concentrated all their energies on the Delhi polls. Thiswas a defeat for the BJP narrative on the Citizenship(Amendment) Act and theNational Register for Citizens that was used for communal polarisation, he said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackery saidthe poll results showed thatpeople didn’t want to listento ‘mann ki baat’ (Mr. Modi’smonthly radio show) anymore but preferred ‘jan kibaat’ instead.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar alsoaccused the BJP of polarisation. The people of Delhihad rejected the saff��ron party’s divisive policies, hesaid. “The results of the Delhi polls indicate that windsof change are blowing in thecountry,” Mr. Pawar commented, adding that theBJP’s “arrogance” hadproved to be its undoing.
Oppn. views results as a referendum on BJP’s‘politics of polarisation’
Kejriwal gets praise from all quarters
Special Correspondent
New Delhi
Bihar Chief Minister NitishKumar’s Janata Dal (United)lost the two seats of Burariand Sangam Vihar that theparty had contested in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Delhi Assembly election, but theoverall result is likely to provide a reason for Mr. Kumarto smile.
The BJPled NDA’s crushing defeat in Delhi wouldnow embolden the JD(U) todrive a harder bargain forseats with its alliance partner, the BJP, in the upcomingAssembly polls in Bihar, political analysts say.
“With the recent poll debacles for BJP, fi��rst in Jharkhand and now in Delhi, Nitish Kumar would be in astronger position to bargainfor more seats in the upcoming State Assembly elec
tions,” said political analystAjay Kumar.
When the resultsemerged on Tuesday, Mr.Kumar reacted with justthree words: “Janata malikhai (the public is supreme)”.
Nawal Kishore Chaudhury, another political observer, said, “In the presentscenario, after the Jharkhand and Delhi poll results,Nitish Kumar could pitch formore seats than the BJP, andthe BJP will have no optionbut to concede to his demands.” .
Delhi poll result maywork in JD(U)’s favourNitish could seek more seats in Bihar
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Patna
Nitish Kumar
West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on Tuesday called Delhi Chief Minister and national convener ofthe Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)Arvind Kejriwal and congratulated him for his party’soutstanding show in the Delhi Assembly elections.
Targets BJPShe also took the opportunity to target the BJP, sayingthose “playing on faiththrough hate speech and divisive politics should take acue” from the poll results.
Speaking to journalists inKolkata before leaving forBankura, the Chief Ministersaid she maintained good relations with Mr. Kejriwal.
“Despite much religiousfanaticism and narrow
hatred politics, it is a victoryof the people. The Centrewith all its agencies andbrute force could not dowhat it wanted to do. TheBJP is losing in all placeswhere elections are beingconducted as people are rejecting its narrow, divisivepolitics. People want jobs,
people want roti, kapda,makaan [food, clothing andshelter], people want development,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee describedthe Delhi poll results as a“victory of democracy” andsaid that politics should befor peace, development andwelfare of the country.
‘Drop CAA, NRC’Later in the day, addressinga public rally at Bankura, Ms.Banerjee said the BJP is nowgradually becoming “a stateless entity” and added thatin 2021, Bengal will drive thelast nail into its coffi��n.
She urged the BJP to withdraw the Citizenship(Amendment) Act. “The BJPshould now roll back theCAA and drop plans for carrying out a nationwideNRC,” she said.
Mamata hails Kejriwal’s big win in Delhi electionsBengal CM says people have rejected narrow, divisive politics
Shiv Sahay Singh
KOLKATA
West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee at a rally inBankura district on Tuesday.
* PTI
CMYK
M ND-NDE
WORLDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 202014EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SUDOKU
Solution to puzzle 12855 Solution to yesterday’s Sudoku
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Kartikai pengal, the maidens who brought up Lord Muruga,wanted to acquire the ashtamasiddhis (eight extraordinarypowers). Lord Siva told them that these were diffi��cult to attain. Ordinary mortals cannot attain the ashtamasiddhis,said R. Narayanan, in a discourse. Saints who have thesesiddhis, usually do not display them. The eight siddhis areanima, mahima, garima, laghima, praapti, praakaamya, Isitva and vasitva. Anima is the ability to make oneself smallerthan an atom. Mahima is the ability to make oneself larger atwill. Garima is the ability to increase one’s weight. Laghima,likewise, is the ability to decrease one’s weight at once.
Praapti is the ability to go wherever one pleases, whenever one wishes to. Praakaamya is the ability to obtain anything at will. This includes the ability to exit one’s body and inhabit another. Isitva is the power to create, protect anddestroy. Vasitva is the ability to control everything. From areading of these properties of the eight siddhis, it seems as ifnone by God Himself can have these siddhis. But there havebeen saints who have had this power. Thirumoolar, for example, was easily able to leave his body and enter another’s.
Arunagirinatha says that if one reads Thiruppugazh,which he wrote in praise of Lord Muruga, then the ashtamasiddhis will come within one’s reach. He says that if we readthe Thiruppugazh, we need not fear death. We will not experience sorrow. We need not fear our enemies. Arunagirinatha prays that when Yama, the god of death comes withhis rope, to separate the soul from the body, Lord Murugashould appear, with the comforting words “Do not beafraid.” He says that he conquered the three malams and obtained jnana, and then through Muruga’s grace, he sang theThiruppugazh.
FAITH
Greatness of Thiruppugazh 3 American magazine’s back
issue (4)
4 Ultimately positive and so
allinclusive (5)
6 She has lessons to learn and
tests to pass (10)
7 Listener, as a consequence, is
worldly (7)
8 This is just not on! (3)
11 Greek character abducting
model is seen as a disgrace
(6)
14 Peasant in helicopter hovering
around Israeli city (10)
16 Male animal gets meat
regularly in container (6)
18 In an undertone, drunk to say
one is not in (5,4)
20 Clothes apppear crumpled on
many (7)
22 I retain strange disinclination
to act (7)
24 Lambaste a saint propagating
rubbish all around (5)
26 Objection’s up for awkward
boat (3)
27 At fi��rst, suffering motorists
observe grimy industrial haze
(4)
13 Suffering Syd in France very
hardy in extremity with
disease (9)
15 Bagels Dad stuffed into
carryall (9)
17 Wise person leaves one kind
(5)
19 Saint’s assistant is sober (5)
21 Cleaning woman takes one
runaway fl��irt suspiciously in
ski lift (9)
23 Practice that makes pupils see
more clearly (9)
25 Note: Memsahib left sahib out
(4)
28 Still green, aunt griped no end
repeatedly (6)
29 Friend bumped into all but top
of plant (8)
30 Gangleader’s real, withering
angry look (5)
31 Stand still — by the way, an
insect is in extremely
agreeable surrounding (8)
■ DOWN
1 Confi��nes treacherous allies and
head of squad holding
commanding officer back (9)
2 Former poet to give a full
account (7)
(set by Gridman)
■ ACROSS
1 Chaps from Belgium mislead
top army officer about setter
(8)
5 Capital — the way it’s fi��xed (5)
9 Fancies limits over Asian staple
(8)
10 Fakir disturbed about hot
cropping season (6)
12 Scoff at no female barbarian
(4)
THE HINDU CROSSWORD 12856Log on to crossword.thehindu.com for more puzzles
Sudan agrees to handover Bashir to ICC KHARTOUM
Sudan has agreed to hand
over ousted autocrat Omar
alBashir and others to the
International Criminal Court
(ICC) for alleged war crimes
in Darfur, a top official of the
new ruling body has said.
Bashir’s lawyer said the
exPresident refused to have
any dealings with the ICC
because it was a “political
court”. AFP
ELSEWHERE
Iran celebrates 1979Islamic RevolutionTEHRAN
Hundreds of thousands across
Iran marked the anniversary
of its 1979 Islamic Revolution
on Tuesday amid growing
tensions between Tehran and
the U.S. “It is unbearable for
the U.S. to accept the victory
of a great nation and that a
superpower has been driven
out of this land,” President
Hassan Rouhani told the
gathering. AP
Iraqi commander killed inU.S. strike rememberedBAGHDAD
Iraqi officials on Tuesday
commemorated Abu Mahdi
alMuhandis, the senior
commander killed in last
month's U.S. drone strike that
targeted powerful Iranian
general Qasem Soleimani.
Muhandis was the deputy
head of the Hashed alShaabi,
a loose network of
paramilitary groups. AFP
15 Rohingya refugees die after boat capsizes DHAKA
At least 15 Rohingya refugees
died and many more were
missing after a vessel packed
with people trying to reach
Malaysia capsized in the Bay
of Bengal, a Bangladesh coast
guard official said on Tuesday.
About 70 people have been
rescued alive, said Hamidul
Islam, the official. REUTERS
The coronavirus outbreak inChina may be over by April,the country’s senior medicaladviser said on Tuesday, butdeaths surpassed 1,000 andthe World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a global threat potentially worsethan terrorism.
The world must “wake upand consider this enemy virus as public enemy numberone,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus toldreporters.
As the epidemic squeezedthe world’s secondbiggesteconomy, Chinese fi��rmsstruggled to get back to workafter the extended LunarNew Year holiday, hundredsof them saying they wouldneed loans running into billions of dollars to stay afl��oat.
Company layoff��s were beginning despite assurancesby President Xi Jinping thatwidespread sackings wouldbe avoided, as supply chainsfor global fi��rms from car manufacturers to smartphonemakers ruptured.
China’s foremost medicaladviser on the outbreak,Zhong Nanshan, told Reuters that the number of newcases was falling in someprovinces and forecast theepidemic would peak thismonth.
“I hope this outbreak orthis event may be over in something like April,” addedMr. Zhong, 83, an epidemiologist who won fame for hisrole in combating an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003.
World stocks resumed rising towards record highs onMr. Zhong’s comments.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday 1,017 people had died in
China, where there were42,708 cases. Only 319 caseshave been confi��rmed in 24other countries and territories outside mainland China,with two deaths: one inHong Kong and the other inthe Philippines.
Mr. Tedros was less sanguine, saying the coronavirus should be regarded asakin to a terrorist attack.
Renamed COVID-19
“With 99% of cases in China,this remains very much anemergency for that country,but one that holds a verygrave threat for the rest ofthe world,” he said.
The fi��rst vaccine was 18months away, said the WHOboss, urging global unity toprevent “far more cases andfar higher costs” from thedisease — now offi��ciallynamed COVID19 by theWHO.
Mr. Tedros said that “co”stands for “corona”, “vi” for“virus” and “d” for “disease”, while “19” was for theyear, as the outbreak wasfi��rst identifi��ed on December31, 2019.
Coronavirus poses ‘very grave’threat to the world, says WHO‘Number of cases in China falling, epidemic may be over by April’; over 1,000 dead
Reuters
GUANGZHOU/Geneva
Fighting back: A researcher working on a vaccine for COVID19,at the Imperial College School of Medicine, London. * AFP
China denied involvement inany hacking activities onTuesday after the U.S. indicted four members of the Chinese military for allegedlybreaking into the computernetworks of the Equifax credit reporting agency andstealing the personal information of tens of millions ofpeople.
The Justice Departmentaccused Beijing on Mondayof engineering one of thebiggest hacks in history targeting consumer data ofsome 145 million Americans.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China was committed to “fi��rmlyoppose and combat cyberattacks of any kind,” addingthat it is a staunch defenderof cybersecurity and its institutions “never engage in cybertheft of trade secrets.”
Mr. Geng also turned theaccusation back on the U.S.,
saying past events hadshown Washington is “engaging in largescale, organized and indiscriminate cyberstealing, spying andsurveillance activities on foreign governments, enterprises and individuals.”
“China is also a victim ofthis,” Mr. Geng said.
The accusation is the latest against Chinese suspected of breaching the computer networks of Americancorporations, including steelmanufacturers, a hotel chain
and a health insurer. Itcomes as the Trump administration has warnedagainst what it sees as thegrowing political and economic infl��uence of China,and eff��orts by Beijing to collect data for fi��nancial and intelligence purposes and tosteal research and innovation.
Experts and offi��cials saythe theft represents Beijing’sinterest in accumulating asmuch information aboutAmericans as possible.
U.S. ‘indicted’ four military hackers for personal data theft
Associated Press
BEIJING
Data breach: U.S. accused China of stealing consumer data ofsome 145 million Americans. * REUTERS
China denies role in cybertheftfollowing Equifax accusations
Dozens of cars in an IsraeliArab village were vandalisedovernight, police said onTuesday, with sloganssprayed on a mosque indicating the involvement ofJewish extremists.
