20032022 first india ahmedabad

GUJARAT LAUNCHES 5th PHASE OF
SUJALAM SUFALAM JAL ABHIYAN
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The Gu-
jarat government on
Saturday launched the
fifth phase of its Su-
jalam Sufalam Jal Abhi-
yan, a water conserva-
tion campaign, from
Kolavada village in Gan-
dhinagar district.
Chief Minister Bhu-
pendra Patel formally
launched the project
with the deepening of a
lake in the village, with
thestateaimingtocarry
out around 13,000 water
conservation works by
May 31. This year, the
projectsareestimatedto
increase the state’s wa-
ter storage capacity by
15,000 lakh cubic feet
and provide more than
25 lakh labour-days of
employment to workers
under the Mahatma
Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee
Act (MGNREGA), a re-
leaseissuedbytheChief
Minister’s Office (CMO)
stated.
The projects include
deepening of lakes, de-
silting of check dams
and reservoirs, cleaning
& revitalisation Turn to P7
CM Bhupendra Patel performed a puja of an earth-digging
machine before kicking off the latest phase of SSJA at Kolavada
village in Gandhinagar.
To generate 25
lakh labour-days
of work under
MGNREGA
New Delhi (Agencies):
Japan aims to invest $42
billion over the next
five years in India,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi said after a
bilateral meeting with
his Japanese counter-
part Fumio Kishida in
Delhi this evening. “Ja-
pan will raise its invest-
ment target in India to
an ambitious 5 trillion
yen or Rs 3.2 lakh crore
($42 billion) over the
next five years,” an-
nounced PM Modi.
Kishida, accompa-
nied by a high-level del-
egation, arrived in Del-
hi for the 14th India-Ja-
pan Annual Summit at
around 3:40 pm on his
first visit to India as the
head of the Japanese
government.
The two sides inked
six agreements provid-
ing for the expansion of
bilateral cooperation in
a range of areas, be-
sides firming a separate
clean energy partner-
ship.
At a joint briefing,
PM Modi said deepen-
ing India-Japan ties
will not only benefit the
two countries but will
also help in encourag-
ing peace, prosperity
and stability in the In-
do-Pacific region.
Ex-Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe in
2014 announced 3.5 tril-
lion yen in investment
during visit to India.
5 YRS, $42 BN IN INDIA
...Japan aims to invest: PM Modi after bilateral
meet with Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida
AHMEDABAD l SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2022 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 113
OUR EDITIONS:
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The ‘cold-hearted’ Gerbera
flowers that blossom best
in chilly mountain weather,
provide warmth to the beholder.
The Egyptians believed that
they symbolised a closeness
to nature and a devotion to the
sun, whereas the Celts (the
largest group in ancient Europe)
thought they lessened the sor-
rows and stresses of everyday
life. Generally, gerberas symbol-
ise innocence, purity, cheerful-
ness and loyal love.
Deepening India-Japan
ties will not only benefit
the two countries but
will also help in encouraging
peace, prosperity and stability
in the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan will raise its investment
target in India over next 5 years
—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Russian invasion of
Ukraine is a “very
serious issue which is
shaking the roots of
international order. No
permission should be given by
one side to change the status quo
in world order by use of force
—Fumio Kishida, Japanese Prime Minister
GHULAM NABI AZAD MEETS SONIA GANDHI
DID G-21-CONG REACH
A ‘COMPROMISE’?
CRPF may not be needed
in J&K, NE in a year: Shah
New Delhi (Agencies):
Leader of the Congress
dissident group G-21
Ghulam Nabi Azad met
party chief Sonia Gan-
dhiatherresidence,cap-
ping days of escalated
activities by the bloc,
which has reiterated its
demands for party re-
forms and “inclusive
and and collective lead-
ership”.
According to sources,
crucial responsibility
can be given to Anand
Sharma, Ghulam Nabi
Azad and Manish Ti-
wari. Discussion on
sending Anand Sharma
to Rajya Sabha took
place while Ghulam
Nabi Azad can be given
the responsibility of
Karnataka or may take
RS route. Meanwhile,
Deepender Hooda can
be given an important
role in Haryana.
