18022022 first india lucknow

Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: In a dramat-
ic development at the
Chaudhary Charan
Singh (CCS) Airport,
two of its top office
bearers were allegedly
abruptly removed from
their positions on
Wednesday
.
The two top officers
that have been removed
are CCS Airport Chief
Airport Officer (CAO)
Suresh Chandra Hota
and Chief Security Of-
ficer Colonel (Retd)
Neeraj Khurana. It is
yet to be ascertained if
the officers have been
suspended, transferred
or sacked.
The Adani manage-
ment has also come
down heavily on Luc-
know Airport security
manager Parul Yadav
and has removed him
with immediate effect.
Throughout the day
, a
number of theories did
rounds at the airport
corridors and on vari-
ous Whatsapp groups. It
was being alleged that
the Adani Group, under
which the CCS Airport
operates, has cracked
the whip on its two top
officers after a recent
altercation between air-
port security and a sea-
soned politico from the
state who had also as-
sumed the chief minis-
ter’s office in the state
of late.
In the messages it
was being said that the
former CM wasn’t hap-
py with the treatment
administered to him at
the airport and hence,
he had approached the
Adani Group Chairman
after which the action
was taken. However,
this hasn’t been con-
firmed by any of the
sources First India con-
tacted with.
Sources have re-
vealed, though, to First
India that the Chief
Airport Officer (CAO)
SC Hota was being
transferred to a differ-
ent city after the Adani
Group wasn’t happy
with his performance at
the Lucknow airport.
CAO Hota also alleged-
ly offered to resign in
the matter.
As far as the CSO
Colonel Neeraj Khura-
na is concerned, it is be-
ing alleged that there
was indeed a security
issue with regards to a
VIP after which he had
taken a short leave.
The airport will now
operate under its new
CAO Balvir Bhatia and
the new Chief Security
Officer Zon Eddimuth.
Interestingly, CAO
Hota was set to retire on
March 31 this year,
sources have revealed.
When contacted by
First India, CAO Hota
refused to comment on
the matter and respond-
ed rudely when the
First India correspond-
ent asked him for his
comments as he was ap-
parently upset about
the changes.
High-octane drama at Lucknow Airport, CAO & CSO removed by Adani Group
AFTER AN ALTERCATION WITH FORMER UP CM...
LUCKNOW l FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/80229 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 98
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CORONA CATASTROPHE
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted a
letter written to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on
February 15 calling for an interaction at the Raj Bhawan
“anytime next week”. The move comes at a time when
CM Mamata has blocked Governor Dhankhar on Twitter.
BENGAL GUV
DHANKHAR
TWEETS LETTER
TO CM MAMATA
The Income Tax department on Thursday conducted
searches at the residence of Chitra Ramakrishna, former
CEO of NSE, on allegations of illegal gains made by her
by passing on internal exchange information to a third
party. Possibility of any tax evasion is being probed.
I-T SEARCHES AT
RESIDENCE OF
EX-NSE MD CHITRA
RAMAKRISHNA
Allow hijab during
Ramzan: K’taka’s
fresh appeal in HC
Bengaluru: A fresh
petition has been filed
in the Karnataka High
Court seeking that hi-
jab be allowed in edu-
cational institutions
during on Fridays and
the holy month of
Ramzan. The bench,
which is hearing a
bunch of petitions
challenging the ban on
hijab, has agreed to
consider it.
An interim order
from HC has barred re-
ligious attire in schools
and colleges, till a call is
taken on whether they
can be allowed. In the
debate over the issue,
may have pointed out
that along with freedom
of religion, the right to
education is also a fun-
damental right. P6
‘MAALIK WAS CLAPPING’
PM slams Channi’s ‘Delhi boss’ Priyanka in “Bhaiye” remark row
Fazilka: Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi to-
day tore into Punjab
Chief Minister
Charanjit Singh Chan-
ni over his controver-
sial “UP, Bihar ke bhai-
ye” comment and also
targeted Congress
leader Priyanka Gan-
dhi Vadra, saying the
“family from Delhi was
clapping”.
“What the Congress
Chief Minister said
here the entire country
has seen. The family
from Delhi is his maa-
lik (boss), that maalik
was standing next to
him, clapping,” PM
said at a rally in Pun-
jab ahead of Sunday
election in the state.
Meanwhile, Priyanka
while targeting BJP
said, “Out of all the po-
litical parties that come
before you and talk
about Panjabiyat, one
hasalreadyboweddown
before its industrialist
friends. PM came to
Pathankot yesterday for
polls but he couldn’t
travel 5-6 km from his
residence to meet the
farmers. He made farm-
ers agitate for one year,”
she said. —PTI
 With a couple of
days left for Assembly
elections in Punjab,
senior Congress leader
and former prime min-
ister Manmohan Singh
on Thursday exhorted
people to vote for the
party while cautioning
them against the BJP’s
“divisive policies” and
blaming the govern-
ment at the Centre
for trying to “malign
Punjab and Punjabis”.
 Singh said the Cen-
tre had tried to “bring
disrepute to Punjab
Chief Minister Charan-
jit Singh Channi and
the people of the state
in the name of PM’s
security. This did not
stick. Similarly, during
the farmers’ agita-
tion, they tried
to malign
Punjab and
Punjabis.
What all was
not said about Pun-
jabis, who are saluted
the world over for their
valour and patriotism.
Being a true Indian,
after having been born
in Punjab, I feel sad at
what is happening”.
 Listing develop-
ment, agriculture and
unemployment as
“challenges” faced by
Punjab, he said the
Congress “alone can
provide a solution” to
these issues.
 The current rulers,
instead of making
amends by accepting
their mistakes, even
after seven-and-a-half
years of rule, are out to
blame the first Prime
Minister, Jawahar-
lal Nehru, for
the prob-
lems
of the
people.
MANMOHANSPEAK
ONLY LOVE FOR MIGRANT WORKERS:
CHANNI CLARIFIES ON ‘BHAIYE’ ROW
A day after sparking controversy with his ‘UP-Bihar de
bhaiye’ comment, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh
Channi issued a clarification on Thurs-
day stating, “My statement is being
misconstrued. All the migrant workers
who have come to Punjab till date
have toiled and taken it on the path to
development. We have only love for
them, nobody can change it.” Channi had said that “Bhai-
yas from UP, Bihar, Delhi cannot come here and rule.”
REMARK ABSOLUTE NONSENSE:
NITISH HITS OUT AT CM CHANNI
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday lambasted
Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi over his remarks
on “bhaiyas” (migrants), calling
it appalling. Talking to reporters,
Kumar sought to know if Channi was
unaware how much people of Bihar
have served Punjab. “This is absolute
nonsense. I am appalled at how peo-
ple can say such things. Does Channi not know how much
people from Bihar have served Punjab,” he said.
Shah asks voters
to bloom Lotus in
Akhilesh’s Karhal
Karhal: Addressing a
rally in the SP strong-
hold of Karhal, from
where its president
Akhilesh Yadav is con-
testing the Uttar
PradeshAssemblypolls,
Union Home Minister
Amit Shah took pot-
shots at the party on
Thursday for bringing
veteranleaderMulayam
Singh Yadav for cam-
paigning.“Onlyoneseat
can do the work of 300
seats. Make the ‘kamal’
(lotus, BJP’s poll sym-
bol) win in Karhal and
the SP will be wiped out
from the state,” he said.
Accusing Akhilesh
Yadav of indulging in
dynastic politics, he
said the previous SP
government in Uttar
Pradesh had 45 mem-
bers from his family.
‘NEHRU’S INDIA’ REMARK BY SINGAPORE
PM UNACCEPTABLE, SAYS GOVT SOURCES
New Delhi: India has slammed the Singapore Prime
Minister’s comments on “Nehru’s India” and the
criminal record of MPs and has said it will take it up
with the country. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
is reported to have made the comment during an
impassioned debate in the Singaporean parliament
yesterday on how democracy should function. P5
Amit shah
Where was Guru
Govind Singh
born? In Patna
Sahib, in Bihar.
Will you throw
Guru Govind
Singh out of
Punjab? People of
such divisive
mentality should
not be allowed to
rule Punjab even
for one moment
Narendra Modi,
Prime Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP leaders during an
election rally at Abohar town in Fazilka district on Thursday.
SC lifts stay on 75% quota for
Haryana locals in private jobs
...asks HC to hear matter in full and decide in 4 weeks
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Thurs-
day, while setting aside
the High Court order
staying the Haryana
government’s law re-
serving 75 per cent of
private sector jobs for
residents of the state,
asked the HC to decide
within four weeks, peti-
tions challenging the
validity of the legisla-
tion.
The top court also re-
strained the state gov-
ernment from taking
any action against em-
ployers under the law
during this time.
The state argued the
order was passed after a
90-second hearing and
that its lawyer was not
heard.
The Supreme Court
asked the High Court to
hear the matter fully
and rule in four weeks.
A Bench headed by
Justice L Nageswara
Rao set aside the Febru-
ary 3 interim order of
the Punjab and Hary-
ana High Court staying
the “The Haryana State
Employment of Local
Candidates Act, 2020”,
saying that the latter
“has not given suffi-
cient reasons for stay-
ing the legislation”.
“We do not intend to
deal with merits of mat-
ter... request High Court
to decide expeditiously,
and not later than four
weeks. Parties are
directed not to seek
adjournment...” the
Supreme Court bench
observed.
The Haryana govern-
ment has also been
told to refrain from
coercive steps against
private sector em-
ployers opting not to
follow the contentious
new law, at this time.
DEAD AFTER FALLING
INTO WELL IN KUSHINAGAR
13
Grief-stricken
family members
at Nebua
Naurangiya village
in Kushinagar
district. (Left) The
well covered with
wooden ladders.
First India Bureau
Kushinagar: Thir-
teen women and girls
died and three others
sustained injuries
when they acciden-
tally fell into a well
during a ‘haldi’ cere-
mony at a village in
Nibua Naurangiya in
UP’s Kushinagar late
Wednesday evening.
The victims had gone
near the well for a
prayer when the inci-
dent occurred.
The women had
gathered near the
well for an event
when suddenly, the
slab kept on it broke
and the victims fell in-
side. Hearing screams,
locals ran and pulled
out the victims. The
bodies were cremated
on Thursday
. More on P7
TRAGEDY AT UP WEDDING
Uttar Pradesh Lucknow
NEW
CASES
105
NEW
CASES
861 NEW
DEATHS
7

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2022
02
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New Delhi: Jawaharlal
Nehru was a man of the
people and of many
gifts and achievements,
says veteran author
Ruskin Bond in his new
book and describes
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi as a man of
humble beginnings,
whose political acumen
and yogic willpower
have brought him to the
top.
In “A Little Book of
India: Celebrating 75
Years of Indepen-
dence”, Bond draws on
his own memories and
impressions to pay
homage to the country
that has been his home
for 84 years.
“We have had many
outstanding prime min-
isters - Nehru, Shastri,
Indira Gandhi, A B Va-
jpayee, Manmohan
Singh, many others -
and now Narendra
Modi, a man of humble
beginnings, whose po-
litical acumen, natural
sagacity, and yogic will-
power have brought
him to the top and kept
him there through two
general elections,” he
writes.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
according to Bond, was
a modest and thought-
ful man and the BJP’s
man of the moment.
“A few years before
he had become PM, I
had seen him walking
down Mussoorie’s
Landour bazaar, accom-
panied by just one or
two companions, chat-
ting to shopkeepers and
others without any pre-
tensions or desire for
show.
Bond, who was a
schoolboy when India
won independence, re-
calls how the tricolour
was hoisted and the
Union Jack came down
at his boarding school
in Shimla.
He also talks about
Nehru’s iconic speech
saying it was a “reflec-
tion of his knowledge
of world affairs and his
familiarity with the En-
glish language”.
Bond adds that Neh-
ru was impatient of se-
curity and frequently
gave a slip to his body-
guards.
“One of them, an
ex-bodyguard, who met
me around 1960, said: ‘I
had a hard time keeping
up with him. He kept
darting off in unexpect-
ed directions. I lost
weight running after
Pandit Nehru’. When I
met this gentleman, he
was putting on weight,
relieved at having
passed on his duties to
another bodyguard,” he
writes in the book, pub-
lished by Penguin Ran-
dom House India.
According to Bond,
the Nehru years were,
by and large, were-
peaceful with India in-
fluencing the interna-
tional arena as a cham-
pion of non-alignment.
He describes Indira
as a strong leader who
had no hesitation in
sending the Indian
Army into East Paki-
stan and helped the
creation of Bangladesh.
“But her premiership
was marked by many
upheavals- an Emergen-
cy of almost two years
duration, during which
most of her political op-
ponents were impris-
oned,” Ruskin Bond
writes. —PTI
Nehru people’s man; PM Modi has yogic willpower, writes Ruskin Bond
INDIA@75