The slogans “Jews awaken” and “Stop assimilating”were scrawled on a mosqueand another building in Jish,a small village in the Galileejust south of Israel’s borderwith Lebanon.
Police said they were investigating the incident.
The tyres of over 150 carswere punctured, Jish councilhead Elias Elias said, adding
that it was not the fi��rst timethe mixed Muslim and Christian village had beentargeted.
Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu “fi��rmly con
demned” the Jish vandalismand slogans, vowing to “fi��ndthe outlaws and bring themto justice. “We won’t tolerateany attacks on our citizens,”he said in a statement.
Car tyres were punctured, slogans scrawled on mosque
Agence France-Presse
Jish
Hate crime: A building on which slogans were sprayedovernight in the northern Israeli Arab village of Jish. * AFP
Arab village in Israel vandalisedby suspected Jewish extremists
An antiterrorism court inPakistan on Tuesday accepted a plea by Mumbai attackmastermind and JamatudDawa chief ( JuD) Hafi��z Saeedto club all six terror fi��nancing cases against him and hisaides, and announce the verdict on completion of thetrial.
The antiterrorism courtor ATC had indicted Saeedand others on December 11in terror fi��nancing case indaytoday hearings.
“The antiterrorism courtof Lahore accepted the pleaof Saeed and his close aidesseeking delay in the verdict
in two concluded terror fi��nancing cases against themtill the trial in other foursuch pending cases is complete,” a court offi��cial said.
According to the petition,four other terror fi��nancing
cases against Saeed, ZafarIqbal, Yahya Aziz, AbdulRehman Makki are pendingbefore the same ATC. “Asevidence has been in progress, the court may announce the verdict in six cases, including the onesalready concluded once thetrial is completed,” it said.
The deputy prosecutorgeneral opposed Saeed’splea and argued that thetrial in two cases against himand others has already beencompleted and under thelaw the court may announcethe verdict. He requestedthe court to reject Saeed’splea and announce theverdict.
Pak. court accepts Saeed’s pleato club 6 terror fi��nancing cases Verdict delayed even as trial concluded in two cases
Press Trust of India
Lahore
Hafi��z Saeed
Britain will end the automatic early release of convicted terrorists under newfasttracked legislation to beintroduced to Parliament onTuesday.
The new Bill follows anattack earlier this month byan Islamist militant just daysafter he was set free halfway through his jail term,despite authorities believinghe still posed a threat to thepublic.
The government had already promised tougherrules on terrorism afteranother former convictkilled two people andwounded three before beingshot dead by police near
London Bridge inNovember.
The emergency measures, which the government wants to become lawby the end of the month,will mean convicted terrorists cannot be released before the end of their sentence without anassessment of whether theyare still a risk. They willhave to serve at least twothirds of their sentence before being assessed.
The government saidaround 50 people currentlyin jail would see their release blocked as a result ofthe change to the law
The government plans toboost deradicalisation measures in prison.
U.K. unveils laws to stopearly release of terroristsBill comes after recent London attacks
Reuters
London
Prosecutors on Mondaysought U.S. President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone to serve asentence between seven andnine years in prison.
Stone is due to face sentencing by U.S. DistrictCourt Judge Amy BermanJackson on February 20, after a jury in Novemberfound the selfproclaimeddirty trickster guilty on se
ven counts of lying to Congress, obstruction and witness tampering.
The government said thatunder U.S. sentencing guidelines, he faces a range of seven years and three monthsto up to nine years, and toldJackson he “should be punished in accord” with those.
Mr. Stone is one of severalpeople close to Mr. Trumpwho faced charges stemming from thenSpecialCounsel Robert Mueller's in
vestigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
During the trial, prosecutors pressed their case thatStone lied to lawmakersabout his outreach to WikiLeaks — the website that disclosed many hacked Democratic emails ahead of the2016 election that provedembarrassing to Democraticrival Hillary Clinton — to protect Mr. Trump from lookingbad.
Govt. seeks 7 to 9 years in jailfor Trump ally Roger Stone He faced charges in Mueller’s probe into 2016 presidential poll
Reuters
WASHINGTON
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
A team of U.K. scientistsbelieve they are among thefi��rst to start animal testingof a vaccine for the newcoronavirus.
Researchers at ImperialCollege London said theirgoal was to fi��nd a way tohalt the spread of virus.“At the moment we havejust put the vaccine thatwe’ve generated fromthese bacteria into mice”.
U.K. team tests
vaccine on mice Agence France-Presse
London
An Indian national has beendiagnosed with the novelcoronavirus in the UAE,bringing the total numberof confi��rmed infectioncases to eight, the country’sHealth Ministry has said.
The UAE Ministry ofHealth and Prevention
(MoHAP) said on Mondaythat the Indian national wasinfected after he interactedwith a recently diagnosedperson.
On Sunday, the Ministrysaid that two new patients,a Chinese national and aFilipino, had beendiagnosed with the diseaseand were being treated.
Press Trust of India
Dubai
Indian national infected
with coronavirus in UAE
A 33yearold Chinesewoman infected withcoronavirus has given birthto a healthy baby girl withno infection in northwestChina’s Shaanxi Province,state media reported onTuesday.
The Chinese woman wasin the 37th week ofpregnancy when she gavebirth via caesarean to ababy weighing 2,730 g.
The infant, whose fi��rstnucleic acid test associatedwith the novel coronaviruswas negative, is receivingintensive care.
Infected mother in Chinagives birth to healthy baby Press Trust of India
Beijing
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
As fi��rst impressions go,this one is aboutmaking those im
pressions with a degree ofanonymity. It is called “thewritten resume”.
From a piece of paper,usually an A3size sheet ora couple of them, the resume has come a long way.Now, there is often the option of presenting it in adigital format. However,technology has not detracted from the challenge ofwriting one. If anything, ithas become more challenging than ever, as resumesnavigating the digital waters have to be a lot crisperand more to the point, given the shrinking attentionspans.
Though it can’t be verbose, it has to give theprospective employer asense of what the candidate has achieved throughhis career — the longer thecareer, the more challenging the write. However,most experienced and toplevel professionals chooseto grapple with the taskthemselves, one reason being that they are likely tobe known in their industrycircles and also likely to receive recommendationsfrom peers.
The professional touch Fresh, earlycareer andmidlevel professionalsusually need that powerfulintroduction, and they aresaid to be likely to seek theservices of professionalresumewriters.
Freshersworld.com, aTeam Lease company thatoff��ers resume writing services, gets close to 50,000registrations on its portalevery day, and a majorityof them are from freshers.
“In a day, nearly 1,000people seek this service onour portal. In this group,60% opt for the paid service,” says Kaushik Banerjee, vicepresident and business head, Teamleaseand Freshersworld.
Many engineering colleges, he says, engage us forbulk writing of resumes.Usually, in this case, projects undertaken by students have to be presentedin an impressive manner.
Social media boost
vice, was bidding for a tender.
“The CVs of nearly 100employees with the company had to be improved,and the work had to be carried out in a short span oftime; these employeeswere going to be part of theproject and the companywanted the skillsets theybrought to the table to beshowcased prominently,”says Amrita.
The career journeyOn LinkedIn, she says,there would be companiesthat would want resumewriters to write the careerjourney of their executives.
“Sometime we visitthem to understand theirwork culture or the information is provided to usthrough email,” she says.
Staffi��ng companies, recruitment agencies andthose off��ering returningmothers a platform tomake a career comeback,
engage resume writerseither to have workshopsdone for their clients, or topromote their profi��les.
“A resume writer’s primary role is to highlight thecandidate’s brand value —this is usually done by listing out the results theyhave achieved and thechallenges they have overcome,” says Amrita.
Another challenge facedby resume writers is havingto tweak resumes of highlyexperienced professionalsto bring certain skills theypossess into sharper focus.
“Reverse chronologicalresume is the most soughtafter format. Here, a jobseeker’s work history andaccomplishments are presented in reverse chronological order, with the mostrecent work experienceand achievement listedfi��rst. The candidate’s responsibilities and accomplishments are listed employerwise. In contrast,
says, is being increasinglyused to optimise the chances of a resume showing upin most job searches.
“We use AI and createsecondary skillsets for acandidate and map it to thejob. So, even if the candidate has missed highlighting certain skills, technology comes to the aid,” saysSahaye, adding that thecompany also uses machine learning to help employers fi��nd the right candidates more quickly andhire faster.
the functional format isabout grouping achievements based on skills,” saysNeena.
ATS optimisationIn this day and age whenresumes “pop up” onscreens more often thanland on the table in a physical form, a resume can’thave a winning edge unlessit is ATSoptimised.
An applicant trackingsystem (ATS) helps to fi��lterresumes based on certainskillsets that an employeris looking for.
Vikramjit Singh Sahaye,founder and CEO, HiringPlug, says it’s tough to beatan ATS and his advice is tokeep the resume simpleand to the point.
“Most applicant trackingsystems only read data andkeywords, and so don’t beovercreative or strive topresent your skills in a different light,” says Sahaye.
Artifi��cial intelligence, he
Liffy Thomas
ILLUSTRATION: SEBASTIAN FRANCIS
The power of an irresistible introduction
● Make sure yourresume is ATSfriendlyas it is the fi��rst “critic” acandidate will face afterhe has submitted hisresume. The choice ofkeywords and the way inwhich the skills arepresented are among themajor factors ensuringATSfriendliness. ● When one has had along career andtherefore the list ofachievements is boundto be lengthy, thecandidate has toconsciously focus onwriting an extremelycrisp resume. For,without this rudder, thecandidate is likely todwell at length on amajority ofachievements, andthereby run the risk ofsounding longwinded.The best of theachievements should behighlighted, the secondand thirdbest touchedupon, and the restignored.● Resumes set in thereversechronologicalformat usually workbest, as they come witha sense of immediacy,presenting the latestachievements fi��rst. Thisformat achievesimmense value intoday’s corporate word,as technological shiftshappen more quicklythan ever before.Against this backdrop,listing the latestachievement involving amore currenttechnological skill fi��rstassumes signifi��cance. ● Data speaks a lot; andso if you are handling aproject, mention its sizeand value.
Points toponder
Resumewriting is becoming a morespecialised skill, thanks to the demandsof the digital world
Unlike in the past, theresume today is multilayered. Social media profi��les of candidates have tobe factored in, while writing resumes for them.
“As hiring managerswant the LinkedIn profi��leas part of the application,we off��er services like writing the summary for thepage and also providing acovering letter,” says NeenaMody, resume consultantat StepitUp Resumes.
Sharper focusWhile presenting their credentials to prospectiveclients, some companiesusually have professionallywritten resumes of theirkey employees, as part ofthe “pitchpackage”.
Here is a classic example.
Amrita Kolay, a certifi��edresume writer, had a recent assignment where thecompany that had optedfor the resumewriting ser
CMYK
wednesday • february 12, 2020
Avtar Group is inviting nominations forthe fi��fth edition of
‘Best Companies for Women in India’ (BCWI).
As in the previousyears, it is associatedwith Working Mother, aUnited Statesbased global gender parity champion, to list and showcase 100 best companieswith a special spotlighton the Top 10 Best Companies.
According to a pressrelease, every edition ofthe study has had over300 companies participating in this “comprehensive gender analyticsexercise with millions ofdata points and hundreds of benchmarkingreports.”
Last year, Most Inclusive Companies Index(MICI) was introducedfor companies that participated in BCWI to off��erinsights on organisa
tions’ inclusiveness encompassing otherstrands of diversity —PWD, LGBTQA andGeneration.
The application formhas close to 300 questions, and requires applicantcompanies to provide data of highordergranularity on theirpractices, programmesand policies to ensuregender inclusion at theirworkplaces.
A company that hasits operations in Indiawith a minimum of 500employees in its Indianoperations (men, womenand third gender included) can register to participate in the study.
The last date for submitting applications isMay 31, added the release.
For details, visithttp://
www.avtarinc.com/bcwi.html
An annual exercise that is sustained byAvtar Group and Working Mother, it is inits fi��fth edition now
Calling for nominations to ‘BestCompanies for Women in India’
Conference onvolunteering Volcon, a national conference on volunteering organised by iVolunteer inassociation with Bhumi,is based on the theme‘Volunteer engagement asa social change multiplier’.
The event is aimed atcompanies, nonprofi��ts,intermediaries and otherswho engage with at least1,000 volunteers everyyear or have the ability tosignifi��cantly increase thenumber of volunteers inthe country.