Senior Congress lead-
er Mallikarjun Kharge
on Saturday said Ghu-
lam Nabi Azad meeting
Sonia Gandhi is a wel-
come move as Azad said
he wants to strengthen
the party
.
Srinagar (Agencies):
Praising the Central Re-
serve Police Force or the
CRPF
,thecountry’slarg-
est paramilitary force,
Home Minister Amit
Shah on Saturday said
in a few years’ time the
force may no longer be
needed in Jammu and
Kashmir and northeast.
This is for the first
time that the govern-
ment at the highest level
hasbroadlyindicateddo-
ing away with massive
security deployment in
Kashmir and also set a
timeline of achieving it
within a few years.
SAFFRONISING EDU
NOT AN ISSUE: NAIDU
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu
asked people of the country to
give up their colonial mindset”
and learn to take pride in their
own identity. “We must go
back to our roots,” he said.
BED OF GERBERA
BED OF GERBERA
DAISIES - BLISS IN
DAISIES - BLISS IN
MOUNTAINS’ PRIDE
MOUNTAINS’ PRIDE
Progress in Indo-Japan ties
limitless, PM Modi tells his
Japanese counterpart
PM Kishida also to agree
to 300 billion Yen loan and
signs energy cooperation
document on carbon reduction
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida exchange
greetings at Hyderabad House, during the latters visit to India in New Delhi on Saturday.
1
2
Indian Oil finalises deal
to import from Russia
Mann’s 1st Cabinet
meet: 25,000 govt
jobs for Punjab
Moscow (Agencies):
Indian Oil Corporation
Limited has signed a
deal with a Russian oil
company to import 3
million barrels of
crude. It’s a company-
to-company deal.
While Western coun-
tries have imposed
sanctions, including
the US’ oil import em-
bargo, on Russia in re-
sponse to Moscow’s at-
tack on Ukraine, there
are no restrictions on
Indian oil companies
for buying crude
oil from Russian oil
companies.
Chandigarh: Punjab
Chief Minister Bhag-
want Mann on Satur-
day, in the first deci-
sion of first Cabinet
meeting, threw open
25,000 jobs in various
State Government de-
partments, including
10,000 in Police De-
partment.
Meanwhile, 10
ministers, including
2 doctors, took oath
on Saturday
. P6
RUSSIA LAUNCHES
HYPERSONIC MISSILE
IN UKRAINE,A FIRST
Russia has claimed
it used a hypersonic
missile to strike a
large weapons depot
in Ukraine’s western
Ivano-Frankivsk region.
It marks the first time
a Kinzhal – or ‘Dag-
ger’ – missile has been
deployed since Vladimir
Putin sent his troops
into Ukraine.
BHAGWAT REACHES
G’PUR,MEETS YOGI
Gorakhpur: Acting
chief minister Yogi
Adityanath called on
Rashtriya Swayam-
sevak Sangh (RSS)
chief Mohan Bhagwat,
who arrived in Gora-
khpur on Saturday on
a three-day visit. The
close door one-to-one
meeting lasted for over
half and hour during
which Aditayanath is
understood to have
extended Bhagwat an
invitation to attend the
swearing in ceremony
of his new government
to be held in Lucknow
on March 25. The tim-
ing of the RSS chief’s
visit just days ahead of
his formally taking over
the reigns aimed at
sending a political mes-
sage to the party that
his candidature has the
backing of the Sangh
and both are on the
same page now unlike
in the past.
Sonia Gandhi with Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mallikarjun Kharge.
Home Minister Amit Shah

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2022
02
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First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Resi-
dents of the western
part of the city began to
return dustbins distrib-
uted by the Ahmedabad
Municipal Corporation
mere hours after re-
ceiving them, citing
poor quality
.
Given that these
dustbins cost the city
crores of rupees, the
opposition Congress is
alleging a scam has
taken place in their pro-
curement. The ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party,
on the other hand, says
that the products were
tested for quality before
being purchased.