Late Atal
Bihari
Vajpayee,
according to
Bond, was a
modest and
thoughtful
man and the
BJP’s man of
the moment
FAMILY REUNION!
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, ex-president and patron Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal
Yadav were clicked together during a road show in Etawah on Thursday.
Support growing for BJP with every phase: PM
First India Bureau
Fatehpur: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Thursday said that peo-
ple’s support is growing
for the BJP with every
phase of elections in Ut-
tar Pradesh and once
again UP is saying
“Aayegi to BJP hi, aay-
enge to Yogi hi”.
Addressing a huge
gathering at his elec-
tion rally in Fatehpur,
the Prime Minister
said: “The enthusiasm
of people suggests that
BJP will definitely win
the 2022 elections. Peo-
ple rejected dynasts and
their votebank politics
in 2014, 2017 and 2019
elections in UP and
they will do the same in
2022 as well.”
PM Modi said that
people have realised
that the opposition par-
ties only gave them
empty slogans when
they were in power,
whereas on the con-
trary, the BJP Govern-
ment worked on the
ground to protect their
honour and empower
them. “In this election,
on the one hand you
have nationalism and
on the other there are
debates and discus-
sions”, he said.
“That’s why people
did not listen to the op-
position parties when
they were carrying out
their misinformation
campaign against the
Covid vaccines while
our government was
working round the
clock to save lives of
people by providing
people with free vac-
cines and free ration.
They not only have
problems with Modi &
Yogi, but also the vac-
cines. But, their real
problem is that if that
poor and underprivi-
leged get empowered, it
will end their cut com-
mission mafia”, he re-
marked.
Cautioning voters
against the opposition
parties’ desperate at-
tempts to woo them in
order to take revenge on
them, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said
that they would never
be able to understand
the agony of a poor and
deprived person, be-
cause they were born
with silver spoons in
their mouths.
PM Narendra Modi expressed confidence that BJP will win the ongoing UP Assembly elections under the leadership of CM Yogi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Deputy CM of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya during a
public rally, in Fatehpur on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
PM ON ‘DYNASTS’
Previous govts considered B’khand as ‘Bihad’,
was dominated by goons, mafia, alleges CM Yogi
First India Bureau
Jalaun: UttarPradesh
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath on Thurs-
day hit out at the Sam-
ajwadi Party, saying
that it has no develop-
ment-oriented think-
ing. The previous gov-
ernments neglected
the development of
Jalaun considering it a
‘Bihad’, he added.
Addressing a public
meeting in Jalaun, Ad-
ityanath said, “They
(SP) have no develop-
ment-oriented think-
ing...It’s not on their
agenda..when they
were in power, riots
would take place ev-
erywhere, develop-
ment was stalled..an-
archy was at its peak
but today there is no
such scenario. There
are no riots but only
development.”
Yogi also asked peo-
ple to remember that
freeing terrorists in-
volved in attacking Sri
Ram Janmabhoomi in
Ayodhya were among
the first acts of the SP
government in 2012.
“The difference is
clear, before 2017, when
the SP government
took the first decision
of withdrawing the
cases against accused
of terrorist attack on
Ram Janmabhoomi in
Ayodhya. We waived
farmers’ loans as soon
as our government
was formed,” the CM
said.
Taking a dig at the
previous government,
the CM commented: “
What was the condi-
tion of Jalaun five
years back? Criminals
used to harass the pub-
lic, traders.”
He also added that
earlier the land mafia
used to capture the
land of the farmers,
goons used to molest
the daughters, but af-
ter the formation of
the BJP government,
the land mafia van-
ished from the state
and criminals were
begging for their lives.
“The previous govern-
ments helmed by the
SP and the BSP left no
stone unturned in dev-
astating this region
turn by turn,” the
Chief Minister said.
Accusing the opposi-
tion parties of isolat-
ing themselves from
people during the pan-
demic, Yogi Aditya-
nath said, “At the time
of COVID-19, the
Union and state gov-
ernments and BJP
public representatives
ventured out to serve
people but nothing was
known about opposi-
tion leaders.”
The Chief Minister
also promised that the
BJP will give not only
tablets and smart-
phones but also pro-
vide free digital access
to 2 crore young people
in next five years if
voted to power again.
“All of them were in
home isolation and
self-quarantine. When
these people did not
reach out to you at the
time of crisis, they
should be asked to
keep aloof in elections
as well,” he said.
CM Yogi Adityanath attends a political rally in Jhansi.
BJP govt gave impetus to
development: Jitendra Singh
Lucknow: Union Min-
ister Jitendra Singh on
Thursday claimed that
Uttar Pradesh had an
“atmosphere of riots
and anarchy” which
changed under the
BJP’s “double-engine
government” that gave
impetus to the develop-
ment and established
the rule of law.
He claimed the attack
on Union Minister S P
Singh Baghel, the BJP
candidatepittedagainst
Akhilesh Yadav in Kar-
hal, makes evident the
“desperation” of the
Samajwadi Party chief
who is “sensing defeat”
in the Assembly polls.
The senior BJP lead-
er accused Akhilesh Ya-
dav of trying to foist a
‘danga (riot) raaj’ in Ut-
tar Pradesh, so that
“criminals associated
with Samajwadi Party
will have a free run to
loot”.
The people of the
state have seen the at-
mosphere of riots and
anarchy in UP for years.
Jitendra Singh fur-
ther claimed that in pre-
vious governments, be
it of the Congress or the
Samajwadi Party, MPs
and MLAs belonged to
the same family.
“Promotion of family
interests and caste poli-
tics were the bedrocks
of the Akhilesh Yadav
government and that’s
an irony as socialists
can’t be dynasts.”, he
added. —PTI
BJP DEVELOPED B’KHAND: CM YOGI
‘BJP aapke sankat ki
saathi, baaki avsarwadi’
First India Bureau
Varanasi: Lam-
basting the previ-
ous governments
for not bringing
prosperity to the
Bundelkhand re-
gion and disrespect-
ing great personali-
ties like Rani
L a k s h m i b a i ,
Jhalkaribai and
Major Dhyan
Chand, Chief Min-
ster Yogi on Thurs-
day said that BJP’s
double-engine gov-
ernment not only
worked for welfare
of all but also
knows how to re-
spect our legends.
“The region
which failed to de-
velop even after 70
years of indepen-
dence and lacked
essential resources
was developed in
last five years. We
not only worked to-
wards progress of
every section with-
out discrimination
but also respected
our great personali-
ties like Rani
L a k s h m i b a i ,
Jhalkaribai and
MajorDhyanChand
by keeping their
legacies alive,” said
the Chief Minister
while addressing a
public meeting at
Jhansi.
Stating that the
SP, BSP and Con-
gress are all similar
parties that possess
a ‘dynastic mindset,
Yogi added, “All
they (opposition)
did was to benefit
themselves, while
we named Jhansi’s
railway station af-
ter Rani Lakshmib-
ai, a women PAC
battalion after
Jhalkaribai, and a
grand sports uni-
versity at Meerut
after Major Dhyan
Chand. We know
how to respect our
legends.”
Yogi addresses a political rally in Sarojininagar, as BJP
candidate in fray Rajeshwar Singh looks on.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh addressing a press meet at the BJP
headquarters in Lucknow on Thursday. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
Be it Cong or SP,
their MPs, MLAs
belonged to the
same family, said
Jitendra Singh
Ruskin Bond and the cover of his newly written book.

UTTAR PRADESH
03
CRUCIAL READ
2 STUDENTS, DRIVER DEAD AS SCHOOL
BUSES COLLIDE IN MUZAFFARNAGAR
Muzaffarnagar:In an unfortunate incident, three
people, including two school students and a driver
were killed when two school buses collided head-
on in Muzaffarnagar on Thursday. The accident
occurred on the Shahpur-Muzaffarnagar road early
morning when a school bus from Ravindra Nath
Tagore school and another one of GD Goenka
School collided head-on because of low visibility
due to fog. Senior Superintendent of Police Ab-
hishek Yadav visited the district hospital and took
stock of the situation.
BHAGIDARI
MORCHA SUPPORTS
PEACE PARTY
Lucknow: Ahead of
the third phase of the
ongoing Assembly polls
in UP, All India Majlis-
e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
(AIMIM) chief Asadud-
din Owaisi on Wednes-
day announced that the
Bhagidari Parivartan
Morcha will extend its
support to the Peace
Party. Addressing a
press conference here,
Owaisi said, “We have
decided that Bhagidari
Parivartan Morcha will
support candidates
of the Peace Party
wherever they’ll contest
elections (in the state).
INSPECTION BY
LMC FOR PARKING
IN COMPOST AREA
Lucknow: A site inspec-
tion for a parking facility
for vehicles at the com-
posting area opposite
Lucknow Municipal
Corporation’s central
workshop at Gomti Nagar
was done on Thursday.
Municipal Commissioner
Ajay Kumar Dwivedi, Ad-
ditional Municipal Com-
missioners Abhay Kumar
Pandey & Pankaj Singh,
City Engineer-4 and other
senior officials issued
guidelines to remove
debris, construction of
boundary walls, and
preventing unauthorised
persons from entering.
Battle of Prestige on Lucknow Cantt
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Luc-
know Cantt seat made
headlines even before
the assembly elections
began when leaders
from various parties
were seen vying for a
ticket form here.
Aparna Yadav, young-
er daughter-in-law of
Mulayam Singh Yadav,
is believed to have quit
the Samajwadi Party
(SP) to join the BJP
merely because she was
not given a ticket from
Lucknow Cantt where
she had lost in 2017. It is
another matter that the
BJP did not give her a
ticket either. BJP MP
Rita Bahuguna Joshi
also lobbied for a ticket
from here for her son
MayankJoshibutfailed.
The BJP has now
fielded UP minister
Brijesh Pathak who has
shifted out of his Luc-
know central seat. The
BJP has denied ticket to
the sitting MLA Suresh
Tiwari. Pathak had won
the 2017 elections with a
margin of only 5000
votes.
The Lucknow Cantt
seat is considered presti-
gious since it includes
the trading hubs of the
state capital. It has a
mixed population of 6.3
lakhs that includes de-
fence veterans, Brah-
mins, Dalits, Sikhs and
people from Uttara-
khandinlargenumbers.
Two women MLAs
have represented the
constituency for five
terms since 1980 - Prem-
vati Tiwari of Congress
in 1980, 1985 and 1989
and Rita Bahuguna
Joshi who won the con-
stituency twice in 2012
(INC) and 2017 (BJP).
Congress has won the
seat at least eight times.
To enlist the support of
businessmen and trad-
ers, SP, BSP and Con-
gress have given tickets
to local businessmen.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Luc-
know bench of Alla-
habad High Court on
Wednesday asked the
stategovttoconsiderlift-
ing its ban on the en-
hancement of students’
fees in private schools as
the institutions across
the state had reopened.
The court has fixed
Feb 28 as the next date
of hearing in the mat-
ter. A division bench of
Justice A R Masoodi
and Justice N K Jauhri
passed the order on the
writ petition filed by
Association of private
schools. The petitioner
has challenged the
state government’s de-
cision of Jan 7, 2022,
whereby it put a ban on
private schools increas-
ing fees, due to
COVID-19 conditions.
It was submitted on
behalf of the petitioner
that the order was given
looking at the closure of
institutions,butnow,the
govt itself on Feb 11 is-
sued another other noti-
ficationopeningallinsti-
tutions. As such, there is
no logic to continue the
banontheenhancement
of feesinprivateschools,
the plea said. —PTI
Brajesh Pathak campaigning in Lucknow along with Aparna Yadav.
Rita Bahuguna Joshi with son
Mayank Joshi.
—PICTURE FOR REPRESENTATION
BROOM BROOM
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and party candidate Engineer Ajay Kumar from Lucknow
Cantt holding brooms, party’s election symbol, during a roadshow in Lucknow on Thursday.
Consider lifting ban on hike in
schools fees: HC to UP govt
36% CANDIDATES FACE CRIMINAL CASES: ADR
PLEA IN SC
AGAINST BAIL TO
ASHISH MISHRA
New Delhi: Barely
two days after Ashish
Mishra, the Lakhimpur
Kheri violence accused,
walked out of jail after
being granted bail by
the Lucknow bench of
the Allahabad HC, a plea
has been filed in SC
seeking cancellation of
bail to the union minis-
ter’s son. The plea was
filed by advocates Shiv
Kumar Tripathi and CS
Panda who sought to
cancel of bail of Ashish
Mishra. The advocates
said that cancellation
of bail would be in the
best interest of justice.
They further clarified
that there is a possibili-
ty of tampering with the
evidence if the accused
is roaming scot-free.
—ANI
Noida: The Samajwadi Party and the
BJP have fielded almost equal percent-
age of candidates with “serious criminal
cases” against them for the third phase
of the UP assembly polls, according to
a report. While 21 of the 55 candidates
(36.20 per cent) of the SP have declared
serious criminal cases, the number of
BJP contestants stood at 20 out of 55
(36.36 per cent), the UP Election Watch
and Association for Democratic Reforms
(ADR) report found. Among other major
political parties, 18 or (31 per cent) of
the 59 BSP candidates, 10 (18 per cent)
of the 56 Congress candidates and 11
(22 per cent) of the 49 AAP candidates
have declared serious criminal cases in
their affidavits, it noted.—PTI
Injured students being treated at a hospital. —PHOTO BY PTI
—PHOTO
BY
SUMIT
KUMAR