The twoday conference is being held fromFebruary 14 in Chennaiand more than 100 organisations are expected toparticipate in it, says a release.
Ways of integrating volunteering into the organisational culture; buildingleadership through socialchange; and tracking employee volunteer engagement will be among thediscussion points for corporates, said a release.
For details, visitwww.volcon.in.
Celebrating womenprofessionals Safejob, a training, skilling and consulting fi��rm,has launched a campaign,‘Dhasu Woman’, to celebrate Women’s Day.Launched in associationwith the Women Entrepreneurship Platform, aNITI Aayog initiative, it invites women from all agegroups to participate in it.
According to a release,Dhasu Woman is an initiative aimed at celebratingwomen professionals whohave not only made amark but also contributedsignifi��cantly to the progess of their respectivespecialisations. Around30 best stories will be selected and woven into amusic video that will bereleased on Women’s Day.
Participants have toclick a selfi��e, registertheir names on www.dhaansuwoman.com andshare their picture on Safeducate website/Facebook page/Instagrampage with the hashtag#DhasuWoman.
The last date for submitting entries is February 20.
NEWS BYTES
While gender paygap is consideredan issue plaguing
most industries, there areindications that in the gigeconomy, this gap is muchsmaller. As per a report,the participation of womenin the freelance workforcehas been gaining momentum. Equally signifi��cant isthe fi��nding that the averagewage for women in thefreelance workforce ishigher than the overall average.
These are among the keyfi��ndings of a Global Freelancer Income Reportbrought out by Payoneer.
On an average, womenfreelancers earn 84% ofmen’s earnings across allfi��elds, and while there isroom for improvement, thegap is much smaller thanthe 64% average for allworkers reported by theWorld Economic Forum,says the report.
However, there are industryspecifi��c nuances involved, and there are fi��eldswhere the gender gap remains pronounced, including fi��nance and project
management fi��elds. Women earn more than menin marketing and web andgraphic design, says thereport.
Over 7,000 freelancersfrom 150 countries werepart of the survey, whichprovides new insights intothe world of freelancers,their motivations and howthe workforce empowerscollaboration by connecting top talent withbusinesses.
The popularity of freelancing is attributed to thepotential for greater jobopportunity, independence, higher incomes anda promising move in the direction of wage equality.
A growing market In India, Governmentschemes like Startup India,Skill India and Digital Indiaencourage young individuals to start their own businesses and work as freelancers.
As per the report, one inevery fi��ve Indian freelancers is a woman. While 83%of the freelancers workfrom home, 17% work from
coff��ee shops, coworkingspaces, libraries and private offi��ces.
Most of the women in India engage themselves inonline marketplaces with amajor chunk of the clientsbased in the United Stateswith the average workinghours ranging between 2and 2.5 hours. Web andgraphic design (25% respondents), IT (20%) andprogramming (15%) are thetop three categories of domains for Indianfreelancers.
Young workforceThe freelance workforce isyoung, with nearly 70% ofthe freelancers surveyedbeing under the age of 35;and 21% under 25. Thisyouth movement is evenmore pronounced in Asiawhere 82% of the respondents are under 35, compared to North Americawhere the number is stillhigh but closer to 47%.
Workers at the beginning and end of their careers are most likely to beexclusively freelancing.While experienced work
ers command high pay, thatgap could close in the futureas freelance opportunitiesprovide those with lessyears of experience the ability to sharpen and honetheir skills.
Additionally, educationdoes not necessarily correlate with high earnings forfreelancers, as those with abachelor’s degree do not demand higher salaries thanthose without, indicatingthat the future of work values reviews, references anda rich portfolio as much astraditional educationalachievements.
Average hourly rate The worldwide averagehourly rate charged by freelancers is $21, higher thanthe $19 average rate reported in Payoneer’s 2018 survey and signifi��cantly higherthan the average salaries inmany of the countries surveyed, says the report.
While freelancers areearning more, businessesare also benefi��ting by beingable to source toptalentwithout concern for location or overhead costs.
A ‘Global Freelancer Income Report’ seems to suggest that it can
Can the gig economy address the issue of gender pay gap?
CMYK
BUSINESSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 202016EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
NIFTY 50
PRICE CHANGE
Adani Ports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374.20. . . . . . . . . 5.95
Asian Paints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1878.10. . . . . . . . . 8.60
Axis Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 749.95. . . . . . . . . 8.85
Bajaj Auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3145.45. . . . . . . 42.15
Bajaj Finserv. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9731.60. . . . . 104.60
Bajaj Finance . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 4749.35. . . . . . . 27.60
Bharti Airtel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534.30. . . . . . . . -4.40
BPCL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481.00. . . . . . . . -4.45
Britannia Ind . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 3134.70. . . . . . -20.90
Cipla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450.60. . . . . . . . . 5.85
Coal India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179.35. . . . . . . . . 0.50
Dr Reddys Lab . . . . . . . .. . . . 3191.20. . . . . . . 42.10
Eicher Motors. . . . . . . . .. 19009.25. . . . . . -48.00
GAIL (India). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129.15. . . . . . . . . 7.35
Grasim Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 759.30. . . . . . . . . 1.75
HCL Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 610.65. . . . . . . . . 5.75
HDFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2435.15. . . . . . . 20.85
HDFC Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1240.60. . . . . . . . . 0.30
Hero MotoCorp . . . . . .. . . . 2396.45. . . . . . . 10.75
Hindalco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193.65. . . . . . . . . 2.80
Hind Unilever . . . . . . . . .. . . . 2152.65. . . . . . . . -6.65
ICICI Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 539.75. . . . . . . . . 5.80
IndusInd Bank . . . . . . . .. . . . 1292.65. . . . . . . 17.70
Bharti Infratel . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 248.80. . . . . . . . . 9.00
Infosys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 773.55. . . . . . . . . 0.35
Indian OilCorp . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 116.05. . . . . . . . . 0.25
ITC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212.60. . . . . . . . . 2.05
JSW Steel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288.75. . . . . . . 10.85
Kotak Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1677.45. . . . . . . . . 8.15
L&T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1286.90. . . . . . . . . 1.60
M&M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524.05. . . . . . . . -4.35
Maruti Suzuki . . . . . . . . .. . . . 7033.75. . . . . 140.85
Nestle India Ltd. . . . .. 15997.15. . . -175.05
NTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116.85. . . . . . . . . 3.35
ONGC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106.80. . . . . . . . . 0.60
PowerGrid Corp . . . . .. . . . . . 189.50. . . . . . . . . 2.90
Reliance Ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1452.75. . . . . . . 17.15
State Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324.35. . . . . . . . . 5.85
Sun Pharma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418.55. . . . . . . . -1.75
Tata Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169.75. . . . . . . . . 0.85
Tata Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444.10. . . . . . . . . 0.30
TCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2153.40. . . . . . . . -8.55
Tech Mahindra . . . . . . .. . . . . . 819.95. . . . . . . . . 6.30
Titan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1270.70. . . . . . . 13.50
UltraTech Cement. .. . . . 4466.45. . . . . . . 52.70
UPL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 576.65. . . . . . . . . 2.55
Vedanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140.75. . . . . . . . . 0.45
Wipro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241.25. . . . . . . . . 0.35
YES Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.85. . . . . . . . -0.70
Zee Entertainment . . . . . . 231.30. . . . . . . . . 0.85
EXCHANGE RATESIndicative direct rates in rupees a unitexcept yen at 4 p.m. on February 11
CURRENCY TT BUY TT SELL
US Dollar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 71.08. . . . . . . 71.40
Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 77.57. . . . . . . 77.92
British Pound. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 91.88. . . . . . . 92.29
Japanese Yen (100) . .. . 64.70. . . . . . . 65.00
Chinese Yuan . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 10.19. . . . . . . 10.24
Swiss Franc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 72.69. . . . . . . 73.02
Singapore Dollar . . . . . . .. . 51.23. . . . . . . 51.47
Canadian Dollar. . . . . . . . .. . 53.48. . . . . . . 53.73
Malaysian Ringitt . . . . . .. . 17.19. . . . . . . 17.28
Source:Indian Bank
BULLION RATES CHENNAI
February 11 rates in rupees with pre-vious rates in parentheses
Retail Silver (1g) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50. . . . . . . (50.1)
22 ct gold (1 g) . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 3872. . . . . . (3891)
market watch
11-02-2020 % CHANGE
Sensex dddddddddddddddddddddd 41,216 ddddddddddddddd0.58
US Dollardddddddddddddddddddd 71.28 ddddddddddddddd0.03
Gold ddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 41,269 ddddddddddddd-0.27
Brent oil ddddddddddddddddddddd 54.30 ddddddddddddddd0.84
IN BRIEF
Infosys to buy Simplusfor $250 millionBENGALURU
Infosys has entered into adefi��nitive agreement toacquire Simplus, a SalesforcePlatinum Partner that off��ersservices such as cloudconsulting, implementation,data integration, changemanagement. The $250million acquisition isexpected to close during thefourth quarter of fi��scal 2020,subject to closing conditions.Simplus brings to InfosysSalesforce expertise, industryknowledge, solution assets,deep ecosystem relationshipsand a broad clientele.
TVS Srichakra profi��tskids on slowdownCHENNAI
TVS Srichakra Ltd. reported a43.22% drop in standalonenet profi��t for the thirdquarter ended December2019 to ₹��13.40 crore due tolower volumes on account ofeconomic slowdown. Duringthe period, revenue fromoperations declined 13.77%to ₹��500.75 crore comparedwith the correspondingyearearlier period. Thecompany was able to bringdown the cost of materialsconsumed by 30% to₹��283.46 crore and fi��nancialcosts by 17% to ₹��8 crore.
Korean automaker SsangYong Motor Company, asubsidiary of Mahindra &Mahindra, which is currentlyfacing steep headwinds andlosses in its domestic marketand worsened by the coronavirus syndrome now, hasdrawn up a threeyear turnaround plan to get back toprofi��tability by 2022.
The plan includes ways toreduce capex, consideringsynergies between SsangYong Motor Company andFord Motors and developingnew markets in Russia andVietnam to increase exportvolumes, Pawan Goenka,MD of Mahindra & Mahindraand chairman of SsangYongMotor Company said.
He said the company ex
pected a funding of 450 to500 billion Korean Won (upto ₹��3,000 crore), through acombination of equity andborrowing for a full recovery.
“We do hope that thisfunding would be arrangedby March end. The threeyear recovery plan has been
approved by the companyboard,” Dr. Goenka said.SsangYong is in talks with theKorea Development Bank(KDB) to raise the funds. However, a clear picture on theapproval of the funding is yetto emerge.
Mr. Goenka said consider
ing the current market situation it would be untenablefor a full recovery for SsangYong during calendar year2020, but a full recoverycould be expected in 2022.
“Material cost reductionwould fetch the company 8090 billion Won in two yearswhich should help achievean improvement of 23% inSsangYong’s operating margins,” Mr. Goenka said. Going forward, SsangYong is also expected to work closelyas part of the alliance withFord to develop two SUVs —codenamed CSUV and theBSUV — on all new platforms. The MahindraFordpartnership has just receivedthe Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) clearance for the joint venture.
On the domestic market,
Mr. Goenka said the spreadof coronavirus may havesome impact since someparts are imported from China. If the production normalises in the next few days,things would start returningto normalcy, he said. “Else, itmay be a challenge to deliverBSVI vehicles on time.”
He said while the situationcurrently was one of ‘waitand watch’, automakers mayhave to look at alternatesourcing markets if the supply situation worsened.
For faster and cost eff��ective rollout of electric vehicles in India, Mr. Goenka hasoff��ered all Indian OEMs,namely Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland, to ‘coown’ Mahindra Electric, which hasacquired considerable expertise in this fi��eld.
M&M Korean arm draws up ₹��3,000cr. turnaround planSsangYong Motor Company faces steep headwinds, hopes to regain profi��tability by 2022 with strategy
Revving up: Pawan Goenka, M&M MD, and V.S. Parthasarathy, CFO, at a press meet in Mumbai on Tuesday. * PAUL NORONHA
Lalatendu Mishra
MUMBAI
Syndicate Bank has posted afourfold increase in its netprofi��t to ₹��435 crore duringthe third quarter ended December 2019 due its focuson MSMEs and recoveriesand reduction in NPAs.