Lalitbhai, a resident
of the Ghatlodia ward
told the media on Satur-
day morning, that he
was hoping to get his
brand new dustbins re-
placed by the city, since
they were weak and
showing signs of break-
ing already
.
“AMC staff gave the
office-bearers of our
residential society and
neighbouring ones
some dustbins and
asked us to distribute
them among society
members. Within mo-
ments of receiving
them, members started
complaining that the
dustbins are weak and
breaking. So we
brought all dustbins to
back AMC’s zonal office
to complain, and to get
better ones if the civic
body has any,” he said,
adding that office-bear-
ers from neighbouring
societies had also
showed up with similar
complaints.
“This is a sign of a
scam running into hun-
dreds of crores,” She-
hzad Khan Pathan,
AMC’s Leader of the
Opposition, said, add-
ing, “This is not the
first time that the rul-
ing party has indulged
in corruption in pur-
chasing dustbins. Ear-
lier too there were alle-
gations, but there was
no inquiry, and neither
were any suppliers
blacklisted; no was any
money recovered.”
Hitesh Barot, AMC’s
standing committee
chairman, however,
said that the problem
was that the bins are
air-tight, causing peo-
ple to use "extra pow-
er" to open them. "This
is why the handle or
top may break,” he
said.
First India Bureau
Rajkot: To increase
the population of
sparrows in the city,
the Rajkot Municipal
Corporation (RMC)
will distribute bird
nests and clay water
pots on World Spar-
row Day on Sunday.
The nests comprise
both clay and card-
board, helping the lit-
tle sparrows build
their nests inside. The
clay pots will be dis-
tributed, to quench the
birds' thirst by filling
water in them.
The dwindling pop-
ulation of sparrows is
a concern, especially
in the urban region.
“The aim is to help in-
crease the population.
We understand only
bird lovers will come
forward to take this.
These bird lovers will
carefully place these
nests and clay pots for
water in a safe area of
their house. They will
also ensure an ade-
quate supply of food
for the birds. It is
probably one of the
ways we can help in-
crease the population
of sparrows, which
was once in abun-
dance in the city,”
said an RMC official.
Around 8,000 nests
and clay pots will be
distributed on Sun-
day. RMC has been
protecting and trying
to increase the bird
population in the
city for nine years.
Rajkot Mayor
Pradeep Dav, Rajkot
Municipal Commis-
sioner Amit Arora,
RMC standing com-
mittee chairman
Pushkar Patel and
RMC Garden and Zoo
committee chairman
Anita Goswami will
participate in this
noble cause.
Clay pots and nests will be distributed on Sunday by RMC.
RMC will distribute around 8,000 clay nest and water pots today
WORLD SPARROW DAY
lll
To increase the
population of
sparrows and to
protect them,
civic body has
been
distributing
nests and pots
for nine years
First India Bureau
Jaipur: The BJP is
trying to lure 10 Con-
gressMLAsinGujarat
ahead of the assembly
polls there, an adviser
to Rajasthan Chief
Minister Ashok Ge-
hlot has claimed.
Sanyam Lodha, the
independent MLA
from Sirohi in Ra-
jasthan, also said that
he has informed the
Congress leadership
and its Gujarat in-
chargeDrRaghuShar-
ma,aboutthe“inputs”
he has received.
Assembly elections
in Gujarat are sched-
uled to be held at the
end of this year.
The BJP is trying to
lure “10 Congress
MLAs ahead of the
2022 Gujarat assembly
elections. Be alert,”
Lodha tweeted in Hin-
di on Friday
.
In the tweet, he has
tagged Congress lead-
ers Rahul Gandhi and
Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra, the Congress
and the party’s Guja-
rat unit.
“I have warned the
Congress. I have in-
puts about it and that
is why I have informed
the party
. I informed
RaghuSharma20days
ago... There was no
movement from his
side so I have tagged
the party high com-
mand to alert it,” Lod-
ha said.
He said, “This is
bound to happen if
you remain in a slum-
ber. We are anti-BJP
and it is our responsi-
bilitytoraiseanalert.”