PERSPECTIVE
04
l Vol 2 l Issue No. 98
l RNI NO. UPENG/2020/80229.
Printed and published by
Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of
First Express Publishers. Printed
at Amar Ujala Ltd. B-5 Amausi
Industrial Area Kanpur Road Luc-
know. Published at 98, Friend’’s
Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli
Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP).
Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra.
Editor: Vishal Srivastav
responsible for selection of news
under the PRB Act
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
May the God of endurance
and encouragement give
you the same attitude
toward each other, similar
to Christ Jesus’ attitude.
—Bible
IN-DEPTH
Nitin Gadkari
@nitin_gadkari
Improved road connectivity in the
coastal area will boost tourism,
create employment opportunities
for urban and rural youth and play
a pivotal role in bringing prosperity
to the people of Andhra Pradesh.
#PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
The accident in Kushinagar, Uttar
Pradesh is very sad. I express my
condolences to those who have lost
their loved ones in this accident.
I pray to God for peace to all the
departed souls and speedy recovery
of the injured.
TOP TWEETS
RUSSIA RULES OUT
ATTACK BUT WEST
CONTINUES TO BE
ON TENTERHOOKS
ussian President
Vladimir Putin is
keeping the West and
the US on tenter-
hooks over what is
said to be an “imminent” inva-
sion of Moscow. The invasion
was said to have begun on
Wednesday but the day seems to
have passed without any eventu-
ality
. What was said to be a “par-
tial” withdrawal of troops from
Ukraine’s border, was described
by some experts as “routine”
back and forth movement. At
least the UK said that it had not
seen evidence of pullback.
The partial withdrawal is not
seenasde-escalationbecauseRus-
sian troops remain deployed in
twokeymilitarydistricts.Accord-
ingtoanalystsRussiahasenough
forces to launch an invasion.
President Joe Biden repeated
his warning telling Russia to de-
sist from invasion or be ready to
face severe consequences. Diplo-
macy continues to be the only
hope as, of course, Ukraine de-
laying its plan to join NATO.
Amidst continued diplomatic
efforts, Russia’s EU ambassador
has ruled out any attack in the
coming months.
R
inally, the Income
Tax department
swung into action
and raided the
premises of Chi-
tra Ramkrishna, the former
MD and CEO of the National
Stock Exchange of India and
Anand Subramanian, the
group’s operating officer. The
Enforcement Directorate
which is quick to pounce on
suspected targets and acts in
tandem with the I-T Depart-
ment is yet to move against
Ramkrishna and one won-
ders why? Ramkrishna’s is a
curious case of a CEO head-
ing an over Rs 3 lakh crore
entity taking orders from a
“spiritual guru” living some-
where in the high Himalayas.
Anand Subramanian himself
was said to have been ap-
pointed on the ‘guru’s’ advice.
The Congress pooh-poohed
the government’s inability to
track down the IP address
from which the “spiritual
guru” was sending emails to
Ramkrishna giving her direc-
tions. The party spokesper-
son asked if the finance min-
istry could rule out insider
trading and questioned the
silence of PM and FM on the
issue. After an audit by EY
it was revealed that the “spir-
itual guru” steering Ram-
krishna was none other than
Subramanian.
That the CEO could run an
institution as large as the
NSE under the directions of
a ‘ghost baba’ since 2016 is in-
credulous and exposes the
chinks in the running of fi-
nancial institutions. Securi-
ties and Exchange Board of
India (SEBI) has fined Ram-
krishna Rs 3 crore for govern-
ance “lapses”. Anand Subra-
manian has to pay a fine of Rs
2 crore. It is more than gov-
ernance lapses as it was a me-
ticulously planned crime
with the connivance of the
NSE board which did not re-
port the matter to the SEBI.
THE CURIOUS
CASE OF A ‘GURU’
AND NSE’S MD
Party spokesperson asked
if finance ministry could
rule out insider trading and
questioned silence of
PM and FM on issue.
After an audit by EY it
was revealed that the
“spiritual guru” steering
Ramkrishna was none
other than Subramanian
F
or most of us in India, it is dif-
ficult to fathom the far-reach-
ing impact of the on-going
standoff between Russia and
Ukraine. It is just not a con-
frontation between two sover-
eignnations,but a crisiswith-
in a family bonded by blood
and culture. It has a multiple
or multi-dimensional adverse
affect in the region. The crisis
may spin off to the most of
Central Asia adversely affect-
ing India’s immediate as well
as long-term interest. There
is also a feeling that the US-
led western powers are en-
couraging neo-Nazis in the
region. It might become a re-
peat of the jihadists, which
had received liberal funding
either directly or indirectly
from the western powers.
This author could realize
the gravity of the situation,
when a few years ago, a Rus-
sian media scholar confided
that millions of Russians and
Ukrainians have family ties.
Her mother is a Ukrainian,
while father a Russian. There
are many Ukrainians having
a Russian wife. She also pre-
sented a study paper regard-
ing the frequent interactions
between India and the re-
gion, which included the
steppe of Pamir to the south-
ern and eastern regions of
Siberia, where a large num-
ber of artefacts, Hindu idols
have been excavated, estab-
lishing the ancient ties. If
Indians were obtaining qual-
ity horses from Ukraine,
there were Vishnu and Bud-
dha temples recently exca-
vated in the region.
InIndiafewamongus,espe-
cially those at the policy lev-
els, could evaluate the possi-
ble impact of the Ukraine
crisis. However, apart from
the Central Asian regions
comprising the former USSR
republics like Tajikistan, Uz-
bekistan Kyrgyzstan and
many other countries have
startedfeelingthedown-trend
in their money-order econo-
mies. India’s formidable mili-
tary establishment, perhaps,
is well-prepared to manage,
the paucity of key military
supplies from Ukraine dis-
rupted due to the war-like sit-
uation, but her thousands of
students enrolled in different
technicalandmedicalschools
in Ukraine face disruption in
their education, and indeed a
bleak future. The recent de-
cline of the purchasing power
of the Russian currency
, rou-
ble,estimatedtobe.9percent,
in the international market
hascausedanxietyamongthe
workers, mostly drawn from
Uzbekistan, and other former
republics of the region work-
ing in Russia.
It may also be noted that it
is not a conflict between the
two nations, but it has erupt-
ed due to the design of the
US-led western powers under
the banner of NATO, to
weaken, of not dwarfing the
Russian influence in the vast
lands of Eastern Europe and
Eurasia. On the one hand,
America’s industrial-mili-
tary establishment created
impediments in the entry of
Russia, and started enrolling
smaller powers in the NATO.
It served the twin purpose of
restraining or diluting the
Russian influence as well as
penetrating into the fragile
economies of the countries
of the region. For example,
the Ukranian oil industry,
Hunter, the son of the US
President Joe Biden, served
as a director drawing huge
salary from a Ukrainian oil
company, when his father
was the Vice President. The
conflict is rooted in the Rus-
sian demand not to enrol
Ukraine in NATO, a demand
so far not acceptable to the
alliance partners.
Most of us might have
missed the impact of the 2014
war that had enveloped
Ukraine’s eastern region.
The Ukrainian army, which
is now better equipped with
western weapons, had sup-
port of thousands of Rus-
sians. These warriors also
did not endorse the separa-
tists supported by Russia.
Theconfidenceof theUkrain-
ian Government during the
crisis could be attributed to
their support. The Russian
displeasure’ could be traced
to the American strategy to
encircle Russia by the NA-
TO’s expansion in the region.
It appears that the Russian
resistance and its decision to
assert in the region have not
only upset the fragile strate-
gic balance in Eurasia, it
might promote neo-Nazis un-
der the banner of the Azov
Special Operations Detach-
ment with the blessings of
the west. The neo-Nazis use
Nazi symbols, especially in
their logo resembling Wolf-
sangel. In 2018, the US Senate
had blocked military supplies
to the group; however, one
year later in 2015, the ban was
overturned by the Congress.
In their organizational struc-
ture, they resembles with the
Islamic Jihadists. The dread-
ed force has volunteers from
as many as 22 countries.
In a bid to diffuse the situa-
tion from worsening, top Eu-
rope political leaders have
been visiting Moscow, which
included the German Chan-
cellor Olaf Scholz and French
PresidentEmmanuelMacron.
However, they could not fur-
nish any guarantee that
Ukraine would not be induct-
ed in NATO. Meanwhile, NA-
TO’s Secretary-General Jens
Stoltenberg has asserted that
the alliance countries are de-
veloping “options to further
strengthen NATO’s deter-
rence and defence, including
considering establishing new
NATObattlegroupsincentral
and eastern and south-east-
ern Europe.” These efforts,
however, have enabled the
NATO allies to reassert their
unity
. Earlier, it suffered due
to the American nuclear-sub-
marine deal with Australia
oustingtheFrenchcompanies
and the reluctance of the Eu-
ropean members to deploy
forces at the troubled front.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
Russia-Ukraine standoff, financial down-
trend adversely affects millions in Eurasia
THE SHADOW OF NEO-NAZIS
F
GOPAL MISRA
The writer is accredited as a journalist
of long and distinguished service with
the Press Information Bureau of the
Information and Broadcasting Ministry
However, they could not
furnish any guarantee that
Ukraine would not be inducted
in NATO. Meanwhile, NATO’s
Secretary-General Jens
Stoltenberg has asserted that
the alliance countries are
developing “options to further
strengthen NATO’s deterrence
and defence, including
considering establishing new
NATO battle groups in central
and eastern and south-eastern
Europe.” These efforts,
however, have enabled the
NATO allies to reassert their
unity. Earlier, it suffered due
to the American nuclear-
submarine deal with Australia
ousting the French companies
and the reluctance of the
European members to deploy
forces at the troubled front
In India few among
us, especially those
at the policy levels,
could evaluate the
possible impact of the
Ukraine crisis. However,
apart from the Central
Asian regions comprising
the former USSR
republics like
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan and many
other countries have
started feeling the down-
trend in their money-
order economies