In Q3, total income increased 3.93% to ₹��6,316.57crore. Gross NPAs droppedto 11.33% at ₹��25,330.10 crorecompared with the yearearlier period’s 12.54%.
Net NPAs stood at₹��12,514.32 crore, down to5.94% from the 6.75% a yearago.
The quarter saw bank’soverall costtoincome ratiodeclining from 71.68% to52.06%. Total business increased 7% to ₹��5,00,971crore as on December2019It’s domestic business
increased to ₹��4,44,033 crorecompared with ₹��4,04,304crore.
Total deposits increasedto ₹��2,77,368 crore against₹��2,59,064 crore a year agowhile total advances rose to₹��2,23,603 crore against₹��2,08,847 crore.
Retail and agriculture advances grew 7% and 10% respectively, according to thelender.
Syndicate Bank’s Q3profi��t rises fourfoldLender focusses on NPA reduction
Special Correspondent
Bengaluru Allahabad Bank on Tuesday reported an over twofold jump in standalonenet loss for the Decemberquarter at ₹��1,986.26 croreon higher bad loans andprovisioning.
The Stateowned lenderhad reported a net loss of₹��732.81 crore in the corresponding OctoberDecember period of the previousfi��scal.
Total income (standalone) during the quarterunder review grew to₹��4,860.35 crore from₹��4,756.88 crore in the sameperiod of 201819.
The bank’s gross nonperforming assets (NPAs)rose to 18.93% of the grossadvances by the end of theDecember quarter asagainst 17.81% earlier.
AllahabadBank Q3 netloss widens
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
IDBI Bank posted a net lossof ₹��5,763 crore for the quarter ended December 31,2019on account of a one time hitof ₹��6,273 crore for exercisingthe option for lower tax,compared with a loss of₹��4,185 crore reported duringthe same period of the previous year.
This was the 13th straightquarterly loss for the lender.
However,the bank postedprofi��t before tax for the fi��rsttime in 13 quarters, whichwas ₹��756 crore.
Rakesh Sharma, MD andCEO, IDBI Bank, said the lender has made an acceleratedprovision of ₹��1,679 croreduring the quarter.
This helped the bank tolower ratio of nonperforming assets (NPAs) to 5.25%from the 14.01% in the yearago period and 5.97% a quar
ter ago. With this, the bank ishopeful of coming out of therestrictions under promptcorrective action of the Reserve Bank of India.
Net NPA of 6% is a triggerfor such restriction.
NPA ratio still highThe gross NPA of the bank is28.72% as at December endcompared with the 29.67% ayear ago. Mr. Sharma saidthe the ratio remained highas the bank’s loan book contracted as it was unable togrow its assets due to PCArestrictions.
“Recovery during thequarter, which was ₹��3,136crore, was higher than theslippages, which was ₹��2,113crore,” Mr. Sharma said.
Total recovery, includingfrom written off�� accountsand upgradation, was over₹��3,500 crore.
Loans to DHFL Slippagesduring the quarter includeloans to Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL)and Jain Irrigation. Goingahead, the bank expectsslippages to remain within₹��800 crore a quarter.
Mr. Sharma also informedthat the bank had receivedbinding bids for selling itsstake in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company.
The lender holds a 48%stake in the insurance entity.
The deal is expected to beconcluded latest by the second quarter of the next fi��nancial year.
Lender takes ₹��6,273 cr.hit for choosing lower tax option
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Mumbai
IDBI Bank again posts loss
The Centre has released₹��81,043 crore as GST compensation to States for AprilSeptember 2019, Minister ofState for Finance AnuragSingh Thakur said onTuesday.
In a written reply to aquestion in the Rajya Sabha,he said GST compensationcess collection had shownan upward trend since October 2019.
GST compensation cessof ₹��7,607 crore was collected in October, ₹��7,727 crorein November, ₹��8,331 crore inDecember and ₹��8,637 crorein January.
For 201920, the amounttargeted to be collectedfrom cess in GST was ₹��1.09lakh crore. Of this, ₹��70,534crore has been collectedbetween AprilDecember2019.
The amount of GST compensation released to Statesfor AprilSeptember 2019stood at ₹��81,043 crore, Mr.Thakur said.
For 201819 fi��scal, the netcollection of GST compensation cess stood at ₹��95,081crore as against the target of₹��90,000 crore. For full fi��scal, the government had released ₹��81,141 crore to statesas compensation.
For 201718, the net collection from cess stood at₹��62,612 crore, as against thetarget of ₹��61,331 crore. Thecompensation amount released to states was ₹��48,785crore.
Under GST law, Stateswere guaranteed to be paidfor any loss of revenue in thefi��rst fi��ve years of GST implementation, which came intoforce on July 1, 2017.
The shortfall is calculatedassuming a 14% annualgrowth in GST collections byStates over the base year of
201516.“For providing such com
pensation to States, compensation cess is being levied on certain luxury anddemerit goods as per provisions in Section 8 of the GST(Compensation to States)Act, 2017, and compensation cess is being creditedinto a nonlapsable Fundknown as Goods and Services Tax Compensation Fundwhich forms part of the Public Account of India,” Mr.Thakur said.
Fraudulent claims As many as 634 cases offraudulent GST refund claimby exporters amounting₹��1,912 crore had been detected by the central taxauthorities between July2017 and January 2020, Parliament was informed onTuesday.
In a written reply to aquestion in the Rajya Sabha,Mr. Thakur said of this,₹��238.97 crore had been recovered by the Central GSTauthorities from the entitieswhich claimed the fraudulent refunds.
A total of 35 persons hadbeen arrested by the CGSTauthorities, he added.
“The government has taken measures to use dataanalytics to identify riskytaxpayers and verify thembefore sanction of refunds,”Mr. Thakur added.
States given ₹��81,043 cr. as GST compensation for AprilSept.: Thakur Cess collection up since October
Press Trust of India
New Delhi
Anurag Singh Thakur
The economy is not in trouble, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the LokSabha in her response to thedebate on the Union Budgeton Tuesday, highlighting seven macroeconomic indicators as signs of revival.
These ‘green shoots’ included higher foreign investment, improvement in industrial output and GSTcollections, alltime high forex reserves and an upbeatstock market.
Defending her government’s handling of the economy, Ms. Sitharamanlashed out at former fi��nanceminister and Congress MP P.Chidambaram, saying shehad nothing to learn fromthe ‘competent doctors’ whogave ‘faulty remedies’, resulting in a mountain of nonperforming assets (NPAs)and doubledigit infl��ation.
In both Houses of Parliament, the Finance Ministercited data to show improvements in foreign direct investment (FDI) fl��ows and netforeign portfolio investment(FPI), growth registered bythe Index of Industrial Production (IIP) after severalmonths of contraction,healthy forex reserves, a risein gross GST collections anda 5% growth in market cap ofthe BSE Sensex.
In the Lok Sabha, she alsooutlined details of the government’s initiatives todrive the four engines ofgrowth, public and privateinvestment, public consumption, and exports.
In the Rajya Sabha, however, she embarked on astinging attack against Mr.Chidambaram and the UPAgovernment’s economicrecord.
“I heard former FinanceMinister’s speech with great
intent and keenness. Therewas more sarcasm than content,” she said, adding thather government would not“repeat the faulty remedies”prescribed by UPA government during the economiccrisis of 200809 .
She said the UPA govern
ment’s actions then had ledto the twin balance sheet crisis faced by banks, mountingnonperforming assets andfl��eeing defaulters. There wasa fl��ight of capital and foreigninvestment in 201213, shesaid.
Rebutting charges of fudg
ing accounts, she instead accused the UPA of shifting theburden of oil bonds onto thebooks of oil marketingcompanies.
Ms. Sitharaman, however,refused to answer a questionby Congress leader AnandSharma. “The hon’ble minister said that in 201920 fi��scaldefi��cit was 3.8% (of GDP) andrevenue defi��cit was 2.4%.Out of the borrowed money,the capital expenditure was1.4%. This time, she has reduced the fi��scal defi��cit to3.5%. The revenue defi��cit ispegged at 2.8%. That leavesonly 0.9% for the capital expenditure. Can you clarify,”Mr. Sharma asked.
Reacting to Ms. Sitharaman’s speech, Mr. Chidambaram said that her unwillingness, or inability, toanswer a straightforwardquestion spoke volumesabout the FM as well as thegovernment.
Economy not in trouble, asserts FM Points to ‘green shoots’ in IIP growth, GST collections and higher FDI; slams UPA’s ‘faulty remedies’
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in Lok Sabha in the response to the debate on the Budget on Tuesday. * PTI
Moody’s downgradesIndusInd Bank MUMBAI
Concerns over a furtherdeterioration in asset qualityhave led Moody’s InvestorsService to revise down itsoutlook on IndusInd Bank to‘negative’ from ‘stable. Theprivate sector bank’s ratinghas been affi��rmed at theearlier one of ‘Baa3/P3’, theagency said. Baa3 denoteslowest rating in investmentgrade on longterm corporateobligation which carriesmoderate risks, the agencysaid, adding the bank had ahigh exposure of 8% to thetroubled realty sector. PTI
Mei Kun is a place you want to gowhen you must please a wide rangeof palates.
Touted as a fi��ne dining experience, the food and service is however more familystyle: youwouldn’t feel uncomfortable choosing a spoon and fork over chopsticks, and the large bowls of riceand noodles that make up the
‘bulk’ of any Indian meal, taste of asophisticated version of the kind ofChinese food with which most of usgrew up.
Would I drive 25 km for it? Unlikely. Would I drop by if I’m in thevicinity? Possibly.
The vibe: What Mei Kun has going for it, is its large space and picture windows that look out ontotrees — they help you ignore the somewhat outdated greige interiors.
Despite being in The Leela Am
bience Convention Hotel, you canpicture a large joint family comeand while an afternoon away here.There’s no painfully loud musicand no pretentiousness.
Do try: The white fungi coconutsoup, which is really a meal by itselfand takes good care of changeofseason colds.
The bao, which looked and tasted like a cloud; the succulent kungpao chicken. The star though, was alotus stem ‘starter’, with a sweetsalty coating of oats. It’s the sort oftaste and texture you want to keepnibbling on. The date pancake,though a tad sweet, had a crispycasing and soft heart.
Skip: The dimsums, which hadtoothick ‘skins’ that overpoweredthe stuffi��ng; the Singapore Crabthat came in some red gravy, obscuring the sweet fl��esh of thecrustacean.
Go with: Extended family.Space bar: 42 coversHow much? ₹��3,000 for two,
sans alcoholReach: Mei Kun at The Leela
Ambience Convention Hotel, 1CBD, Maharaj Surajmal Road, nearYamuna Sports Complex; drive orcab it.
Sweet and salty
Mei Kun manages toexude a family vibedespite being in aconvention centre
Sunalini Mathew Sophisticated throwback Whitefungi coconut soup and the lotusstem starter (right) * SUNALINI MATHEW
CMYK
M ND-NDE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 17EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SHOWCASE
Asian architecture Documentary filmmaker and historian Sohail
Hashmi will deliver a lecture titled The Song of
Stones. The talk will look at the evolution of
medieval architecture in North India. There will
be a special emphasis on the synthesis of South
and Central Asian architectural styles, and the
emergence of a new vocabulary of architecture.
Venue: Amaltas Hall, India Habitat Centre
Time: 7 p.m.
LECTURE
Valentine specialMiss Nora, a pan-Asian restaurant, has launched
a week-long special menu for Valentine's Day.
This will feature an array of specially curated
dishes and drinks. On until 14th February, the
menu includes Love Bird Soup, Valentine Sushi,
Crispy Love Niblets, Stir-fried Plum Chicken,
Magic Love Balls, and more.
Venue: Rcube Monad Mall, Rajouri Garden
Time: 12 noon - 11:30 p.m.
F&B
Sculpture showPrayas is a group show of sculptures that
showcases the work of 17 students of the Triveni
Kala Sangam. The pieces are made in bronze and
fibre glass, and explore various themes.
Participating artists include Anita Malik,Bhawani
Dhar, Chitra Singh, Kiran Chopra, Manavi Prabha,
Ritu Kwatra, Sandeep Thakran, and Surbhi Jain.
Venue: Triveni Kala Sangam, Mandi House
Time: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
EXHIBITION
Desserts for Valentine’s DayWith Valentine’s Day around the corner,
AnnaMaya, the European foodhall at Andaz Delhi
is offering an exclusive dessert counter until 14th
February. The themed sweets on offer include
Adam's Folly, an apple creamy mousse; Love
Bites, a dessert filled with strawberry and jelly; A
Pot of Goodness, a pot of black forest, and more.