Lodha’s hunch is
not baseless, given
murmurs within BJP
that party leaders are
in touch with a few
MLAs and other lead-
ers and that there will
be a “Pravesh Utsav”
before the elections.
Others also say Guja-
rat’s Finance Minister
Kanubhai Patel and
BJP state unit chief
exchangedmeaningful
glances with a few
Congress MLAs dur-
ingthepresentationof
thestatebudgetearlier
this month.
Before the Rajya
Sabha elections in
2020, eight Congress
MLAs in Gujarat had
resigned and later
joined the BJP
. At that
time,theCongresshad
shifted its MLAs from
Gujarat to Jaipur fear-
ing horse-trading.
Recently
,fiveformer
Cong MLAs joined the
BJP
.TheCongressnow
has 65 MLAs in Guj.
BJP trying to lure 10
Cong MLAs in Guj ahead
of polls: Raj CM’s adviser
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
High Court has direct-
ed the Ahmedabad
Range Inspector-Gen-
eral to inquire into the
Dhandhuka police
atrocity and submit a
report on the issue be-
fore the next hearing.
The order comes after
the court decided that
the police had commit-
ted an atrocity against
Dalits, based on a trial
court’s order and other
documents submitted
by the petitioner.
Mansukh Kumar
Khaniya (Devipujak)
and three others have
moved a petition
through advocates Ma-
yank Chavda and
Hardik Jani, pleading
for action against po-
lice officers who tor-
tured them into admit-
ting to an offence they
had not committed
back in 2013-14. They
were framed in five
false cases, two each
under the Dhandhuka
and Barwala police sta-
tions and one in Dhol-
era, they said, adding
that trial courts acquit-
ted the petitioners in
all five cases. The Bar-
wala court had noted
that they were falsely
framed and a medical
certificate submitted
during the trial proved
they had been subject-
ed to police atrocity in
Dhandhuka police sta-
tion.
Justice Nikhil Kari-
el in his order noted,
“The Deputy Superin-
tendent of Police, Vi-
ramgam and Superin-
tendent of Police,
Ahmedabad (Rural)
had conducted an in-
quiry/investigation.
Unfortunately, it ap-
pears that the investi-
gation could not un-
earth any fault of the
police officials.”
The order further
noted, “It appears that
the petitioners through
honest hard work have
earned reasonably. It
appears that the police
officials were swayed
by the fact that the pe-
titioners belong to a
particular community
and whereas the said
community, according
to the investigation as
being attempted to be
obliquely mentioned
therein, is engaged in
theft and other illegal
activities.”
The court has direct-
ed, “The Inspector-
General of Police,
Ahmedabad Range,
shall conduct an in-
quiry into the cause of
the arrest of the pre-
sent petitioners and
their being implicated
in other undetected of-
fences and submit a
very clear report as to
whether any excess
had been committed by
the police officials at
any stage. Such report
shall be submitted af-
ter a thorough investi-
gation by a Police Of-
ficer, not below the
rank of Superinten-
dent of Police, and
whereas the final re-
port should be submit-
ted to the Court by way
of an affidavit by the
Inspector-General of
Police.”
HC ORDERS PROBE INTO POLICE
ATROCITIES AGAINST DALITS
AHMEDABAD RANGE INSPECTOR-GENERAL TO LOOK INTO THE ISSUE AND FILE A REPORT
Sanyam Lodha, independent MLA from Sirohi, also
said that he has informed Cong leadership and its
Gujarat in-charge Dr Raghu Sharma
City residents seek replacements
as Congress alleges scam
AMC workers distribute free dustbins. —FILE PHOTO
AMC dustbins are garbage, locals say
Case against Congress MLA for concealing info
First India Bureau
Palanpur: Dhanera
Prant Officer FA Babi
has registered a crimi-
nal complaint against
Congress MLA from
Dhanera Nathabhai Pa-
tel for concealing infor-
mation. The allegation
against the sitting MLA
is that he hid informa-
tion about his property
in his affidavit while
filing a nomination in
the 2017 assembly elec-
tions.