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INDIA
05
US GIRL, 6,
MISSING SINCE
2019 FOUND ALIVE
PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT, PRIME
MINISTER GREET KCR ON BIRTHDAY
FOUR ARRESTED
FOR UNNATURAL
SEX WITH COW
New York: A six-year-
old girl missing for
over two years has
been found hidden
in a “dark and wet”
makeshift room under
a staircase in rural
New York state, US
police said Wednesday.
Paislee Shultis was
reported missing in
2019 with officers at
the time suspecting
her biological parents,
Kimberly and Kirk, of
kidnapping her after
losing custody.
Hyderabad: President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice
President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, chief ministers of different
states and other leaders wished Telangana Chief
Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday on
the occasion of his birthday, while the rul-
ing TRS leaders and workers organised vari-
ous events on a grand scale to mark the day.
President Kovind and PM Modi telephoned Rao
(popularly known as KCR) to convey the greet-
ings, a CMO release said. “Birthday wishes to
Telangana CM Shri KCR Garu. Praying for his
long and healthy life,” Modi tweeted.
Jaipur: Four men have
been arrested for al-
legedly sodomizing a
calf in Alwar district of
Rajasthan, police said
here on Thursday. The
accused had also made
a video of the heinous
act and circulated it on
social media. SP Bhi-
wadi (Alwar) Shantanu
Kumar Singh said that
a dairy farmer Fateh
Mohammad filed an FIR
alleging that his female
calf was sodomized by
the four accused.
Jhansi (UP): Pitching
government’s bid to ad-
dress the issue of per-
ennial water scarcity in
the Bundelkhand re-
gion of Uttar Pradesh,
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath on Thurs-
day said the BJP led
Centre and state admin-
istration are working to
fulfill the vision of “Har
khet ko paani, Har
haath ko kaam (water
in every farm, work for
every hand)”. Address-
ing a rally in Jhansi,
the CM said as many as
12 irrigation projects
have been completed.
“The double-engine
government of the BJP
is working to fulfill the
vision of ‘Harr Khet ko
Paani, Harr Haath ko
Kaam’ in the state. We
have completed more
than 12 irrigation pro-
jects. The Arjun Sahay-
ak project has helped
farmers, who earlier
used to get Rs 500-600,
improve their incomes
to get Rs 8,000-10,000 for
crops,” said Adity-
anath. —ANI
Firozabad (UP): Sama-
jwadi Party chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav on Thurs-
day said that his party
has already hit a “cen-
tury” in the first two
phases of polling in Ut-
tar Pradesh and will
have enough numbers
by the fourth phase to
form the government.
In the first two phases
of polls in the state, vot-
ing was held on the 113
constituencies and 59
seatseachwillgotopolls
in the third phase on
February 20 and fourth
phase on February 23.
“Have already hit a
century in first two
phases…and by the
fourth phase of polling
Samajwadi Party will
have enough numbers
to form the govern-
ment,” the SP chief said
addressing an election
rally in Nasirpur area
of Firozabad here.
Polling in Firozabad
seat is also slated in the
third phase.
“The people of Firo-
zabad will open the eyes
of the BJP this time, ”
the SP chief said.
Yadav also promised
caste census in the state
after the formation of
the SP government.
“This is the election
for saving democracy,
saving Constitution of
Baba Saheb Ambedkar,
saving the honour of
backwards, Dalits and
minorities who have
been humiliated,” he
said. —PTI
SP HITS ‘CENTURY’ IN FIRST 2 PHASES: AKHILESH
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav seeking blessing from his father and Samajwadi Party
founder Mulayam Singh Yadav during a public rally, in Mainpuri on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Chandigarh: Congress
leader Priyanka Gan-
dhi Vadra slammed the
Narendra Modi govern-
ment at the Centre on
Thursday, saying its
governance is only vis-
ible in advertisements.
She also accused the
BJP and the AAP of us-
ing religion and senti-
mentsforpoliticalgains.
“Modiji’s governance is
only in advertisements,
there is no governance
inthecountry
.Hadthere
been governance, there
would have been em-
ployment and price rise
would not have been
there. Had there been
governance, PSUs,
which generate employ-
ment, would not have
beensoldtohisfriends,”
the Congress general
secretary told reporters
at Pathankot in poll-
bound Punjab, where
she also addressed a
rally
. —PTI
CRUCIAL READ
EAM JAISHANKAR
TO VISIT GERMANY
AND FRANCE
PM TO DEDICATE
2 ADDITIONAL
RAILWAY LINES
New Delhi: EAM S Jais-
hankar will embark on a
six-day visit to Ger-
many and France from
Friday during which
he will attend a key
security conference and
a ministerial meet on
the Indo-Pacific besides
holding bilateral talks,
the Ministry of External
Affairs (MEA) said on
Thursday that Jais-
hankar will participate
in the Munich Security
Conference (MSC) in
Germany.
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi will dedicate to
the nation two ad-
ditional railway lines
connecting Thane and
Diva in Maharashtra on
Friday through video
conferencing, his office
said. He will also flag
off two suburban trains
of the Mumbai Subur-
ban Railway, followed
by his address on the
occasion, the Prime
Minister’s Office (PMO)
said.
Double-engine BJP addressed
Bundelkhand’s problems: Yogi
2 free LPG cylinders, scooty
in BJP’s Manipur manifesto
IndiaslamsS’porePM’s
‘Nehru’sIndia’remarks
Govt removes cap on India-Ukraine
flights, asks airlines to operate spl flights
POLLS
Uttar Pradesh
Imphal (Manipur):
BJP released its elec-
tion manifesto for the
2022 Manipur Assembly
polls on Thursday that
promises a long list of
‘freebies’ while focus-
ing on the protection of
territorial integrity
and preserving the
rights of the indigenous
people of Manipur.
Among the BJP’s top
promises are two free
LPG cylinders to be pro-
vided annually to all the
PM Ujjwala beneficiar-
ies of the State. Free
scooty would be provid-
ed to all meritorious
college going girls of
the state. Girls from
EWS and backward sec-
tions will be provided
with an incentive of
25,000 under the Rani
Gaidinliu Nupi Mahei-
roi Singi Scheme.
The manifesto also
promises free laptops
which would be distrib-
uted to all the meritori-
ous students passing the
Class12examtosupport
their education. —ANI
BJP National President JP Nadda and Manipur CM N Biren Singh
release party’s manifesto on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Modi’s governance only in
adverts, says Priyanka

z UP polls: In Kaifi
Azmi ancestral vil-
lage, it’s BJP vs SP,
father vs son. BJP
MLA Arunkant Yadav
is locked in a fight
with his father Rama-
kant Yadav, fielded by
the Samajwadi Party.
SP supremo Akhilesh
Yadav is also an MP
from Azamgarh

z The BJP hit back
at Congress leader
Harish Rawat for his
recent remark that he
would either be CM
or sit at home, saying
he does not have the
patience to wait for
verdict and is build-
ing castles in the air.

z ‘Not tenant, but if
pushed out...’: Con-
gress’ Manish Tewari
on exit buzz

z Bhagwant Mann a
drunkard, illiterate:
Channi’s swipe

z Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh offers
prayers at Amritsar’s
Golden Temple.
Polling in Punjab will
take place in a single
phase on Feb 20.
Gujarat Cong
leader Parmar
quits party
POLL BUZZ
AAP stoking
communal divide
in Punjab: BJP
TMC leader
stabbed to death
at busy market
Gujarat Congress
spokesperson Jayrajsinh
Parmar resigned from
the party on Thursday,
claiming the organisa-
tion sidelined him for
a long time and that it
has become a “personal
property” of some se-
lect leaders who cannot
even win polls.
New Delhi: The BJP
leader Manjinder Singh
Sirsa on Thursday ac-
cused the Aam Aadmi
Party of working to
cause fissures between
the Hindus and Sikhs in
Punjab in its bid to cap-
ture power in the State,
and cited lack of Sikh
representation in the
Arvind Kejriwal-led Gov-
ernment in the national
Capital to attack it.
A Trinamool Congress
(TMC) leader was
stabbed to death at a
market in West Bengal’s
South 24 Parganas
district on Thursday
morning, following
which locals caught
one of the assailants
and lynched him on the
spot, police said.
New Delhi: India has
slammed the Singapore
Prime Minister’s com-
ments on “Nehru’s In-
dia” and the criminal
record of MPs and has
said it will take it up
with the country. “The
remarks by the Prime
Minister of Singapore
were uncalled for. We
are taking up the mat-
ter with the Singapore-
an side,” government
sources said.
Prime Minister Lee
Hsien Loong is reported
to have made the com-
ment during an impas-
sioned debate in the
Singaporean parlia-
ment yesterday on how
democracy should func-
tion.
“...Nehru’s India has
become one where, ac-
cording to media re-
ports, almost half the
MPs in the Lok Sabha
have criminal charges
pending against them,
including charges of
rape and murder.
Though it is also said
that many of these al-
legations are politically
motivated,” he said, ac-
cording to news
agency PTI. —Agencies
New Delhi: India on
Thursday removed the
cap on number of
Ukraine flights under
the current air bubble
agreement to facilitate
return of Indians from
there. The aviation min-
istry has accordingly
informed Indian carri-
ers, some of which like
Air India are planning
to operate special
flights to Ukraine.
A spokesperson for
the aviation ministry
said it “has removed the
restriction on number
of flights and seats be-
tween India and
Ukraine in air bubble
arrangement. Any
number of flights, as
well as charters, can op-
erate. Indian airlines
have been informed to
mount the flights due to
increase in demand.
Aviation ministry is fa-
cilitating in coordina-
tion with external af-
fairs ministry
.”
Fares have shot up on
Ukraine-India route
with people booking
whatever one-stops,
since there is only once
a week direct on Kiev-
India route as of now,
are currently available.
The big fear among for-
eigners in Ukraine is
that international air-
lines may stop flights if
the situation worsens
further. —Agencies
Manmohan’s
remarks purely
political: Centre
The recent remarks of
former Prime Min-
ister Manmohan Singh
on India’s foreign policy
are purely and clearly a
political message, not
a policy one, said the
Ministry of External Af-
fairs after Singh stated
China is sitting at our
border and efforts are
being made to hide the
truth.
Russian invasion
of Ukraine can
happen anytime,
says White House
US HOPES INDIA WILL SUPPORT
AMERICA IF RUSSIA ATTACKS UKRAINE
ARussian invasion of
Ukraine can happen
anytime now, the White
House said Wednesday
as President Joe Biden
announced plans to
dispatch Vice President
Kamala Harris and Secre-
tary of State Tony Blinken
to attend the Munich
conference to meet world
leaders and unite them
against Moscow. White
House Press Secretary
Jen Psaki anticipated that
an attack could take place
at any time.
Washington: The US has hoped that India, will stand by
its side in case of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, which
as per the Biden administration seems imminent with
Moscow adding 7,000 troops to Ukraine’s border in recent
days. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that
there was a discussion on Russia and Ukraine during the
recently concluded Quad ministerial in Melbourne.
POLLS
MANIPUR POLLS
PUNJAB
Sharat K Verma
New Delhi: Just as in
Uttar Pradesh it is said
repeatedly in the propa-
ganda that the Prime
Minister belongs to the
people of UP, similarly
it is said in Punjab that
Punjab is the richest
state of the country
. But
that too is a myth. Pun-
jab is no longer among
the richest states in the
country, but has joined
the states with the larg-
est poor population.
Once upon a time, Pun-
jab was considered the
agricultural capital of
the country. The Green
Revolution of the coun-
try came from Punjab
and Haryana. But now
this too has become a
myth. Now it seems to
be the suicide capital of
the country. Farmer
suicides in Maharash-
traandAndhraPradesh
are talked about a lot,
but Punjab is less talked
about, while a large
number of indebted
farmers are commit-
ting suicide in Punjab.
How the myth of
Punjab being a rich
state and agricultural
capital has been shat-
tered, it is also known
from the fact that both
the parties fighting
each other for power –
Congress and Aam Aad-
mi Party are fighting
for the votes of the poor
people. When the Con-
gress replaced the erst-
while Maharaja of Pa-
tiala Captain Ama-
rinder Singh and made
Charanjit Singh Chan-
ni the Chief Minister, it
campaigned that the
son of the poor had
been made the Chief
Minister. In every meet-
ing, Congress leaders
are asking for votes by
calling Channi the son
of the pauper. In re-
sponse, the Aam Aadmi
Party’s propaganda is
that its chief ministe-
rial candidate Bhag-
want Mann is the real
‘Aam Aadmi’. So, Chan-
ni and Maan are com-
peting to prove them-
selves as the ‘quintes-
sential’ common man.
This is a big sign of
changing the politics of
the state.
WHOSE CHIEF MINISTER CANDIDATE IS THE
‘QUINTESSENTIAL’ AAM AADMI? AAP OR CONG’?
THE QUESTION FROM PUNJAB
Charanjit Singh Channi Bhagwant Mann