Venue: Asset No.1, Aerocity
Time: 24 hours
FOOD
World of birdsThis evening, children’s writers Arthy Muthanna
Singh and Mamta Nainy along with wildlife
biologist, Kaustubh Srikanth will be releasing
their latest book titled Birds in Your Backyard and
Beyond. The book gives children a glimpse into
the world of sparrows, birds, and other avian
adventurers.
Venue: WWF India Auditorium, Lodhi Gardens
Time: 6 p.m.
BOOK LAUNCH
5 EVENTS WORTH YOUR WHILE
The 68-year-old sports and casual-wear brand Fred Perry
launched in India earlier this month. Originally founded by
the British tennis player Fred Perry, the first player to
complete a Career Grand Slam (wherein a player wins all
four Grand Slam singles titles in the ATP circuit at least
once), the brand opened its first store in Delhi. The label’s
logo is the now-famous laurel wreath, based on the original
symbol of the Wimbledon, a tournament that Perry went
on to win thrice consecutively between 1934-1936.
Fred Perry enters the country at a time when sporting
brands have established their athleisure niches, and those
like Uniqlo have made a comfortable mark in the
casualwear space beyond the Zaras and H&Ms, and in a
slightly different price bracket, the brief resurgence of
Westside. They launch with their SS2020 collection, which
is made in collaboration with the Amy Winehouse
Foundation, a charity set up in memory of late singer-
songwriter Amy Winehouse that works against drug and
alcohol misuse in youth. “2020 marks 10 years of
collaboration with the Amy Winehouse Foundation. With
reference to Amy’s very first designs for Fred Perry, each
piece is rooted in the singer’s signature detailing which
includes pin-up silhouettes, a
long button placket, turn up
cuffs and embroidered love
hearts — a reference to her
distinctive tattoos,” says
Richard Gilmore, managing
director, Fred Perry.
Their original Fred Perry shirt however, hasn’t once
changed in the 70 years of its existence. Calling the shirt “a
true piece of subcultural uniform”, Gilmore talks about the
idea of the brand as symbolised by this shirt: it takes the
viewer “from sportswear to streetwear”.
“What inspired Fred also inspired a generation of tennis
players. And then inspired a generation of rebels,
musicians, film-makers and full-circle back to sports stars,”
he adds.
The Delhi store hopes to “become a part of the
nieghbourhood”, engaging with emerging artists from the
city. Gilmore stresses focus also on a marketing brief — this
opening up of the store will be “a catalyst for a new
generation of Fred Perry advocates,” he adds.
In the 1960s, Fred Perry was a brand that mod culture in
Britain embraced. Till 2009, tennis player Andy Murray
sported Fred Perry kits. The brand’s consistent presence
with various subcultures and sporting icons through British
history is clear.
In India, they will stock track jackets, T-shirts and T-shirt
dresses, caps, shoes, bags, belts, and more.
Fred Perry Delhi, DLF Promenade Mall, No. 3 Nelson MandelaRoad, Vasant Kunj
Vangmayi Parakala
Breaking in
Iconic tennis player Fred Perry’s eponymous 68-year-
old label just landed in India
PRODUCTS
Contact us at [email protected]
FOOD REVIEW
Telugu comedy actor Ali will don the role of A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam in a new biopic. This will be his 1, 111th film, marking
his entry into international cinema. The biopic will be
among the five projects produced by Los Angeles-based
film and media house Pink Jaguars Entertainment. The
formal announcement was made in New Delhi in the pres-
ence of Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Information and
Broadcasting. The details of the other four films will be an-
nounced eventually in Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
PREVIEW
Ali as APJ
Artist. Writer. Musician. Scientist.Raconteur — there are multiple facets to Manohar Devadoss. “In fact,the offi��cial who called to tell methat I have been awarded the Padma Shri said the awards committeewas in a dilemma about which category to put me in, before they settled for ‘Art’!” he chuckles.
At 83 years, with several booksand awards behind him, I ask theselftaught artist who gradually losthis vision to retinitis pigmentosaand a cataract, what the PadmaShri — the fourth highest civilianaward in India — means to him.“The aff��ection and love that I enjoyfrom so many people (my friendsfrom Aravind Eye Hospital, Shankara Nethralaya and institutions likemy alma mater — the American College, Madurai and of course, mychurch in San Thome) are rewardsin themselves, now this is an additional one. However, I do miss mydear wife Mahema at this time...”
He says he particularly cherishesa letter of commendation from thePrime Minister which reads, “Thecollective contributions of your latewife and you are indeed a matter of
pride…” What a team they were: aninspiration to all, in love and in art.
“Just three days after our ninthwedding anniversary in 1972, Mahema became a quadriplegic, in acar accident,” recalls Devadoss.“Around two years after that, my vision began to fade. But we nevergave up. In fact, we grew closer inour trials.”
Overcoming adversity“During that diffi��cult time, it wasthe love showered on us by countless people that kept us going” saysDevadoss. “Starting with the doctorcouple who rescued us from the accident site, the team at JIPMER Pondicherry, the young medicos atCMC Vellore who literally partied inour room, cheering us up throughrehabilitation, the steady stream ofvisitors from Oberlin College, U.S.,where we with our daughter Sujahad spent two extremely happyyears,” he says all rallied aroundthem for support.
There were also the members ofthe youth fellowship at CSI St. Thomas English Church who visitedfrequently. “They even drove us topicnics and movies — it is becauseof every act of kindness that we tri
umphed. My mother cared for Mahema as her own daughter.”
Age of innocenceI ask him the secret to his evercheerful disposition, and he looksback to his happy boyhood in Madurai — captured so well in his bookGreen Well Years that he startedwriting when he had almost completely lost his vision in 1983.
“If you hadn’t had cataract, youwould not have a book. You wouldhave spent all your time drawing...”Mahema would often say, and thishelped him see the brighter side ofthings. “When my vision was partially restored after surgery, I wenton an overdrive, producing so many artworks, that I even had an artexhibition,” he says.
Devadoss started sketching treesand everyday objects at the age offi��ve. He transitioned to copyinggreat works of art like Michelangelo’s David and Bertel Thorvaldsen’s
Christus from books, experimenting with watercolours.
The fi��rst milestone in his artisticjourney was the intricate penandink sketch of the Jubilee Chapel inThe American College, during hisfi��nal year in 1956, as a 19yearold.“This drawing evoked far greaterenthusiasm from the students thaneven the ones I did of the collegebeauty, Bhavani,” recalls Devadossin his book Multiple Facets of MyMadurai. It was printed on the cover of the college magazine andcame to be his signature style.
But it is love that brought out theartist in him. When he met Mahema through a mutual cousin, Devadoss put his talent to good use by illustrating almost every letter hewrote to her.
Mahema, a gold medallist in FineArts, was the perfect impetus to hisartistic genius. “In 1966, we did agreeting card with my oil paintingof a 120ft long country raft on the
Buckingham Canal near PulicatLake. Many friends wanted it, andso we decided to do more such heritage cards and give the proceeds tocharity. I drew, she wrote the text,and it continued even after the accident, for 42 years until 2007, whenwe sold a record 33,000 cards.”
Speaking about his love for Maheas he aff��ectionately refers to her, Devadoss affi��rms that theirs was a marriage fi��lled with generous doses oflaughter. “We used to tease eachother, had nicknames, and couldlaugh even during the laborious taskof having to turn Mahema in bed every three hours (to prevent bedsores).” It was also a relationship ofmutual respect: “Mahema read tome, even as I sketched with limitedvision.”
He had devised a contraptionabove her bed, so that she could seehis drawings. “Even on the night sheentered eternal sleep in 2008, Mahema asked to see the drawing I wasmaking of the Clock Tower at theMadras University and was pleasedwith it,” he says.
Devadoss looks forward to twonew publications this year — Ma-dras Inked — a profusely illustratedbook on landmarks in Chennai, coauthored with Sujatha Shankar andChallenges, Resilience & Triumph,on his life with Mahema.
“Though my last artwork was in2009, I could draw simple, semiabstract sketches with help, even untilsix months ago. I’m also writing fourlove stories,” says Devadoss, whodictates his thoughts to his secretary Sheela. He plays the harmonicaevery day and has been learningCarnatic music and even performedat an engagement.
Drawn to
LOVEArtist Manohar Devadoss, recently awarded the
Padma Shri, on how his loss of vision, deepaff��ection for his wife and the kindness of
strangers inspired a lifetime of art
Sketches from anextraordinary life
(Clockwise from right)Manohar and MahemaDevadoss; oil painting
of the raft onBuckingham Canal;sketch of American
College, Madurai; theartist * SPECIAL
ARRANGEMENT
......................................................................................................
The fi��rst milestone in
his artistic journey
was the intricate pen
andink sketch of the
Jubilee Chapel, The
American College
Fabiola Jacob
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 202018EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SHOWCASE
Aprilia SXRAn important twowheeler thatmade its debut at the Expo was
the Aprilia SXR maxiscooter.Set to launch this September,the maxiscooter gets a larger
footboard and bigger seat thanconventional scooters, which
should appeal to comfortoriented buyers. The SR will be
available in two variants – theSXR125 and the SXR160 – and is
expected to be positionedbetween the Vespa and the
Aprilia SR range.
Hyundai CretaOne of the biggest reveals at the Expo wasthe allnew Creta. The secondgen modelfeatures a radical new design, replete withsquaredout wheel arches, a split headlightsetup fl��anking Hyundai’s trademark‘cascading’ grille, a split taillamp design,and fl��ashy alloy wheels. While the interior isyet to be offi��cially revealed, expect the car tobe wellequipped with a panoramic sunroofand BlueLink connectivity tech. Engineoptions are expected to be shared with theSeltos.
Kia Sonet concept
Kia will be looking to emulate thesuccess of the Seltos with the Sonetcompact SUV that’ll launch later thisyear. While it is based on the sameunderpinnings as the Hyundai Venue,the Sonet gets a unique design with a lotof what you see expected to make it tothe production car. Kia didn’t revealthe interior but we can tell you a 10.25inch touchscreen (segmentlargest) willbe part of the package.
Tata HBX conceptTata had two concepts — the rebornSierra, and the HBX concept. Basedon Tata’s ALFA platform, the HBX isnearproduction evolution of the H2Xconcept that made its début at the2019 Geneva motor show. Stylingremains quite close to the H2Xconcept, but with a number of designdetails toned down for a moreproduction car look. The HBXpreviews a production petrolonlymicroSUV to sit below the Nexon.
Maruti Futuro-e conceptMaruti’s futuristic concept previews a
Cretarivalling SUV. A deviation from thecarmaker’s design language, the Futuroe’s design mixes upright traditional SUV
like design elements with sportier toucheslike fullwidth light clusters at the front
and back, and a sharplyraked coupéroofline.
AUTO EXPO 2020
Stars at the show
We take a look atsome of theconcepts,production cars andbikes from the expoin Greater Noida
Hero Electric AE-47 e-bike
The electric twowheeler thatgarnered most interest at the show
was Hero Electric’s AE47 ebike.The AE47 is powered by a 6kW
motor, with the company claiminga top speed of 100kph, and a
060kph time of 9sec. It also hasan impressive claimed range of
85km in Power mode, and 160kmin Eco mode. Full charge to 100percent is said to take just four
hours. Expect a launch later thisyear, with prices upwards of ₹��1.2
lakh.
Jaiveer Mehra and
Firoze Irani
Skoda Vision IN,
VW Taigun conceptsSkoda and sister brand VW showcased theirupcoming midsize SUVs, underpinned by theshared, Indiaspecifi��c MQB A0 IN platform.The Vision IN concept from Skoda (in photo)had the look of a proper concept, repletewith an illuminated grille and badge,a glass roof, 4seat cabin and more.The Taigun, on the other hand,looked more close to production.Both models will arrive inproduction form next year and willbe powered by the brand’s TSI turbopetrol engines.
Compass versus Octavia
Amit Agarwal, Bengaluru: I want an automaticcar with a good engine, at about ₹��30 lakh.Which one should I pick between the Jeep Compass and the Skoda Octavia? Do you suggest anyother model?■ Both cars are completely diff��erent. One is a hardasnails SUV and the other is a premium sedan. So it reallyboils down to your needs. For long distances, especially on rough roads and a bit off��road too, the Compasswill tackle diffi��cult terrain far better than the Octavia. Ifyour usage is mainly in the city, with occasional highway running, the Skoda is better. Overall, it is a morerefi��ned, smoother and a more comfortable car todrive.