Officer Babi in his
complaint with the
Dhanera police said
voters from the Dhane-
ra constituency had
complained to the Elec-
tion Commission and
the Election Officer Yo-
gesh Thakkar about
MLA Patel. The then
Election Officer Th-
akkar issued a notice
and MLA Patel had
even replied to the no-
tice. The entire report
was submitted to the
Chief Election Officer,
who forwarded it to the
Chief Election Com-
missioner and later, the
Election Commission
of India had ordered a
complaint against the
sitting MLA Nathabhai
Patel.
Officer added that
the complaint is lodged
with the Dhanera Po-
lice Station under the
People’s Representative
Act - 1951’s section125
(A). The act reads, Pen-
alty for filing false affi-
davit, etc.—A candidate
who himself or through
his proposer, with in-
tent to be elected in an
election, fails to fur-
nish information relat-
ing to sub-section (1) of
section 33A; or gives
false information
which he knows or has
reason to believe to be
false; or conceals any
information, in his
nomination paper de-
livered under sub-sec-
tion (1) of section 33 or
in his affidavit which is
required to be delivered
under sub-section (2) of
section 33A, as the case
may be, shall, notwith-
standing anything con-
tained in any other law
for the time being in
force, be punishable
with imprisonment for
a term which may ex-
tend to six months, or
with fine, or with both.
Sanyam Lodha
Dhanera Congress MLA
Nathabhai Patel —FILE PHOTO
The sitting MLA Nathabhai Patel
obscured his property details while filing
his affidavit in the 2017 assembly elections

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Com-
mon citizens, as well
as political leaders
and ministers, cele-
brated Holi and Dhu-
leti in Gujarat, with
great zeal and enthu-
siasm across the state
on Friday.
The festival of col-
ours saw a different
scale of celebrations
this year in the back-
drop of a significant
drop in COVID-19 cas-
es, which encouraged
people to step out of
their homes without
much fear and mingle
with each other.
This was in sharp
contrast to 2021 when
COVID-19 cases were
soaring ahead of Holi,
leading the state gov-
ernment to ban public
celebrations and mass
functions on Dhuleti.
The COVID-19 outbreak
had dampened Holi fes-
tivities in 2020, too.
In the absence of
curbs this time, open
plots with lawns on the
outskirts of cities
turned into venues for
celebrations. Such
commercial events
were held in all major
cities of Gujarat, in-
cluding Ahmedabad,
Vadodara and Surat.
“I have come here to
enjoy the rain dance
with my friends. Last
year, we remained in-
doors because there
was a ban on such func-
tions. Luckily, there
was no such ban this
year. We have been
waiting for this festival
all year,” said Yash Pa-
tel, a college student
who came to enjoy Dhu-
leti at a party plot on
the outskirts of
Ahmedabad.
People also celebrat-
ed the festival in their
residential societies by
putting music systems
in common areas and
hiring water tankers to
sprinkle water on each
other.
Ministers and politi-
cal leaders visited their
respective native plac-
es to enjoy the festival
with their near and
dear ones.
While former Guja-
rat Chief Minister Vi-
jay Rupani celebrated
the festival in Rajkot,
Minister of State for
Home Harsh Sanghavi
was in Surat to mark
the occasion.
Sanghavi also paid
his respects at Ichch-
hanath Mahadev Tem-
ple in the Athwalines
area. Notably, the tem-
ple is managed by local
police.
Union minister
Parshottam Rupala
celebrated the festi-
val with his family
and supporters in
Amreli, while Guja-
rat Agriculture Min-
ister Raghavji Patel
visited Jamnagar to
take part in festivi-
ties.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat Mineral Develop-
ment Corporation’s
lignite mining site at
village Bhuteshwar–
Bhumbhali of
Bhavnagar recently
observed a land rise of
approximately 10 me-
ters in height and 700
meters in width. The
activists have written
a letter to various au-
thorities, including
the Ministry of Forest
and Environment,
chief secretary
, addi-
tional secretary and
the Gujarat Pollution
Control board, to look
into the matter.