INDIA
06
New Delhi: On New
Year’s Eve, the Indian
government wrote to
states encouraging
them to promote the use
of COVID-19 home tests,
especially for people
who are experiencing
symptoms, in a bid to
avoid straining local
health systems.
During last year’s
delta-driven surge, an
explosion in cases over-
whelmed hospitals and
testing labs. But last
month, as new infec-
tions fueled by the omi-
cron variant skyrock-
eted, so did number of
people testing at home
across India.
In the first 20 days of
Jan, around 200,000 peo-
ple shared their test re-
sults with India’s health
agency — a 66-fold in-
crease compared to all
of 2021. The strategy ap-
parently worked. Those
testing positive with
speedy, though less ac-
curate tests were told to
self-isolate at home, al-
lowing hospital beds to
remain available for the
most vulnerable.
But experts say this
figure is likely only a
fraction of the actual
number of tests used.
Despite rules requiring
people to share their re-
sults with authorities,
many aren’t doing so.
This means country’s
already patchy testing
data is even less accu-
rate and future clusters
may go undetected.
In Maharashtra, state
health official Dr
Pradeep Vyas appealed
to users to report their
results. —ANI
New Delhi: “This is
not a matter for the
Ministry of External
Affairs. Being an inter-
nal matter of India,
any comment on it by
an outsider or another
country is not wel-
come,” Arindam
Bagchi, the official
spokesperson of minis-
try, said in response to
a question at briefing.
“We have a constitu-
tional mechanism, ju-
dicial system and dem-
ocratic ethos. This
gives us a framework to
find solutions to such
things. And this issue
is sub-judice. Karnata-
ka High Court is look-
ing into it,” he added.
“Outsiders have no
right to comment on in-
ternal issues and mat-
ters relating to India’s
constitution and its
people,” Bagchi said.
The comment fol-
lows similarly worded
rebuttals by the gov-
ernment to remarks by
the US and an intergov-
ernmental organisa-
tion of Muslim nations
called OIC on the con-
troversy surrounding
the right to wear reli-
gious headscarves in
schools and colleges.
Going a little firmer
on the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation,
or OIC, the External
Affairs Ministry had
said, “The communal
mindset of the OIC
Secretariat does not al-
low for a proper appre-
ciation of these reali-
ties. OIC continues to
be hijacked by vested
interests.”
Internal matter, outsiders have no right to comment: Foreign Ministry
HIJAB CONTROVERSY

Controversy
over hijabs
spreading out of
Karnataka and
being heard by
its HC is an
internal matter
of India, other
countries have
no right
Moni Sharma
New Delhi: The votes
and seats of parties fluc-
tuate in elections but
whathappenedinTripu-
ra may not have hap-
pened in any other state
of thiscountry
.TheCon-
gress party had got 45
per cent votes in the 2013
assembly elections in
Tripura. It was almost
equal to the votes polled
by the Left Front. The
Bharatiya Janata Party
got only 1.87 percent of
the votes in that elec-
tion. But after five years
i.e. in the 2018 elections,
this picture turned com-
pletely opposite. BJP got
43 per cent votes and
Congress could get only
1.86 per cent votes. Per-
haps nowhere has there
beensuchahugechange
in votes in an election in
any other state.
That’s why now the
questionis,willtheCon-
gress be able to get its
oldvote?Itismorelikely
to have the votes of the
Left parties. So, the fight
is only for the Congress
vote, on which Trina-
mool Congress has also
made a claim. Mean-
while,twoseniorleaders
who left the Congress
and joined the BJP -
Sudip Roybarman and
Ashish Saha have re-
turned to the Congress.
Both are BJP MLAs and
before the next year’s
elections, they have left
the BJP and returned to
the Congress. Earlier it
was being said that
Sudip Roybarman
would go to Trinamool
but his joining the Con-
gress has dealt a blow to
the Trinamool.
Congress leaders are
convinced that it is time
to return to state poli-
tics. On the one hand,
BJP had camped in Del-
hi for the displeasure of
Chief Minister Biplab
Deb and about a dozen
MLAs demanding his
removal in the past.
CPM leader Manik
Sarkar, on the other
hand, has turned 73
years old. The party has
no strong alternative to
him. In such a situa-
tion, an opportunity is
being created for the
Congress in Tripura.
Keep in mind that it
doesn’t take long for the
equations to change in
the northeastern states
and Tripura is the only
state where the BJP has
won on its own. In other
states including Assam,
only Congress leaders
have become chief min-
isters from BJP.
Will the Congress vote return in Tripura?
Mahesh Sharma
New Delhi: Senior
Congress leader for-
mer Union Home
Finance Min P Chid-
ambaram is spear-
heading Congress’
electoral fortunes in a
small state like Goa.
In contrast, in a
relatively large state
like Punjab, Harish
Choudhary and in Ut-
tarakhand’s Deven-
dra Yadav are han-
dling electoral
reins for party.
But more than
in-charge of Ut-
tarakhand and
Punjab, Goa’s election
in-charge P Chidam-
baram is in discus-
sion since this is the
first time that Chid-
ambaram has entered
active politics.
He himself has
made every prepara-
tion for assembly elec-
tions in Goa his
preparations, strate-
gy campaign are be-
ing praised a lot in
party. It is also being
said that if Cong wins
in Goa, then all credit
will go to Chidambar-
am his stature will
be further elevated.
In fact, he has com-
pletely changed poli-
tics of Cong in Goa till
now. Instead of stop-
ping defecting lead-
ers, he let them go.
Chidambaram tried
to give the least num-
ber of tickets to lead-
ers who came to party
after defecting. He
ensured that the
candidates with
dubious alle-
giance,whowere
rigging for tickets,
were not given.
This has sent a good
message among the
voters. After this, he
mobilized resources
for campaigning did
not let Cong lag be-
hind BJP.
Informed sources
also say that his strat-
egy is also behind the
fact that renowned
leaders of Trinamool
Congress did not con-
test in the elections.
Earlier, he also en-
sured that there was
no talk of rapproche-
ment with Trina-
mool. So, on whole,
Chidambaram has
placed contested
Cong in Goa well.
Chidambaram’spoll
mgmtinGoaputs
Congonsafepedestal!
Bhopal: Amid growing
outrage over Muslim
students in Karnataka
being denied permis-
sion to wear hijabs, con-
troversial BJP MP
Pragya Thakur - out on
bail as a key accused in
the Malegaon blasts ter-
ror case - said “(only)
people who are not safe
in their houses need to
wear a hijab”.
The Lok Sabha MP,
who has a history of
making incendiary
comments, also de-
clared “there is no need
to wear a hijab (in pub-
lic)” because Hindus
“worship women”.
“No need to wear hi-
jab anywhere. People
who are not safe in their
houses wear hijab. You
have a madrasa. If you
wear hijab there we
have nothing to do...
outside, where there is
‘Hindu samaj’, they are
not required...” she said
at an event in Bhopal.
No need to wear hijab in
India, says Pragya Thakur
Bengaluru: The hijab
row persists only in 8
high schools pre-
university colleges of
the total 75,000, the
Karnataka govern-
ment said on Thurs-
day, expressing con-
fidence of resolving
the issue. HC, in its
interim order pend-
ing consideration of
petitions related to
hijab row, last week
restrained students
from religious flag
within classroom.
WILL TAKE CARE
IN THE COURTYARD
OBC QUOTA SHOULD NOT CROSS 14 PC IN
2019 MAIN MPPSC RESULT: HC TO STATE
Jabalpur: The MP HC has directed the state
government and MP Public Service Commission
(MPPSC) to ensure that the reservation for the
Other Backward Classes (OBCs) does not exceed
14% while declaring results of the 2019 recruit-
ment exam. A bench of CJ Ravi Malimath and
Justice MS Bhatti passed the order on Wednes-
day and it was uploaded on the HC’s website on
Thursday. The court was hearing a petition filed
by MPPSC aspirants Niharika Tripathi from Betul
district and Kapil Saxena of Guna district.
New Delhi: The Delhi
HC has issued notice
to central government
officials on a contempt
petition for allegedly
not complying with
order directing the
appointment of certain
successful candidates
to post of Joint Secre-
tary Legal Advisor in
Ministry of Law Jus-
tice within six weeks.
Justice Najmi Waziri
said that due compli-
ance of order passed by
a division bench of the
court in July 2021 had
to be ensured by the
authorities and sought
compliance affidavit/re-
ply from officials in the
Ministry of Personnel,
Public Grievances and
Pensions and Ministry
of Law Justice.
HC ISSUES NOTICE TO CENTRAL
OFFICIALS ON CONTEMPT PLEA
SC CONSIDERS
PLEA ON CIVIC
BODY POLLS
SC TO CONSIDER
HEARING ON
CONTEMPT PLEA
New Delhi: SC on
Thursday said it would
look into submissions
for urgent hearing of
plea related to con-
ducting polls for ‘Bru-
hat Bengaluru Mahana-
gara Palike’ (BBMP),
whose term ended on
September 10, 2020.
A bench headed by
CJ N V Ramana
was told by
senior advocate
Meenakshi
Arora that
poll process
has been
stayed by
apex court.
New Delhi: SC agreed
to consider listing for
urgent hearing pend-
ing contempt petition
against Jharkhand gov-
ernment DGP Neeraj
Sinha that alleges he
has been occupying the
post even after super-
annuation on January
31. “Get me the bun-
dle (of case files).
We will see,”
said the bench,
which also
comprised
justices A S
Bopanna
and Hima
Kohli.
Rapid Covid-19 home tests
surge, experts flag risks
In Jan, around 2,00,000 people shared test results with India’s health agency
A healthcare worker collects a ab sample of a woman for the COVID-19 test. —PHOTO BY ANI
COVID UPDATE
Patna: Lok Sabha
Speaker Om Birla on
Thursday called falling
dignity of the House
and a lack of debates on
policy-making matters
of serious concern
while calling for a col-
lective approach to deal
with it.
Speaking at an event
to mark the centenary
of the Bihar assembly
building, Birla said In-
dia has a multi-party
parliamentary system
and governments come
and go. “Whichever
party is in power should
strive to work positively
to strengthen the demo-
cratic institutions.”
He said the House is
meant for arguments
and counter-arguments
and it is natural and
necessary to have dif-
ferences of opinion be-
tween the ruling dis-
pensation opposition
on important issues.
“...but it should not
be allowed to become a
disruption, certainly
not organised bottle-
neck.”
Birla called for ef-
forts to arrive at unani-
mous decisions despite
differences and forceful
debates, which are the
flavour of a thriving de-
mocracy
.
“Government should
also work positively in
that direction so that
expected outcome could
be achieved.” Birla
called the falling sit-
tings of legislatures a
matter of concern. He
said half of the availa-
ble time is lost to slo-
ganeering. —ANI
Om Birla laments lack of
debates on policy-making
Om Birla in a conversation with Nitish Kumar during Centenary
celebrations of the State Assembly building in Patna on Thursday.
Kolkata: Former India
midfielder and East
Bengal legend Surajit
Sengupta, who was part
of the national team
that won a bronze med-
al in the 1970 Asian
Games, died at a city
hospital on Thursday
following his prolonged
battle with COVID-19.
He was 71.
“Lost veteran star
footballer Surajti Sen-
gupta today
. Heart throb
of football fans and an
outstanding national
sportsman as well as a
perfect gentleman, he
will ever be in our
hearts. Deepest condo-
lences,” West Bengal
CM Mamata Banerjee
tweeted. —Agency
Former India
midfielder Surajit
Sengupta dies
Mumbai: Singer-com-
poser Bappi Lahiri, who
enthralledHindicinema
lovers with his disco-in-
fused tunes in the 80s
and 90s, was cremated
here in the presence of
family, friends and in-
dustry colleagues on
Thursday
. Lahiri, 69,
died following multiple
health issues on Tues-
day night at the Criti-
Care Hospital in Juhu.
Police had barricaded
the lane of the singer’s
Juhu residence, Lahiri
House, with nearly 15
cops present on the
ground to manage the
crowd. Lahiri’s mortal
remains—with the sing-
er’strademarkblacksun-
glasses still intact—were
placed in an open truck,
which was decorated
with marigold. —ANI
‘Disco King’ Bappi Lahiri cremated
dra Yadav are han-
dling electoral
reins for party.
But more than
in-charge of Ut-
tarakhand and
after defecting. He
ensured that the
candidates with
dubious alle-
giance,whowere
rigging for tickets,
GOA
GOA
Mortal remains of Bappi Lahiri being taken for last rites.
—PHOTO
BY
ANI
File photo