BS-VI model available
Aryan Abrol, Faridabad: Should I buy the ToyotaInnova Crysta available now, or wait for the facelift? I fi��nd the current one a little old.■ You missed the opportunity to buy the cheaper BSIV Innova Crysta, which has just been replaced withthe BSVI model that gets only the 2.4 diesel and not themore powerful 2.8 of the former. There is no otherchange with the BSVI model. The facelift will comearound October, so wait for it if you fi��nd the currentone a little dated.
Volkswagen Polo sold out
Ranveer, Sangli: I’m looking to buy the twodoorVolkswagen Polo GTI. But since it has been discontinued, can I get one by order? I’m a big fanof the car and would really love to own one.■ Unfortunately, the last lot of Polo GTIs sold out overa year ago and there are no plans to import more. Yourbest bet is to try and fi��nd a used one. This will be diffi��cult though, as owners don’t want to part with theirGTIs. However, keep a constant lookout, you may getlucky.
Hormazd Sorabjee is the editor of Autocar India. Mail your
feedback and queries to [email protected]
Q AND A WITH HORMAZD
CMYK
M ND-NDE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
THE HINDU DELHI
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 19EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SPORT
A few decades ago, Indian Universities were stepping stones to international cricket. The Rohinton Bariaand Vizzy Trophies were hotly contested, and players like Bishan Bedi,Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath,Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Aunshuman Gaekwad, Sanjay Manjrekaremerged.
New nurseryThe new nursery of Indian crickethas been the Under19. Within sixmonths of leading India to the worldtitle in 2008, Virat Kohli played hisfi��rst international for the seniorteam. More players have comethrough the Under19 system — Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, RohitSharma, Cheteswar Pujara, RavindraJadeja, Shikhar Dhawan, K.L. Rahul,Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant — thanthrough university cricket.
This indicates both the decline ofuniversity cricket and the plannedgrowth of the agegroup system.
Where the university stars were,at one time — the glamour boys — it isnow the under19 players who are fet
ed and around whom fascinating origin stories are written. Yashasvi Jaiswal, PlayeroftheTournament andtopscorer at the recent World Cup inSouth Africa, is, at 18, already a heroic fi��gure. He slept in a tent for threeyears, and sold pani puri at the AzadMaidan in Mumbai, all the whilekeeping his longterm visionuncluttered.
Now he is on the fringes of the National team, was bought by RajasthanRoyals for ₹��2.4 crore in the IPL. It is aheartwarming story.
The cricket board’s handling ofunder19 has, in recent years, probably been more professional, morecompassionate than their handlingof anything else. By putting RahulDravid in charge, and giving him alargely free hand it showed theplayers both respect and concern.Dravid coordinated with the Nationalcoaches Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble, and the pipeline from the Under19 to the senior level became freeof the usual impediments to asmooth transition like quotas andpolitics and poor judgements.
Dravid’s personality also meantthat players were educated in muchmore than the forward defence orthe curling legbreak. He has reverence for the game and what itmeans. It is doubtful if the fracas thatfollowed the end of the World Cup fi��nal on Sunday would have takenplace had he been present at thevenue.
Bangladesh’s victory was welldeserved, and it is good for the gamethat a team lower down the peckingorder in world cricket should stun favourites India who have won the titlefour times. It is a win that can do a lotfor Bangladesh cricket, with many oftheir heroes graduating to seniorlevels.
Bad taste in the mouthYet, in the end, the tense day’s cricket left a bad taste in the mouth because of player behaviour. Althoughthe Bangladesh captain said something that has been interpreted tomean he was apologising, I am not sosure. He did use the word “sorry”,but it could have been that he wassorry that such a thing happened. International captains at the Under19level, may not fully appreciate thenuances of the language; in any caseit was convenient to believe he wasapologising and that only one sidewas to blame.
Clearly the International CricketCouncil thought otherwise and thevideo footage did suggest that bothteams were involved. By calling outthree Bangladeshi and two Indianplayers, the ICC made that clear.
You can see this as immatureplayers (in both age and experience)reacting to victory or defeat, and therefore let it go as “one of thosethings.” But these players are onestep away from playing for the seniorteam, and such behaviour has to be
punished now. To see a bunch ofteenagers behave in this manner on asports fi��eld is nauseating.
The tension had been building upfor a while. A big chunk of the responsibility, therefore, should rest onthe umpires who could have nippedthe trouble in the bud had they beenmore proactive and pulled up theplayers during the course of thematch. It is part of their job description to keep things on an even keelon the fi��eld of play; such unruly behaviour is seldom spontaneous andgathers steam over the day. Thatshould be clearer to the men incharge than anyone sitting in thestands or watching on television.
That India had both the tournament’s highest scorer and its highestwickettaker (Ravi Bishnoi) is a refl��ection of the depth in Indian cricket.Losing a fi��nal is no crime. What Indiasometimes gets wrong is the injurymanagement and workload of theunder19 players.
A warningOne of the heroes of India’s 2018World Cup win, the fast bowler Kamlesh Nagarkotti’s words (in an interview last year) are poignant. "At 19, Imust be running in and bowling fast.But here I am, not playing, not studying, out injured, away from home, allby myself, and trying to get fi��t even asmy friends are playing in the IPL andfor IndiaA. It is tough.”
That is a warning too.
How India’s U-19s became the new glamour boys
BETWEEN WICKETSsuresh menon
Indian players enjoyed agood day at the offi��ce in the$162,000 Bengaluru OpenATP Tennis Challenger atKSLTA Stadium here onTuesday.
While Saketh Myneni andNiki Poonacha knocked outhigherranker opponents,Sumit Nagal underlined hisclass with a comfortablewin.
Poonacha created a hugestir, taking out favourite Lukas Rosol 64, 26, 63 in thesecond round. Rosol, whofamously upset Rafael Nadalin the second round of Wimbledon 2012, struggled to getgoing against Poonacha.
For Poonacha, ranked 937places below Rosol, this wasthe biggest victory of his career. “I received a wildcardfor this tournament, and Iwanted to make the most ofit. This win is a huge confi��dence boost,” the 24yearold Poonacha said.
As the crowd began toswell in the evening session,Nagal took centrestage.Armed with a crushing forehand, Nagal whipped Tunisia’s Malek Jaziri 60, 64. Jaziri made the mistake ofdropping too many shortballs, which Nagal had littletrouble dispatching forwinners.
Nagal ran around the ballto get his forehand into play— a ploy that worked well.“My forehand is mystrength. I’m not going todefeat anyone with a serveandvolley game,” Nagalsaid.
The 22yearold Nagal, however, must be worriedabout his weak serve, whichconceded sevendoublefaults.
Jaziri, who reached a careerhigh world ranking of42 only a year ago, made toomany unforced errors. Jaziriwas unhappy with a few linecalls, but his protests had little impact on the outcome ofthe match.
Myneni, meanwhile, recorded a 63, 63 win oversixthseeded Russian EvgenyDonskoy. Sasikumar Mukund was the rare Indian todisappoint, losing 57, 36 to
Ilya Ivashka of Belarus.
The results: Second round: Sa-keth Myneni bt Evgeny Don-skoy (Rus) 6-3, 6-3; Sumit Na-gal bt Malek Jaziri (Tun) 6-0,6-4; Yuichi Sugita (Jpn) bt Va-clav Safranek (Cze) 6-4, 6-3;Niki Poonacha bt Lucas Rosol(Cze) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3; Ilya Ivashka(Blr) bt Sasikumar Mukund 7-5,6-3.
First round: Benjamin Bonzi(Fra) bt Manish Sureshkumar6-2, 6-3; Stefano Travaglia (Ita)bt Filippo Baldi (Ita) 6-2, 6-1;Abhinav Shanmugam bt DanielMasur (Ger) 7-5, 6-3; JulianOcleppo (Ita) bt Anirudh Chan-drashekar 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles (fi��rst round): Frederi-co Ferreira Silva (Por) & NikolaMilojevic (Srb) bt Sriram Balaji& Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 6-7(1), 7-5, [10-8]; C. Hsieh (Tpe) &D. Molchanov (Ukr) bt N.Prashanth & Vishnu Vardhan6-3, 7-6(6); Purav Raja & Ram-kumar Ramanathan bt PrajwalDev & Adil Kalyanpur 6-2, 6-2.
Poonacha posts biggest win of career, dumps Rosol
BENGALURU OPEN
Ashwin Achal
Bengaluru
Holding centrestage: Sumit Nagal had little troublecapitalising on Malek Jaziri’s errors. * SUDHAKARA JAIN
Nagal rolls over Jaziri
In a stunning reversal of fortunes, New Zealand infl��ictedan OneDay International series whitewash (30) on Indiawith a fi��vewicket victory inthe third and fi��nal match onTuesday.
Flying startHenry Nicholls scored 80 off��103 balls and Martin Guptillmade 66 off�� 46 as the hostscored 300 for fi��ve in 47.1 overs. Colin de Grandhommesmacked 58 not out off�� 28balls at the end to help sealthe win with 17 balls to spare.
Earlier, India had scored296 for seven after being putin, thanks to K.L. Rahul’s (112)fourth ODI hundred.
New Zealand got off�� to afl��ying start as Guptill and Nicholls put on 50 off�� just 40balls. Overall, they scored106 for the fi��rst wicket.
Guptill smacked six 4s andfour 6s as the Indian newballbowlers faced an onslaught.Shardul Thakur and NavdeepSaini struggled to fi��nd theirrhythm and were taken forruns, while Jasprit Bumrahfi��nished the series wicketless. Yuzvendra Chahal (347)provided the breakthrough,bowling Guptill in the 17th over. Nicholls scored a halfcentury off�� 72 balls.
He added 53 runs withKane Williamson, but Chahalstruck twice and Ravindra Jadeja removed the informRoss Taylor cheaply. NewZealand was reduced to 189for four in the 33rd over.
de Grandhomme thensmashed a halfcentury off��only 21 balls. His knock included six 4s and three 6s, ashis 31run fi��fthwicket partnership with Jimmy Neesham(19) came off�� only 31 balls.
Earlier, Rahul’s fi��rsthundred at No. 5 helped anchor India’s innings. He hit
nine 4s and two 6s, and rescued India from 62 for three.
He put on 100 withShreyas Iyer (62, 63b) for thefourth wicket, and 107 withManish Pandey (42, 48b) forthe fi��fth. Hamish Bennett fi��nished with four for 64.
India made another poorstart. Kyle Jamieson bowledMayank Agarwal, who hassuff��ered a torrid tour thus far.
The big blow came whenVirat Kohli was out in the seventh over. Prithvi Shaw provided the initial fl��ourish with40 off�� 42 balls, but he wasrunout going for a secondrun in the 13th over.
Shreyas then batted steadily and reached his halfcentu
ry off�� 52 balls, his third 50plus score in this series. Buthe couldn’t carry on.
Onus on RahulIt was down to Rahul then,who crossed 50 off�� 66 balls.His stand with Pandey progressed well as India reached250 in the 45th over.
Rahul’s hundred came off��104 balls, and he perished ina bid to accelerate. This iswhere India’s innings fellapart, as Pandey also holedout off�� Bennett shortlyafterwards.
Taylor was adjudgedPlayeroftheSeries for his194 runs in three innings andbeing dismissed only once.
A sweep for a sweep, Kiwis exact sweet revengeFirst blanking for India in a full ODI series in New Zealand; Rahul’s century goes in vain
INDIA IN NZ
Press Trust of India
Mt. Maunganui
The despatcher: Colin de Grandhomme’s onslaught sealed the match for New Zealand. * AFP
INDIAPrithvi Shaw run out 40 (42b,3x4, 2x6), Mayank Agarwal bJamieson 1 (3b), Virat Kohli cJamieson b Bennett 9 (12b,1x6), Shreyas Iyer c de Grand-homme b Neesham 62 (63b,9x4), K.L. Rahul c Jamieson bBennett 112 (113b, 9x4, 2x6),Manish Pandey c Santner b Ben-nett 42 (48b, 2x4), RavindraJadeja (not out) 8 (7b, 1x4),Shardul Thakur c de Grand-homme b Bennett 7 (6b, 1x4),Navdeep Saini (not out) 8 (6b,2x4); Extras (b-1, w-6): 7. Total(for 7 wkts. in 50 overs): 296.