The environmental-
ists and activists ob-
served that the dump-
site has started sinking
since October 1. On
October 3, they esti-
mated that the site had
sunk by around 25-30
feet deep and about 150
meters in length.
“ B h u t e s h w a r –
Bhumbhali is a major
geological site, under-
going unexplainable
changes, visible to all.
The authorities know-
ingly or unknowingly
have failed to explain
to us and the villagers
about the repeated ge-
ological changes hap-
pening in the mining
areas of GPCL and
GMDC lignite mining
sites. It seems as
though the mining
companies and the
concerned authorities
have decided to ignore
the unfolding disaster.
They seem to await a
major disaster to take
appropriate action on
the ground,” said Ro-
hit Prajapati, environ-
mentalist.
They said that the
competent authority
shouldcarryoutadrone
surveyledbyanexperts’
teamtostudyandrecord
the environmental dis-
aster and suggest short-,
medium-, and long-term
measures to tackle it.
Activists want drone survey over land changes
GEOLOGICAL MYSTERIES
The phenomenon is likely caused by mining activity in the region.
After sinking in October, land is
now rising in a Bhavnagar
village, where lignite is mined
7 arrested after man
killed in group clash
over cricket match
Guj daily jump drops to 17 as jabs exceed 95K in 1 day
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat reported 17 COV-
ID-19 cases in the 24
hours ended 5 pm on
Saturday, raising its
tally to 12,23,745,
while the death toll
remained unchanged
at 10,939, a state
health department of-
ficial said.
So far, 12,12,448 peo-
ple have been dis-
charged post recovery,
including 43 during the
day, leaving the state
with an active caseload
of 358, he added.
A government re-
lease said 95,147 people
werevaccinatedagainst
COVID-19 on Saturday,
increasing the total
number of doses ad-
ministered so far in the
state to 10.46 crore.
Adjoining Dadra and
Nagar Haveli, Daman
and Diu’s tally and re-
covery count remained
unchanged at 11,410 and
11,406,leavingtheUnion
Territory with no active
cases, an official said.
First India Bureau
Navsari: A 65-year-
old man was killed
when members of
two communities
clashed on playing a
cricket match at San-
dalpur village in Gu-
jarat’s Navsari dis-
trict, police said on
Saturday and added
that seven accused
have been arrested.
The incident oc-
curred on Friday
evening following an
argument between
two groups, said
Navsari Deputy Su-
perintendent of Po-
lice, SK Rai.
“An argument
broke out between
members of two com-
munities on playing
a cricket match. The
matter escalated. On
Friday evening,
members from both
communities gath-
ered and attacked
each other with dead-
ly weapons. In the
clash, a 65-year-old
man died,” Rai told
reporters.
He said cross FIRs
were lodged by both
sides, following
which a case was reg-
istered against 32
people and seven of
them arrested so far.
These seven per-
sons were named in
anFIRlodgedagainst
17 persons by one
Kalu Bharwad under
sections 302 (Punish-
ment for murder),
143 (unlawful assem-
bly) and rioting with
deadly weapons, the
police officer said.
He said a cross FIR
was lodged against 15
persons on the com-
plaint of one Rajku-
mar Patel for unlaw-
ful assembly and ri-
oting with deadly
weapons.
Security has been
beefed up in the vil-
lage with heavy po-
lice deployment to
avoid any untoward
incident, he added.
The deceased, Sukha Mer
12,12,448
TOTAL RECOVERED
43
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
12,23,745
TOTAL CASES
17 CASES
IN A DAY
10,939
TOTAL DEATHS
00 DEATHS
IN A DAY
358
08 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE CASES
COVID-19
UPDATE
DHULETI CELEBRATED ACROSS GUJARAT
11 drown in Dwarka,
Kheda and Mahisagar after
Dhuleti celebrations
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Eleven
persons including seven
teenagers drowned
in separate incidents
in Devbhumi Dwarka,
Kheda and Mahisagar
districts of Gujarat fol-
lowing Dhuleti celebra-
tions on Friday, police
said.