NEWS
07
ALL FOR OPTICS
Winning is what matters in an
election and not the method
adopted to achieve the goal. And
the Samajwadi Party candidate
from Gorakhpur Shubhawati
Shukla is using all the tricks of
the trade to make her presence
at least as she fights a losing
battle against a formidable
political opponent in Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath. She
has created a buzz of sorts on
social media with pictures in
which she is seen seeking
blessings and touching the feet
of Union Minister Shiv Pratap
Shukla. The move is being
viewed as a ploy. Shukla is seen
taking the blessings of former
BJP MP and retired Lieutenant
General, Prakash Mani Tripathi,
at his Civil Lines residence in
Gorakhpur, in the run-up to the
poll battle against Yogi
Adityanath in Gorakhpur. Both
the BJP leaders are considered
political rivals of Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath, while the SP
candidate is the widow of a BJP
leader, Upendra Dutt Shukla,
who was also a political rival of
the chief minister. Shukla and
her two sons joined the
Samajwadi Party recently and
accused the BJP of not caring
for them after her husband’s
demise. Although there are not
expected to be any surprises
with regard to the outcome of
the election in Gorakhpur, Shukla
is trying to make the
most of a reported caste
Brahmin-Thakur divide within the
BJP. Shukla’s strategists are
trying to turn the situation to
their advantage. “One
photograph conveys more than
words and this is what she has
done,” said a party functionary in
Gorakhpur. The functionary said
that the photograph may not
change much for the SP
candidate but it has definitely
caused flutter and some
embarrassment to the ruling
party. —M Tariq Khan
NOIDA MAN, 2
SONS AMONG 4
ARRESTED FOR
BEATING
SUSPECTED
THIEF TO DEATH
Four people, including a man
and his 2 sons, have been
arrested in Noida for allegedly
beating a suspected thief who later
died in a hospital, police said on
Thursday. Ram Avtar, his sons
Sanjeev and Saajan and their
neighbour Sunil, all residents of
Chotpur village under Sector 63
police station limits, have been
booked for culpable homicide, the
police said. “On Wednesday,
Pankaj Dubey had jumped into the
house of Ram Avtar for theft but
the family members had woken up
because of the noise made by him,
a police spokesperson said. “The
family members then caught the
thief more people from the
neighbourhood joined them and
they overpowered the thief before
beginning to thrash him, the
official said. The incident took
place around 5 AM and the local
police were alerted half an hour
later. The police then took the thief
in its custody but the accused
looked injured and was rushed to
a hospital but he died there, the
spokesperson said. Later, the
police got a complaint from the
mother of the deceased and an FIR
was lodged under IPC section 304
(culpable homicide not amounting
to murder) at the Sector 63 police
station, the official said. On the
basis of the FIR, Ram Avtar, his
sons and one neighbour were
arrested, the police said. —PTI
BATTLE FOR BUNDELKHAND: BSP
TRYING TO REGAIN LOST BASTION
M Tariq Khan
Lucknow: The BJP
swept all the 19 seats in
seven districts of the
Bundelkhand region in
2017. As the battle for
Bundelkhand hots up,
the big question being
askediswillthepartybe
able to repeat its perfor-
mance or will BSP,
which is fighting to re-
gain its lost bastion and
Samajwadi Party make
it a triangular contest.
Thirteen of these 19
seats will go into the poll
in the third phase on
February 20. Banda’s 4
seats will vote in the
fourth phase while Chi-
trakoot’s2seatswillvote
in the fifth phase.
The region roughly
has a population compo-
sitionof 27%uppercaste
votes, 43% OBCs and
21% SCs. The area with
considerable SC popula-
tionhadoncebeenaBSP
stronghold. Even the
joint forces of Samajwa-
di Party and Bahujan
Samaj Party in 2019 gen-
eral elections failed to
unseatBJPintheregion.
BSP supremo who had
been missing from polit-
ical space has lately
made the entry by kick-
ingcampaigninginBun-
delkhand with a hope to
revive her party’s old
bastion. While address-
ing a rally in Orai May-
awati targeted SP, BJP
and Congress. She em-
phasised on how BJP
hasignoredtheMuslims
and ‘Prabudh Samaj’
(Brahmins) in an at-
tempttoreincarnateher
old formula of Dalit +
Brahmins + Muslims +
a portion of OBC votes.
In 2012 BSP won 7 out of
19 seats with 26.2% vote
share, SP 5 with 25.3%
vote share, Congress 4
with 18.6% vote share
and BJP 3 with 18.9%
vote share which gives
BSP a ray of hope in the
region to win back its
lost fortress. But the
road ahead seems quite
difficult for not just BSP
but SP too. In 2017 BJP
not only swept the re-
gion but had more vote
share (45.9%) than the
combined vote share of
BSP and SP (22.2% and
15.9% respectively).
First India Bureau
Gorakhpur: The 13
womenandgirlswholost
theirlivesinNebuaNau-
rangia village of Kushi-
nagar district were sit-
ting on an iron grille on
the well when the slab of
the well collapsed sud-
denlyonWednesdayeve-
ning. They were partici-
patingintheHaldiritual
for the wedding of Amit
Kushwaha, son of Par-
meshwar Kushwaha,
when the incident took
place. 10 other women
and girls fell in the well
were brought out alive.
Narrating the inci-
dent,ParmeshwarKush-
waha said, “The well
was old and was covered
with a slab. During the
ritual, it broke all fell
inside. It is heartbreak-
ing,Ihavedecidedthat
no procession will go
with my son Amit Kush-
waha for the wedding.
Thegroomwillnowonly
get married in a very
simple manner.” No one
fromParmeshwarKush-
wa ha’s family died
in the incident. His
granddaughterPayalfell
into the well but was res-
cued.RameshChaurasia
lost his wife Mamta
Devi. His brother’s wife
Shakuntala Devi two-
year-old daughter Pari
Chaurasia are among
the dead.
“I don’t know what to
do and say as I lost 3
family members. My
wife died and I don’t
know how I’m going to
survive. Villagers tried
to save them and many
were rescued but the
ambulance came very
late,” he said. Angered
at the insensitive atti-
tude of officials, the vil-
lagers blocked the Na-
tional Highway for at
least 3 hours. Senior
police officials rushed
to the spot and handled
the situation. The Local
MP came and pacified
the anger of the people.
CM Yogi Adityanath as-
sured them that the gov-
ernment is with them in
this moment of grief.
Mijwan: Back in the
day
, poet-lyricist Kaifi
Azmi’s village in
Azamgarh district was
consideredaredbastion.
But in these Uttar
Pradesh Assembly polls,
Mijwan in Phoolpur
Powai constituency is
seeing a fierce battle be-
tween the BJP and the
Samajwadi Party
. And
it’s all within the family
.
BJP MLA Arunkant Ya-
dav is locked in a fight
with his father Ra-
makantYadav,fieldedby
the Samajwadi Party
.
SP supremo Akhilesh
YadavisalsoanMPfrom
Azamgarh. Kaifi Azmi,
who was a member of
the Communist Party of
India, is credited with
turninghisancestralvil-
lage into a stronghold of
theideology
.Butoverthe
years, the Left faded out.
Some CPI veterans
blame it on the politics
of Mandal and kaman-
dal job quotas and the
Ayodhya issue. The CPI
has not even fielded a
candidate from Phool-
purPowaithistime.Poll-
ing is on March 7, the fi-
nal phase of the elec-
tions. Local people flag
lawandorderandunem-
ployment as the main
issues. Mangesh, a
young man from the vil-
lage who works in a pri-
vate company in Delhi,
said the BJP govern-
menthasdoneagoodjob
on law and order, and
welfare schemes. But
there is also the need for
employment at the local
level so that people are
not forced to migrate to
earn their livelihood, he
added.MunniLalpicked
law and order as the big-
gest issue in the elec-
tions. Earlier there used
to be a lot of incidents of
road rage and molesta-
tion but now it is not so,
he said, referring to the
current BJP govern-
ment and the one led by
AkhileshYadav
.Wewant
everyonetoliveinpeace.
Bollywood actor Sha-
bana Azmi took on the
work of development in
Mijwan after her fa-
ther’s death in 2002. She
formed the Mijwan Wel-
fare Society and estab-
lished a sewing-embroi-
dery and computer cen-
tre to help women in the
area to become self-reli-
ant. Sanyogita, in-
charge of the sewing
centre set up by the wel-
fare society, told PTI,
“People here want more
development. Initially
Abba (Kaifi Azmi) and
then Shabana baji devel-
oped Mijwan, but devel-
opment should also
reach other areas. —PTI
Banda: Bahujan Samaj
Party (BSP) president
and former chief minis-
ter Mayawati on Thurs-
day hit out at political
opponents terming
them anti-development
and facilitators of injus-
tice, and promised that
her party will reinstate
the rule of law and pre-
vent migration of the
youth for jobs on com-
ing to power. We are
fighting to form a major-
ity government like in
2007 to get rid of the
casteist, narrow-mind-
ed, arrogant and dicta-
torial rule of the BJP.
You will have to support
BSP
, the only party that
cares for all sections of
the society, to ensure
this, Mayawati said ad-
dressing an election ral-
ly in Banda. The BSP
formed its government
in 2007 assembly elec-
tions with 206 seats but
its seat count reduced to
80 in 2012 elections and
further to just 19 seats in
2017 election. The Con-
gress has been in the
power for decades after
Independencebutdueto
its bad policies, it is now
out of power both at the
Centre and in the state,
Mayawati said and add-
ed that the party “is
against people from Dal-
it and backward com-
munities.” When Con-
gress is in power it for-
gets to do anything for
women and people from
Dalit and backward
castes, she added. Daco-
its used to rule this area
of Banda and Chitra-
koot that forced locals to
migrate in search of
jobs. When BSP came to
power we removed daco-
its from this region,
Mayawati asserted.Hit-
ting out at the SP gov-
ernment, she said, De-
velopment of people
from a particular caste
was done in the previ-
ous government but the
BSP worked for the de-
velopment of every sec-
tion of society, includ-
ing those from the back-
ward castes. —PTI
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati —FILE PHOTO
A BSP rally addressed by Mayawati in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Arunkant Yadav Ramakant Yadav
Shubhawati Shukla
People preparing for cremation of the 13 dead, at the banks of
Narayani river on Paniyavaha Ghat in Kushinagar dist on Thursday.
Seats that are expected
to be close include
Mahoba Sadar, Kalpi,
Lalitpur, Mauranipur,
etc. BSP still remains a
force in the region and
in direct contest with
BJP on a few seats in
Hamirpur, Jalaun and
Banda districts. For
Mahoba, BJP has field-
ed its sitting legislator
Rakesh Goswami while
SP and BSP have field-
ed Manoj Tiwari and
Sanjay Sahu respective-
ly. Congress has fielded
Sagar Singh, son of
former MLC Jaywant
Singh.
BSP IN DIRECT
CONTEST WITH BJP
BSP will reinstate rule of law, prevent
migration of people for jobs: Mayawati
‘A PARTY FOR ALL’ POCSO Act is not
intended for teenage
romance: Alld HC
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Observ-
ing that Protection
of Children from
Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act not in-
tended for teenagers’
romantic affair, the
Allahabad High
Court granted bail to
a POCSO accused
man, who ran away
with a 14 year old
girl due to affair be-
tween them, got mar-
ried with her in a
temple, remained in
company with each
other for almost two
years during which
the girl even gave
birth to a baby. Al-
lowing the bail appli-
cation of one Atul
Mishra, Justice Ra-
hul Chaturvedi ob-
served, “Growing
incidences where
teenagers young
adults fall victim of
the offences under
the POCSO Act, be-
ing slapped by the
penal provisions of
POCSO Act without
understanding the
far reaching implica-
tion of the severity
of the enactment, is
an issue that brings
much concern to the
conscience of this
court.” “A reading of
the statement of ob-
jects and reasons of
POCSO Act would
show that, as men-
tioned, to protect the
child from the of-
fences of sexual
abuse, sexual assault
and harassment,
pornography, pursu-
ant to the Article-15
of the Constitution
of India, 1950 con-
servation on the
rights of the
children.