FALL OF WICKETS1-8 (Agarwal, 1.6 overs), 2-32(Kohli, 6.4), 3-62 (Shaw, 12.1),
4-162 (Shreyas, 30.3), 5-269(Rahul, 46.4), 6-269 (Pandey,46.5), 7-280 (Shardul, 48.2).
NEW ZEALAND BOWLINGSouthee 9-0-59-0, Jamieson10-0-53-1, Bennett 10-1-64-4,de Grandhomme 3-0-10-0,Neesham 8-0-50-1, Santner10-0-59-0.
NEW ZEALANDMartin Guptill b Chahal 66(46b, 6x4, 4x6), Henry Nichollsc Rahul b Shardul 80 (103b,9x4), Kane Williamson c Agar-wal b Chahal 22 (31b, 2x4), RossTaylor c Kohli b Jadeja 12 (18b,1x4), Tom Latham (not out) 32(34b, 3x4), James Neesham cKohli b Chahal 19 (25b, 1x4,1x6), Colin de Grandhomme
(not out) 58 (28b, 6x4, 3x6);Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-6, nb-2): 11.Total (for 5 wkts. in 47.1 overs):300.
FALL OF WICKETS1-106 (Guptill, 16.3), 2-159(Williamson, 27.1), 3-186(Taylor, 31.5), 4-189 (Nicholls,32.5), 5-220 (Neesham, 39.3).
INDIA BOWLINGBumrah 10-0-50-0, Saini 8-0-68-0, Chahal 10-1-47-3,Shardul 9.1-0-87-1, Jadeja 10-0-45-1.
Toss: New Zealand.
ManoftheMatch: Nicholls;ManoftheSeries: Taylor.
New Zealand won by fivewickets with 17 balls to spareand clinched series 3-0.
SCOREBOARD
India captain Virat Kohli onTuesday berated his bowlers for their mediocre performance as he tried to explain the team’s fi��rst ODIseries whitewash in overthree decades, saying thevisitors lacked composureall through.
The fi��vewicket defeathere meant India lost the series 03 to an injuryplaguedNew Zealand that had beendefl��ated by a 05 whitewashof its own in the T20 format.
Missed chances“The games were not as badas the scoreline suggests. Itboils down to those chancesthat we didn’t grab,” Kohlisaid.
“With the ball, we werenot able to make breakthroughs, we were not at allgood on the fi��eld. We haven’t played so badly butwhen you don’t grab thosechances, you don’t deserveto win,” he said.
The ineff��ectiveness of the
bowlers can be gauged fromthe fact that the team’s pacespearhead Jasprit Bumrahfi��nished the series without awicket and the attackcouldn’t dismiss the complete rival lineup evenonce.
Kohli lauded New Zealand for bouncing back afterthe T20 hammering. “NewZealand played with a lotmore intensity,” he said.
He is looking forward tothe Test series, which begins on February 21. “I thinkbecause of the Test Championship, every match hasthat much more importance. We have a really balanced Test team and wefeel we can win the series,”he said.
Kane Williamson, whomissed the fi��rst two gamesdue to injury, was lavish inhis praise for his team’s grit.
“An outstanding performance, very clinical. Indiaput us under pressure, butthe way the guys foughtback with the ball and keptthem to a par total,” he said.
We didn’t deserve to win, says Kohli
Standing tall: Rahul’s century provided some consolationon a day when nothing much went right for India. * AFP
Press Trust of India
Mt. Maunganui
India will fancy its chancesof claiming the women’s T20Triseries when it faces Australia in the summit clashhere on Wednesday.
After failing to fi��re in unison in its fi��rst three leaguematches, India produced agood batting show to recorda sevenwicket win on Saturday, which took the Harmanpreet Kaurled side into thefi��nal.
Smriti Mandhana continued to be the batting bulwark along with Harman
preet, but the mostheartening thing was that 16yearold Shafali Verma camegood in the last game againstAustralia.
The home side posted 173for fi��ve, but India overhauledthe target in 19.4 overs, largely due to Shafali’s 49 off�� 28balls and Smriti’s 55 off�� 48balls.
Jemimah Rodrigues alsocontributed with a quickfi��re19ball 30 to help India chasedown the target.
Bowlers doing well
The Indian bowlers havebeen doing well in this tournament with the likes ofDeepti Sharma and Rajesh
wari Gayakwad producingconsistent performances. The teams (from): India: Harmanpreet Kaur(Capt.), Shafali Verma, SmritiMandhana, Jemimah Ro-drigues, Veda Krishnamurthy,Taniya Bhatia, Deepti Sharma,Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar,Rajeshwari Gayakwad, RadhaYadav, Richa Ghosh, ArundhatiReddy, Harleen Deol, NuzhatParween and Poonam Yadav.Australia: Alyssa Healy, BethMooney, Ashleigh Gardner, MegLanning (Capt.), Ellyse Perry,Rachael Haynes, Jess Jonassen,Delissa Kimmince, AnnabelSutherland, Georgia Wareham,Megan Schutt, Nicola Carey, So-phie Molineux, Erin Burns andTayla Vlaeminck.
Match starts at 8.10 a.m. IST.
Stage set for enthralling fi��nal
Impact player: Shafali Verma, who is back in her groove, willhave a crucial role to play. * GETTY IMAGES
India will be buoyed after beating Australia in previous game
TRI-SERIES
Press Trust of India
Melbourne
India forward Lalremsiamihas been named as the 2019FIH Women’s Rising Star ofthe Year, the InternationalHockey Federation (FIH)said on Tuesday.
The 19yearold attackertook the prize ahead of Argentina’s Julieta Jankunasand Frederique Matla of theNetherlands, who fi��nishedsecond and third respectively, the FIH said in astatement.
The player from Mizoram
got 40% of all the votes cast.She got 47.7 % of her votesfrom among national associations, while the media,fans/players contributed28.4% and 36.4%respectively.
Lalremsiami fi��rst came into the wider hockey consciousness at the HockeyWomen’s World Cup in 2018when she was one of thestandout players of thetournament.
Since then she has been atthe heart of the rise of the Indian women’s hockey team.
Lalremsiami is FIH Rising Star of Year
Lalremsiami. * GETTY IMAGES
Press Trust of India
Lausanne
CMYK
M ND-NDE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
DELHI THE HINDU
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 202020EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
SPORT
NBA: Sony Ten 1 (SD & HD),5.30 a.m.Women’s T20I triseries final: Australia vs India, SonySix (SD & HD), 8.10 a.m.Ranji Trophy: Uttar Pradeshvs Himachal Pradesh, StarSports 2 (SD & HD), 9.30 a.m.ISL: Star Sports 2 (SD & HD),7.30 p.m.South Africa vs England:1st T20I, Sony Six (SD & HD),9.30 p.m.
TV PICKS
Pascal shines as Raptorsextend winning streakLOS ANGELES
Pascal Siakam scored 34
points as Toronto Raptors
shrugged off their injury
problems to extend their
winning streak to 15 games
on Monday with a 137126
defeat of Minnesota
Timberwolves.The results: Hornets 87 btPistons 76; Nets 106 btPacers 105; Magic 135 btHawks 126; Raptors 137 btTimberwolves 126; Bucks 123bt Kings 111; Jazz 123 btMavericks 119; Nuggets 127bt Spurs 120; Heat 113 btWarriors 101; Lakers 125 btSuns 100. AGENCIES
IN BRIEF
RANJI FINAL ROUND
FIXTURESCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
GROUP ADelhi v Rajasthan (New
Delhi); Gujarat v Andhra (Nadiad); Hyderabad v Vidarbha(Hyderabad); Punjab v Bengal(Patiala).
GROUP BKarnataka v Baroda (Ben
galuru); Mumbai v MadhyaPradesh (Mumbai); Saurashtra v Tamil Nadu (Rajkot); Uttar Pradesh v Himachal(Lucknow).
GROUP CChhattisgarh v Services
(Raipur); Jammu & Kashmir vHaryana (Jammu); Maharashtra v Uttarakhand (Baramati);Odisha v Jharkhand (Cuttack);Assam v Tripura (Guwahati).
PLATEMizoram v Goa (Barasat);
Pondicherry v Nagaland (Puducherry); Manipur v Chandigarh (Kolkata); ArunachalPradesh v Meghalaya (Dibrugarh); Sikkim v Bihar (Cuttack).
On the eve of the fi��nal roundof Ranji Trophy leaguematch against Rajasthan,Delhi is not even looking atan almost improbable mathematical possibility of making the quarterfi��nals.
Having collected just 18points and placed tiedninthwith defending champion Vidarbha, Delhi has more uncontrollable factors to dealwith than the controllableones in its path to the knockout stage.
In all, there are fi��ve quarterfi��nal spots for 18 teams divided into two Elite groups.
The requirementsFirst of all, Delhi needs tobeat Rajasthan (16 points)with a bonus point and keepup a quotient higher thanKarnataka (25).
It has to then hope thatPunjab (24) and Karnatakalose, Uttar Pradesh (20) andTamil Nadu (19) are locked indrawn encounters and Vidarbha does not gain a bonus.
In short, far too many results have to favour Delhi tohelp its qualifi��cation.
In any case, barring a few
matches, Delhi has dishedout too many ordinary performances to merit a place inthe lasteight. Injuries to its
pace bowlers hurt the sidethroughout the season.
Delhi’s toporder battinghas failed more often than
not. Two matches where Delhi rose to the occasion, andwon, came at home againstHyderabad and Vidarbha.
Rajasthan, on the otherhand, is out of the reckoningfor a place in the lasteightstage, with four defeats in seven matches.
Consolation
Now, much like Delhi, it islooking for a consolation offi��nishing on a high.
Delhi has made a changein the squad with spinnerShivank Vashisht coming infor leftarm seamer KulwantKhejroliya. Since the pitch islikely to assist the spinners,Delhi’s decision looksjustifi��ed.
For Rajasthan, Ashok Menaria (512 runs), RiturajSingh (22 wickets), TanveerUlHaq (21) and S. K. Sharma(19) have been major contributors to the team’s limited success this season.
It is much like Delhi, forwhich Nitish Rana (477 runs)and Simarjeet Singh (26wickets) have stood out inthe midst of some inconsistent performers.
Delhi, Rajasthan look to fi��nish on a highNeither team has a realistic chance of making the quarterfi��nals
RAKESH RAO
NEW DELHI
RANJI TROPHY
Change: Delhi will bring in spinner Shivank Vashisht for leftarm seamer Kulwant Khejroliya inits clash against Rajasthan. * FILE PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
Two Indians — AkashSingh and Ravi Bishnoi —and three Bangladeshplayers were on Tuesdayfound guilty of bringingthe game into disreputeand handed suspensionpoints for the ugly onfi��eld confrontation thatmarred the Under19World Cup fi��nal inPotchefstroom (SouthAfrica) on Sunday.
Akash and Bishnoi,along with Bangladesh’sTowhid Hridoy, ShamimHossain and RakibulHasan, were found guiltyof breaching the ICC Codeof Conduct.
“Five players have beenfound guilty of a Level 3breach of the ICC Code ofConduct for Players andSupport Personnel ...(they) were charged withviolating Article 2.21 ofthe code, whilst Bishnoireceived a further charge
of breaching Article 2.5,”the ICC said in astatement.
“Bishnoi accepted alevel 1 charge ofbreaching Article 2.5 for aseparate incident duringthe match, where he usedlanguage, actions orgestures which disparageor which could provokean aggressive reactionfrom a batter,” said theICC.
“For this he received afurther two demeritpoints meaning sevendemerit points willremain on his record forthe next two years.”
One suspension pointmeans a player will beineligible for one ODI orT20I, U19 or Ateammatch.
They will be applied forthe forthcominginternational matches theplayers are most likely toparticipate in either at thesenior or under19 level.
Five u19 players handedsuspension points Akash, Bishnoi, Hridoy, Shamim
and Rakibul found guilty
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
DUBAI
Sledging may have been Australia’s ‘gift’ to cricket, butthe behaviour of playersfrom India and Bangladeshduring and after the ICC Under19 World Cup fi��nal onSunday has left a few Indiagreats and administrators‘shocked’.
The West Indians neverhad to sledge. “That look,eyebrows raised, hands onhips, and a vicious bouncerpast your nose would givethe message,” rememberedKapil Dev, who admitted hewas shocked at the mannerin which the Indian and Bangladesh juniors conductedthemselves.