In Devbhumi Dwarka,
five boys who entered
the water for bathing
after celebrating Dhuleti,
drowned in the Triveni
river after misjudging its
depth, police said.
They were identi-
fied as Jit Luhar (16),
Himanshu Rathod (17),
Bhupen Bagda (16),
Dhaval Chandegara (16)
and Hitarth Goswami
(16), all local residents.
Fire brigade person-
nel from Bhanvad and
Khambhalia towns and
local divers retrieved the
bodies, Bhanvad police
station's sub-inspector
Nikunj Joshi said.
Two teenagers
drowned in a lake near
Zarol village in Vaso
taluka of Kheda district
after celebrating Dhuleti,
said a local police of-
ficial.
He identified the
deceased as Pritesh
Solanki (15) and Sagar
Solanki (14), both resi-
dents of Zarol village.
In the neighbouring
Mahisagar district, four
unidentified young-
sters lost their lives
after drowning in the
Mahisagar river near
Wanakbori dam.
“After attending a
fair near the dam, these
youngsters, who had
come in a car, got into
the river to bathe. After
they went under, pas-
sersby alerted the police
and fire brigade. The
bodies were fished out
after an hour-long op-
eration by divers,” said
an official of Balasinor
police station.
A large number of devotees take part in the Dhuleti Celebration with colours and water inside the Swaminarayan Temple in Ahmedabad’s Kalupur area on Friday.
A youngster dramatically shakes colour from their hair.
Inspector Kirit Lathiya and the She team of the Vadodara police
celebrated the festival with poor children and girls of the Lions
Blind School with great enthusiasm.
Festival of colours saw a
different scale of
celebrations this year as a
significant drop in nCoV
cases encouraged people
to step out of their homes
without much fear
There’s no such thing as too much colour for these folks.
A family enjoys playing with colour in Ahmedabad. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
A little girl cries before being administered the vaccine against
COVID-19 in Ahmedabad. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

PERSPECTIVE
04
Vol 3 Issue No. 113 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist.
Ahmedabad. Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Haresh Jhala responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
he Internation-
al Court of Jus-
tice (ICJ), top
court of United
Nations, has or-
dered Russia to “immedi-
ately suspend” its military
operations in Ukraine.
What does decision mean,
and what happens next?
We already knew Rus-
sia’s invasion was illegal in
int’l law. But ICJ decision
now makes it virtually im-
possible for anyone, includ-
ing Russia, to deny that il-
legality
.Itisalsoimpressive
because Ukraine used a
creative strategy to get ICJ
to hear case, based on Geno-
cide Convention of 1948.
RUSSIA’S LEGAL
ARGUMENTS
Russia’spresident,Vladimir
Putin,gaveseveraljustifica-
tions for invading Ukraine.
Some had little to do with
the law, such as his com-
plaints about NATO. But
two were legal arguments.
First, he claimed Russia
wasactingin“self-defence”.
Self-defence is an estab-
lishedreasontousemilitary
force in international law.
But Putin suggested Russia
was defending 2 breakaway
parts of eastern Ukraine it
recognises as sovereign
states: Donetsk and Lu-
hansk. Legally
, these are
still parts of Ukraine’s own
territory
, not independent
states, which makes non-
sense of this argument.
THE JURISDICTION
OF THE ICJ
TheICJhearsdisputessole-
ly between sovereign states
(in contrast to separate Int’l
CriminalCourt,whichtries
individuals for committing
things like war crimes). ICJ
doesnotautomaticallyhave
jurisdictionovereverystate
and every issue.
THE ORDER MADE
BY THE ICJ
Russia did not turn up to
the courtroom in The
Hague for the initial hear-
ing in early March (though
it did write the ICJ a letter
outlining its view).
WHAT
HAPPENS NEXT?
All the ICJ has done so far is
to order provisional meas-
ures. It has not even found
conclusivelythatithasjuris-
diction in the case. It might
be a long time before it de-
cides the case as a whole.