FIERCE BATTLE
Angry villagers block nat’l highway,
accuse ambulance of being late
PM MODI CONDOLES LOSS OF LIVES
1 3
4
2
In Kaifi Azmi’s ancestral village,
it’s BJP vs SP, father vs son
—REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE
— PHOTO BY PTI
— PHOTO BY PTI
TRIANGULAR CONTEST

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
58,72,081
TOTAL DEATHS
34,23,44,947
TOTAL RECOVERED
7,06,05,269
ACTIVE CASES
41,88,22,297
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
5,10,441
TOTAL DEATHS
4,19,10,984
TOTAL RECOVERED
3,32,890
ACTIVE CASES
4,27,54,315
TOTAL CASES
08
2NDFRONT
Ignore the small faults of others but
also be open to guiding them to
improve, not to belittle but to grow.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
Ahtesham Siddiqui
Lucknow: The state
government has decid-
ed to earmark new
posts for PCS officers
of the state’s cadre.
Twenty years ago, the
state government had
marked posts to be as-
signed to PCS officers
but over the passage of
times, these posts have
either become less rel-
evant or have IAS offi-
cers posted on them.
Some of the posts
where IAS officers are
posted include Munic-
ipal Commissioner, Di-
rector, CDO and VC.
The state govern-
ment has recently
sought information
from all the depart-
ments regarding the
posts arranged in var-
ious pay scales of the
PCS cadre.
The posts which
were earmarked for
PCS officers have be-
come obsolete over the
time as the need for
such posts have
changed while in the
Municipal Corpora-
tion including those
of Lucknow, Ghazia-
bad and others, there
are IAS cadre officers
taking up posts ear-
marked for PCS offi-
cers. Such a situation
has forced the
state government to
search for new posts to
provide to the PCS
officers.
IAS Dhananjay
Shukla, Special Secre-
tary Appointment Per-
sonnel has written to
Additional Chief Sec-
retaries, Principal Sec-
retaries regarding the
creation of new posts
for PCS cadre.
In the letter, Dhan-
anjay Shukla stated
that keeping in mind
the needs of the exist-
ing PCS cadre, there is
an urgent need to iden-
tify and revise the new
posts of officers of
PCS cadre.
He thereby asked the
officers to furnish the
details of the posts for
the PCS cadre in their
respective depart-
ments to the appoint-
ment department.
After 20 years, state govt set to
create new posts for PCS officers
FRESH ASSESSMENT
SPL SECY WRITES
If voted to power, SP will fulfill
all poll promises: Mulayam
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Samajwadi
Party patriarch and Lok
SabhaMPfromMainpu-
riMulayamSinghYadav
on Thursday reached
out to the electorate of
Karhal from where SP
chief Akhilesh Yadav is
in fray
. He also appealed
to the people of Mainpu-
ri to ensure victory of
party candidates in oth-
er constituencies of the
district.
Addressing his first
election rally elder Ya-
dav, who reached Safai
on Wednesday
, said if
voted to power the party
would ensure job to un-
employed youth and
problemsof farmersand
traders will be solved.
He said the SP was
committed to provide
seeds, fertilizers and ir-
rigation facilities to
farmers who were large-
ly neglected during the
last five years under the
BJP government.
Referring to prevail-
ing unrest in the coun-
try, Yadav said the na-
tion was passing
through crisis because
of lopsided policies of
the government.
He said the SP would
solve the problems of
the people. Mulayam
Singh Yadav’s address-
ing was aimed at send-
ing message to the re-
gion which is going to
poll in third phase on
February 20 and is cru-
cial for the SP for its
further march in elec-
toral fight.
Gyanendra Kumar Shukla
Lucknow: The focal
point of UP’s electoral
battle has now shifted
from Jatland to Yadav-
land. In the third phase,
polling is going to be
held for the Karhal seat
of SP chief Akhilesh
Singh Yadav, while the
voters will also decide
the fate of PSPL chief
Shivpal Singh Yadav,
who is contesting from
Jaswantnagar seat.
The Bundelkhand
area is also included in
this round, from where
BJP’s state president
Swatantradev Singh be-
longs. Therefore, the
political credibility of
the top leadership of
both BJP and SP is at
stake.
The 2017 elections
were no less than a set-
back for the SP, which
did a clean sweep in dis-
tricts like Etah, Kan-
nauj, Mainpuri, Etawah
in 2012; because, the
Saffron Party, riding on
the ‘Modi wave’, was
successful in breaking
into the strongholds of
the SP. For the first
time, the BJP had set a
record by winning more
than 80 percent of the 59
seats belonging to these
areas. In ten districts
including five seats
in Bundelkhand, apart
from BJP, no other
party could even get a
single seat.
SP was runner up in
32 seats. Although Ya-
dav voters are very in-
fluential in this area,
non-Yadav OBC voters
like Shakya, Kurmi and
Lodh also play a deci-
sive role. To make in-
roads among these caste
groups, BJP strategists
are taking the help of
ally Apna Dal (S) chief
Anupriya Patel. The SP
camp is also very cau-
tious to compete with
BJP’s caste equations.
SP has fielded many
non-Yadav OBC leaders
who rebelled against
BJP, while BSP’s turn-
coats have also been giv-
en tickets.
According to political
experts, factors like the
farmers’ agitation and
the displeasure of Jat
voters, which were seen
in the first two phases,
are missing in the third
phase. Obviously, the
BJP camp will try its
best to compensate for
the damage, that is be-
lieved to have happened
in the western region,
through the third round
of voting.
First India Bureau
Kanpur: The third phase
of election battle in Uttar
PradeshwillbeheldonFeb-
ruary 20, in which the 10
assembly seats of Kanpur,
the largest metropolis of
state will go to poll.
Consideredtobeveryim-
portant, senior leaders and
starcampaignersof allpar-
tieshavecampedinKanpur
and are making public con-
tact. Efforts are being made
on a war footing pace to
grab the vote bank.
BJP candidate Suresh
Awasthi talking to First In-
dia News said that the elec-
tion of Arya Nagar seat has
come to a historic turning
point, the public has not
seen anything in the name
of development in the last
five years, but this time the
immense love and support
of people was being re-
ceived by BJP as they were
relying completely on the
basic mantra of Sabka
Saath Sabka Vishwas.
Mulayam Singh Yadav addressing a public rally in Mainpuri on Thursday. (ANI Photo)
MSY addresses
first election rally
in Karhal to
ensure son’s win
SP’S STRONGHOLD
AMIT SHAH TAKES JIBE AT SP
VISITED EVERY BOOTH: MADHU
Mainpuri: Addressing a rally in the SP stronghold of Karh-
al, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took potshots at the
party on Thursday for bringing veteran leader Mulayam
Singh Yadav for campaigning. Accusing Akhilesh Yadav
of indulging in dynastic politics, he said the previous SP
government in UP had 45 members from his family. “I
had heard Akhilesh Yadav say on television that he would
now come to Karhal only on March 10. But he came here
six days later and under this scorching sun, also had to
bring Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav). When the beginning
is like this, what will be the end result?” Shah asked.
Kanpur: BSP candidate Madhu Gautam from
Kanpur’s Bilhaur assembly seat continued her
public outreach on Thursday, ahead of the last
date of campaign-
ing in Kanpur
on February 18.
Gautam took
out a massive
procession in
Chaubepur area in
which thousands
of youth, women,
along with BSP
workers participat-
ed. Gautam while
talking to First India said that in Bilhaur seat,
she and party workers had gone to every booth
from Jitor to every village and put the party’s
policies before the people. “Every worker of
BSP is excited as the rule of Mayawati is still in
the minds of the people and is being discussed
all around,” she said.
Third phase crucial for SP, while
opportunity of makeover for BJP
‘BJP relying on Sabka Saath Sabka Vishwas’
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav during an election campaign. —FILE PHOTO
Suresh Awasthi during an election
campaigning in Arya Nagar.