Control the aggression“I welcome aggression.Nothing wrong in it. But ithas to be controlled aggression. You can’t cross the lineof decency in the name of
being competitive. Personally, I would say it was unacceptable that youngsters putup such obnoxious displayon the cricket fi��eld,” henoted.
Mohammad Azharuddin,who led India in 47 Tests,was also critical of both theteams. “How can you dothis? You just keep abusingthe opponent, right throughthe game, in the name ofplaying hard. Australiansplayed hard always but without getting personal. We hadfast bowlers who did not believe in using cuss words topump themselves up or upset the batsmen.”
Unpleasant sightKapil, one of the greatest thegame has known, wantedthe youngsters to rememberthat they represent the country and have to set examples.“You all can lip read whatthey were uttering. I don’t
want to take names but itwas unpleasant to see. Theboys were wasting theirenergy by indulging in needless sledging.”
Another great, Sunil Gavaskar, has always been critical of the poor behaviour onthe fi��eld by modern cricketers. He would never fail toquestion the act of bowler
like to see the Board to takesome strict action to set anexample. Cricket is not aboutabusing the opponent. I amsure there is enough reasonfor these youngsters to bedealt with fi��rmly,” said Kapil.
Azharuddin hoped thesupport staff�� was asked to explain. “I would take actionagainst the errant playersbut also want to know whatrole has the support staff��played in educating theyoungsters. Act before it istoo late. These youngstersare the future of Indian cricket. They have to be disciplined.”
abusing the batsman on getting his wicket.
Kapil also held similarviews. “When you have gotthe batsman out what is theneed of cursing him. Haven’tyou won your battle by getting him out?” he asked.
Kapil and Azharuddinwanted the Board and thecoaches to act fast. “I would
India greats ‘shocked’ by youngsters’ conductYou can’t cross the line of decency in the name of being competitive: Kapil
VIJAY LOKAPALLY
NEW DELHI
Kapil Dev.* FILE PHOTO: M. VEDHAN
Mohd. Azharuddin.* FILE PHOTO: V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
<> How can you do
this? You just keep
abusing the
opponent, right
through the game, in
the name of playing
hard
Mohd. Azharuddin
Sports Minister Kiren Rijijuon Monday said at the Parliament that lifelong pensions are being given to athletes under the ‘Pension toMeritorious Sportspersons’scheme.
He informed the RajyaSabha that 627 sportspersons are currently receivingmonthly pensions under thescheme. Indian sportspersons winning medals at international sporting or paralympic events are eligiblefor lifelong pension upon re
tirement, or after attainingthe age of 30 years, whichever is later.
In a written reply to aquestion, Rijiju said thatmonthly pensions, rangingbetween ₹��12,000 and₹��20,000, are being disbursed under the scheme tomedal winners at eventssuch as the Olympic Games,Commonwealth Games andAsian Games, World Cupsand World Championships.
He also said the government is coming to the aid offormer sportspersons whoare struggling.
Lifelong pension beinggiven to athletes: RijijuPress Trust of India
New Delhi
World rapid champion Koneru Humpy and fellow Indian Dronavalli Harika settled for contrasting draws inthe fourth round of theCairns Cup chess tournament here.
Humpy was held to a 37move draw by Kateryna Lagno of Russia in a GrunfeldDefence game while Harikacould not force a win againstAmerican Irina Krish in aPaulsen Sicilian game onMonday.
Quiet gameHumpy and Lagno shared
the point in a quiet gamewhile Harika and Krush battled it out for 44 moves before signing the peace treaty.
World champion Ju Wenjun posted her fi��rst win inthe 10player tournament,getting the better of Valentina Gunina in 59 moves.
Former world championMariya Muzychuk held leader Nana Dzagnidze in a RichterRauzer encounter, leaving the latter still at the topof the standings. YoungAmerican Carissa Yip’s misery continued as she lost toformer world championAlexandra Kosteniuk.
While Dzagnidze leads
with three points from fourrounds, four players —Wenjun, Lagno, Muzychuk andHarika — are close behindwith 2.5. Humpy is seventhwith two points and will facea tough task against Dzagnidze in the next round.
Harika meets Gunina inround fi��ve.
The results:
Fourth round: Mariya Muzychuk (2.5) drew with NanaDzagnidze (3), K. Humpy (2)drew Katernya Lagno (2.5), JuWenjun (2) beat Valentina Gunina (1), D. Harika (2.5) drewwith Irina Krush (1.5), Alexandra Kosteniuk (2) beat CarissaYip (0).
Humpy and Harika held to draws in Cairns Cup Press Trust of India
St. Louis (USA)
Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak of New Zealand caused afl��utter, shocking top seedsAustin Krajicek and FrankoSkugor 76(3), 63 in the prequarterfi��nal of the $804,180ATP tournament onTuesday.
In the $275,000 WTAevent in Hua Hin, AnkitaRaina began well but Katarzyna Kawa of Poland ralliedto a 36, 60, 61 victory inthe fi��rst round.
The results: First round:
$804,180 ATP, New York,USA: Artem Sitak (Nzl) & DivijSharan bt Austin Krajicek (US)& Franko Skugor (Cro) 76(3),63.
$275,000 WTA, Hua Hin, Thailand: Katarzyna Kawa (Pol) btAnkita Raina 36, 60, 61.
$15,000 ITF men, Sharm ElSheikh, Egypt: Piotr Matuszewski (Pol) & David Poljak(Cze) bt Mehlulli Don AyandaSibanda (Zim) & Aryan Goveas75, 46, [102].
$15,000 ITF men, Monastir,Tunisia: Rishab Agarwal bt Sebastian Prechtel (Ger) 63, 62.
Sharan and Sitak stun top seeds
SPORTS BUREAU
NEW YORK
INDIANS ABROAD
Kanoute helps Aizawl beat TRAU AIZAWL
Abdoulaye Kanoute’s brace
(75th & 87th) powered Aizawl
to a 20 win over TRAU in
their ILeague match on
Tuesday. With the match
heading for a draw, Kanoute
stepped in and swung the
contest Aizawl’s way. At
Imphal, Indian Arrows held
host Neroca to a goalless
draw. PTI
Football legend Pele is experiencing “a kind of depression” and barely leaveshome anymore becausehealth problems have lefthim unable to walk normally, his son said in aninterview.
“He’s pretty fragile interms of his mobility... andthat makes him suff��er a kindof depression,” Edinho saidof his 79yearold father,who has had a series ofhealth problems in recentyears. Just imagine, he’s the‘King,’ he was always suchan imposing fi��gure, and nowhe can’t walk normally. Hegets very shy, very embarrassed about that,” his sonsaid in an interview published on Globoesporte-.com on Monday.
Pele, the pride of Brazilian football and the onlyplayer to win three WorldCups (1958, 1962 and 1970),
is considered by many to bethe greatest footballer of alltime. He has been in and outof hospital in recent yearsfor various health issues.
He never fully recoveredfrom one of his hip operations, leaving him dependent on a walker, Edinhosaid. “He’s doing a bit betterthan when he was in awheelchair recently, but hestill has a hard time getting
around,” said Edinho, 49.Pele’s public appearances
have grown increasingly rarewith age. Last April he travelled to Paris for a promotional appearance with Kylian Mbappe, but had to behospitalised shortly after forkidney problems.
In 2014, he was placed inintensive care for dialysis after contracting a severe urinary infection.
Pele experiencing depression: sonAgence France-Presse
Rio de Janeiro
Vagaries of life: Health problems have left Pele leading areclusive life and suff��ering “a form of depression". * AFP
Dale Steyn is determined tobe part of South Africa’ssquad for the T20 WorldCup in Australia in Octoberand November after switching his focus from Test cricket to the shortest form of thegame.
South Africa’s alltimeleading Test wickettakerwill be 37 by the time theglobal showpiece starts andhas not played internationalcricket since last March.
But, he said on Tuesday,he was looking forward tohis comeback in the fi��rstT20I against England onWednesday.
“I love playing cricket,”he said. “I wake up everyday and I can’t see myselfdoing anything else rightnow.” Steyn said he had discussed some options for lifeafter cricket but that was something for the future. Aslong as that drive is stillthere to play at the highestlevel, to get batters out, fox
them and outsmart themand that kind of stuff��, if I cando that I’m going to continue to do that,” he said.
Steyn was selected for the2019 Cricket World Cup inEngland and Wales butdidn’t play a game before returning home with a shoulder injury.
Steyn sets sights on WCAgence France-Presse
East London
Still got it: Dale Steyn sayshe can’t see himself doinganything else at themoment. * GETTY IMAGES
K. Srikanth spearheadedIndia’s 41 mauling of Kazakhstan in its openinggroup match of the Asiateam badminton championships here onTuesday.
Srikanth, Lakshya Senand Subhankar Dey wontheir matches easily whilethe doubles pairs won oneand lost one.
The women’s team didnot travel for the competition. The result: Men: Group B: India 4 bt Kazakshtan 1 (K. Srikanth bt Dmitriy Panarin 2110, 217; Lakshya Sen bt ArturNiyazov 2113, 218; Subhankar Dey bt Khaitmurat Kulmatov 2111, 215; H.S. Prannoy& Chirag Shetty lost to Niyazov & Panarin 2118, 1621,1921; M.R. Arjun & Dhruv Kapila bt Nikita Bragin & Khaitmurat Kulmatov 2114, 2118).
India beatsKazakhstan
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
MANILA
Delhi and District CricketAssociation ombudsmanJustice (Retd) Deepak Verma on Tuesday appointedformer chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla aselectoral offi��cer for theelection of president, treasure and other posts.
DDCA president RajatSharma had resigned inNovember while (BJP MLA)Om Prakash Sharma wasdisqualifi��ed as treasure according to Lodha Committee Recommendations forholding public offi��ce.
Chawla is poll offi��cer
Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI
GURUGRAM: Chandni Srinivasan overcame stiff�� resistance from Sahiba Singhfor a 63, 67(4), 62 victoryin the girls prequarterfi��nals of the Asian under14tennis tournament at Baliawas on Tuesday.
The results: Girls (prequarterfi��nals): Tamanna Takoria btRaja Sarvagnya 60, 62; Samiksha Dabas bt Janvi Asawa60, 60; Shruti Ahlawat btShagun Kumari 61, 61;Saummya Ronde bt SanjanaDevineni 57, 62, 61; RidhiChoudhary bt Jeetesh Kumari67(2), 60, 75; Jo Leen Saw(Mas) bt Sahiba Taneja 60,61; Chandni Srinivasan bt Sahiba Singh 63, 67(4), 62.
Chandniadvances
As widely anticipated, incumbent secretary Bharat SinghChauhan and four membersof his panel have been dulyelected unopposed to theprincipal posts of the All India Chess Federation (AICF).
Since M/s. Ajay Patel (president), Vipnesh Bhardwaj(vicepresident), BharatSingh Chauhan (secretary),Arun Singh ( jointsecretary)and Naresh Sharma (treasurer) were found to be the onlynominees with valid nomination papers, such an announcement was on cards.
An order issued late onTuesday evening by MadrasHigh Courtappointed Returning Offi��cer Justice F.M.Ibrahim Kalifulla stated:“Having regard to the said ul
timate outcome of the Election process for the Offi��ceBearers of All India ChessFederation (AICF) for the period 20202023, the proposed election scheduled on23.02.2020 cannot take placeand the same is declared assuch.”
In his order under “Proceedings of the Returning Offi��cer”, the former judge of Supreme Court stated, “Form6in respect of the posts of president, honorary secretaryand treasurer consists of asingle candidate only for thethree posts. The number ofposts to be fi��lled indisputablyfor each of the above threeposts is one post only. The
number of contesting candidates in Form6 for the postsof president, honorary secretary and treasurer beingequal, all such contestingcandidates should bedeemed to be duly electedunopposed to those posts asper para 9 (1) of the NationalSports Development Code,2011.
There, it has become unnecessary to take a poll forelection to such posts.
“In respect of the posts ofvicepresident and jointsecretaries, here again the arrangement in Form6 revealsthat as against six posts ofvicepresident and six postsof jointsecretary, the nameof only one candidate eachrespectively alone could bearranged. Therefore, there isno scope for a poll for election to the said posts of vicepresident and jointsecretaryalso.”
Chauhan, four others elected unopposed AICF ELECTIONS
RAKESH RAO
NEW DELHI
<> ...the proposed
election scheduled
on 23.02.2020
cannot take place
and the same is
declared as such
Top Related