irst India’s, Queen
of Cosmos, an in-
ternational beauty
pageantwillbeheld
in Dubai on March
10, 2022. Women
fromdifferentparts
of the world will
compete for the coveted title.
A pre-event, a curtain-raiser
for the selection of the beauty
who will represent India on the
international stage, was held
on Thursday, February 17 at
Hotel Fairmont, Jaipur, the
official hospitality partner
of the event. There was a
talent round, followed by
a formal interactive dinner. A
delectablemenuandanethereal
ambience made the evening a
magical one.
Jagdeesh Chandra welcomed
all the participants to the Pink
Cityandwishedthemallthebest.
On the occasion, he said, “
Along
with our endeavour to showcase
the beauty and talent of charis-
matic ladies, with Queen of Cos-
mos 2022, we also strive to em-
power women by transforming
them into stronger individuals
who are aware of their creden-
tials. I congratulate the entire
team of Rishee Miglani, Lokesh
Sharmaandallotherswhomade
this endeavour possible”.
Today these stunning partici-
pants will be competing with
each other, and 1 top finalist,
the winner will represent India
internationally on March 10 in
Dubai. Besides this, the Fash-
ion Connect season 11 will also
be held on March 12 at Oaks Ibn
Battuta Gate Hotel Dubai.
GM Fairmont Rajiv Kapoor,
AnitaHada,BrandAmbassador
Rishee Miglani, show director
Lokesh Sharma and Ace nutri-
tionist Ruchika Sodhi were pre-
sent as the jury on the occasion.
Talent round witnessed
some amazing performances.
From cultural and western
dance performances to sing-
ing, acting, mimicry and po-
etry recitation, the young mod-
els did not just showcase their
talents but also used the stage
to raise pertinent issues facing
girl-child and women today. It
was heartening to see them
supporting and appreciating
each other in a
true spirit of
camaraderie
and positive
c o m p e t i -
tiveness.
LUCKNOW, FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 18, 2022
09
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
QUEEN OF COSMOS
QUEEN OF COSMOS
A PRE-EVENT TO THE INDIA AUDITION OF THE FIRST
INDIA QUEEN OF COSMOS TO BE HELD ON MARCH 10
AT OAKS IBN BATTUTA GATE HOTEL, DUBAI, WAS HELD
AT HOTEL FAIRMONT, JAIPUR ON THURSDAY!
KAVITA CHAUHAN
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
F
—PHOTOS
BY
MUKESH
KIRADOO

SUNIL
SHARMA
Jagdeesh Chandra with (L-R) Anita Hada, Rishee Miglani, Lokesh Sharma, GM Rajiv Kapoor and Ruchika Sodhi
(Anti-clockwise) Sweezal Furtado, Priya Vinod Singh,
Angela Kumar, Ritiu Bhadauria, Sanskriti Negi,
Simran Mahendrawal and Sanskriti Sharma

10
ETC
Welcome to the NEVERLAND
SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO STAY IN AS A PRECAUTION. IT HAS BEEN A TRYING TIME FOR US ALL WITH ALL THE
GLUM NEWS AROUND AND A CONSTANT NEGATIVITY EVERYWHERE. IT’S ABOUT TIME WE CATCH A BREAK, AND NOW... FINALLY WE CAN! NOW THAT
THE THREAT IS SUBSIDING AND THE WORLD IS STARTING TO GO BACK TO NORMAL, PEOPLE ARE GETTING OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND EXPLORING THE
WORLD AROUND THEM. IF YOU’RE LOOKING TO HAVE A FUN, LUXURIOUS TIME WITH FAMILY, THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU!
MITALI DUSAD
mitalidusad01@gmail.com
ituatedjust
03-04 min-
utes away
from In-
dia’s most
fascinating
National
Park – known as the
Land of Indian
Wildlife. Sawai Vi-
las Ranthambhore
is a gorgeous fami-
ly-run hotel. At
SawaiVilas,youcan
experience luxuri-
ous, refined, and
comfortable hospi-
tality while staying
amidst the idyllic
forests and un-
touched wilderness
of Ranthambhore.
There are 60 pre-
mium villas that in-
clude facilities such
as private outdoor
sitting areas and
decks for sunbath-
ing. The villas com-
priseof utmostcom-
fort, featuring king-
sized beds, leather
finish Kota stone
floors, embroidered
interiors, and regal
furnishings.
From taking a re-
freshing dip in their
swimming pool to
spending quality
time over a drink or
two at the poolside
bar, staying at
Sawai Vilas is an ex-
perience of its own.
There are plenty of
recreational activi-
ties for everyone
andforanymoment
likebilliardsrooms,
fitness centre and
multiple purpose
room with board
games and a nook
of the library
.
For business
travellers, the
state-of-the-art
business centre
solves many pur-
poses of meetings,
conferences and
eventsmakingitan
unforgettable ex-
perience.
Sawai Vilas’s
in-house restau-
rant serves pop-
ular local dish-
es along with a
varietyof other
Indian cuisines
and western
delicacies too.
They also have
a bar that
provides
a fine se-
l e c t i o n
of spirits,
wines, and
cocktails, to
make your
dining experience
more refined and
enjoyable. There is
an arrangement of
bonfire nights,
where you can wit-
ness the culture of
R a n t h a m b h o r e
with folk music.
The strategic
closeness to Ranth-
ambhore National
Park provides the
experience of the
reserve even before
you enter it, you
can experience
Ranthambhore in
the best way
.
S

12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
HIJAB ROW IN SPLITS
HIJAB ROW IN SPLITS
ndia, a nation built on the
pride of secularism, seems to
be in ruptures from time to
time due to the disputes erupt-
ing in the religious beliefs and
rights of the population.
The latest addition is the
Karnataka Hijab row that surged on
January 22, when hijab-wearing stu-
dents in a junior college were denied
entry to classes. Over a few weeks,
it spread to several other schools
and colleges across the state. With
many labelling it as religious
propaganda others are simply seeing
it as an opportunity to strip women
away of their freedom.
Seeing no side of the religion or caste,
I say that no religion should put extra
focus on their particular ones, and disre-
spect others. And yes, I think there
should be freedom to wear or put
on anything until it doesn’t
harm society or the uni-
form atmosphere of the
schools.
—AKASH PANDEY,
MBA student.
Hijab isn’t optional
for Muslim women,
it’s a religious obli-
gation that most of
the women follow,
some don’t and that’s
their choice. The Inter-
national Boxing Associ-
ation rewrote the rules,
allowing women everywhere
to box in hijabs. And here is
our country who’s not allow-
ing students teachers to wear
hijab as their choice to the schools
and colleges. It’s 2022!
—LAYBA AHMAD,
B. Pharm.
Hijab row is not about reli-
gion, it is about supporting
oppressive practices. In In-
dia, public displays of sym-
bols of faith are common.
But in colleges and
schools, it is necessary
for the teachers to see
the student’s face
and also uniform helps them ensure
there is no discrimination among stu-
dents.
—DRSUKANSHAKULSHRESHTHA,
MBBS
A hijab or a turban doesn’t create any
difference, it’s the social conditioning
that creates a difference. Hijabs provide
women with security and I say it’s their
choice and very well be respected. If
some religious practices are causing
mental or physical trauma, then it’s
completely justified to raise a voice
against it but a piece of cloth worn over
the head by choice isn’t something to
create chaos about.
—CAROLINE BORGES,
Educator, St Francis School
In my opinion, this matter should not
be in this limelight. It shouldn’t matter
but then we can’t deny the fact that one
can’t be given privilege based on their
religion. Where there are rules, every-
one must follow irrespective of their
gender, religion, caste etc.
—CHHAVI KHATRI,
MBBS aspirant.
Wearing a hijab or any kind of head-
piece can’t be a sign of oppression. It is
the same as the choice of not wearing
a hijab. It’s a personal preference and
for me, a matter of comfort. I feel stand-
ing out just because I adorn a hijab
doesn’t make me special, it just makes
me a person who chooses to cover their
head like many women who choose not
to.
—DR ADEEBA SIDDIQUI,
BDS
Wearing a hijab is a symbol of modesty
and, to some extent, it resembles one’s
religious beliefs. I’ve studied in a Chris-
tian school where most of my school-
mates were none-Muslims mostly Hin-
dus and Christians and when I started
wearing hijab in 9th grade I sure be-
came a victim of some negative re-
marks but it only reminds me how
much we should embrace each other
irrespective of appearance.
—SABA JAFRI,
B.Com Honours
I
MONICA PRABHAKAR
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
TO UNDERSTAND THE
DIFFERENCE OF
OPINIONS ON THE
LATEST
CONTROVERSY OVER
WEARING HIJAB IN
EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS,
CITY FIRST
CONVERSED WITH
THE YOUTH OF
LUCKNOW!
Bidding Adieu to Winters!
Now, as we have reached the fag end of February, we can see the change in temperature of
Lucknow. People were seen enjoying themselves in the vibrant colours of the spring season.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
—PHOTOS BY ASHOK DUTTA
The birthday of IAS Aradhana Shukla and IAS Subhash
Chand Sharma was on Thursday, February 17. We wish
them all the best!
CITY FIRST
T
he 15th edition of
the iconic Jaipur
Literature Festi-
val (JLF) will be
held from March 5 to
March 14, 2022, with
events being held both
in offline and online
mode. The event will be
held at Hotel Clarks
Amer, Jaipur. After
many years, the popular
Festival will host both
literary sessions as well
as the parallel Jaipur
Music Stage at the same
venue. Over the years,
the amalgamation of ar-
chitecture and aesthet-
ics of Clarks Amer has
served as the ideal back-
drop to bring to life the
various power-packed
performances of the
Jaipur Music Stage.
This year too, the multi-
genre musical extrava-
ganza of the Jaipur Lit-
erature Festival featur-
ing various artists
showcasing their
unique sound and his-
tory will find their
abode at the landmark
ClarksAmer.TheJaipur
Music Stage will be held
from March 10 to 12 fea-
turing musical artists
and bands like Anirudh
Verma, Advaita, Kutle
Khan Project, Bhanwari
Devi, etc. Managing Di-
rector, Teamwork Arts,
Sanjoy K. Roy said
that “Teamwork Arts
is delighted to be back
in the city of Jaipur
with the 15th Jaipur
Literature Festival to
be hosted at the iconic
Clarks Amer. We look
forward to welcoming
book lovers and enthu-
siasts to relish an en-
hanced experience
amidst the manicured
lawns, acres of green-
ery and open spaces
with uninterrupted
sharing of knowledge
and ideas.”
Since they first
opened their doors in
1973, Clarks Amer has
hosted many celebrated
personalities from vari-
ous fields as well as In-
dian and international
visitors.
MUCH AWAITED JLF IS HERE! Kaledio: Making India Proud
CITY FIRST
1
5 t h B o l l y wo o d
fashion designer
Kirti Rathore’s
collection along
with that of Atlanta-
based The Tradition-
Oitijho was displayed at
NewYorkFashionWeek
by more than 50 models.
The event was co-
hosted by Hi-tech Moda
and My Dream tv in the
United States. With bril-
liant colors of leheriya,
bandhej, and indo-fu-
sion, the fashion exhibi-
tion showcased Ra-
jasthaniculture.‘KALE-
DIO’ was the name of
her collection, which
included kaftan styles
as well as models from
the United States. She
also won Ms BHARAT
USA award.
Rashmi Bedi -My
dream Entertainment
Association, along with
New York Top Model
Academy, a New York
New Jersey-based En-
tertainment company,
organised the show.
Themodelswhowalked
the ramp were from
Miss Bharat USA Pag-
eant and New York Top
Model Academy
.
Mydream Entertain-
ment’s models included
Aanchal, Animesh,
Asha,Devshree,Kinjal(
Miss Bharat New Jer-
sey 2021 ), Krupa (Miss
Bharat Elite New Jer-
sey 2021), Kunjita (Mrs
South Asia World 2021),
Madhuri, Madhuri,
Mansi, Manasa (Miss
Bharat Elite USA 2021),
Meenal (Mrs Bharat
USA 2021), Nagashree
(Mrs Bharat IliNois
2021), Neha, Nirali,
Preeti, Priyanka, San-
yogita, Sabrina (Miss
International Beauty
2021), Sirisha, Sonia,
Surekha, Surya, Ulka
(Mrs Bharat New Jer-
sey 2021), Vaibhav, Anu-
sha, and Gagan.
—cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
Adeeba
Naaz
Siddiqui
Akash Pandey
Layba Ahmad
Saba Jafri
Caroline Borges Chhavi Khatri
Sukansha Kulshreshtha
Clarks Amer, Jaipur Sanjoy K Roy
Designer Kirti Rathore and models pose on the runway
during the NYFW hiTechMODA Season 7

18022022 first india lucknow

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