Source: The Conversation
T
ICJ HAS ORDERED RUSSIA TO STOP THE
WAR. WHAT DOES THIS RULING MEAN?
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal
The movie ‘The Kashmir Files’, with a
small budget, has already crossed the
100 crore mark. It is bringing about a
consciousness that the nation should
have seen 32 years ago.
Kiren Rijiju @KirenRijiju
I’m delighted that @BJP4India has
selected Smt @phangnon as the
candidate for election to Rajya Sabha
from Nagaland. She is a committed
BJP Karyakarta and currently serving
as President of State Mahila Morcha @BJP4Nagaland.
TOP TWEETS
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
Everything that happens to us is the result of
what we ourselves have thought, said, or
done. We alone are responsible for our lives.
—Buddha
ALL ABOUT CONGRESS’ DEFEAT IN ASSEMBLY
POLLS,G-23MEET,WAR-HITUKRAINEMORE...
he Gandhi family, once
adored and respected in
large parts of India, is to-
day looked upon as a lia-
bility by many Congress
party members. The Con-
gress Working Committee
is overflowing with politi-
cal lightweights and ac-
complished sycophants.
How did this lot get into
the CWC? Courtesy the
Gandhis.
Sonia Gandhi became
Congress President in
1998- twenty-four years
ago. Perhaps a world re-
cord for a democracy
. Gan-
dhiji was Congress presi-
dent once in 1924. Sardar
Patel once in 1931. Nehru,
Azad, Rajendra Prasad,
Subhas Chandra Bose and
Indira Gandhi came no-
where near even 10 years.
Who is responsible for
the recent electoral disas-
ter in the elections held in
5 states? Let’s take Uttar
Pradesh. 2 seats out of 403.
Who was the General Sec-
retary in charge of UP
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Who vigorously pushed
for Navjot Singh Sidhu to
become President of the
Punjab Congress-Vadra.
No one did more harm to
the Punjab Congress than
this former cricketer. He
disobeyed the Chief Min-
ister and went to Kartar-
pur Sahib, held Imran
Khan’s hand and intro-
duced him to India digni-
taries present on the occa-
sion. Sidhu embraced
General Bajwa, Head of
the Pakistan army
. Did So-
nia, Rahul, Priyanka rep-
rimand Sidhu?
Throughout his tenure
as PCC President he used
foul language against the
Chief Minister. Did the 3
Congress deities pull up
the erratic individual?
Not as far as I know. On a
visit to Hyderabad Sidhu
on TV he declared, “Cap-
tain is not my captain. My
captains are Rahul and
Priyanka”. If, according
to the fading trinity, Ama-
rinder Singh is responsi-
ble for the party’s defeat
in Punjab, who were re-
sponsible for the rout in
UP, Manipur, Goa and Ut-
trakhand.
If one were to look for
an expert and chronic in-
triguer, she is the one who
has sat in the Rajya Sabha
for 30 years. This female
announced that no Hindu
could be president of the
Punjab Congress. What
about Bhim Sen Sachar-
Was he a Sikh?
ABOUT THE G-23
Now I come to the G-23.
Kapil Sibal’s interview in
the Indian Express was
widely appreciated. He
said what needed to be
said. Manish Tiwari’s
critical candour is wel-
come. Members of the
G-23 should not even think
of leaving the Congress.
They can do much to re-
form, rejuvenate and re-
vive the party. The dia-
logue between Sonia and
Ghulam Nabi Azad should
continue.
The Congress does face
an acute dilemma. The
Gandhis are an asset and
also a liability
. Sonia is an
astute politician. In the
CWC meeting she an-
nounced that she and her
son and daughter would
step down if the Party so
desired. She knew the an-
swer, “No, No, madame,
please keep leading us”.
The CWC now resem-
bles a mini public meet-
ing. It should urgently
abandon the practice of
having special invitees to
attend CWC meetings.
Their number keeps in-
creasing. The CWC now
resembles a jamboree.
The Congress party is
reduced to ruling 2 states,
Rajasthan and Chattis-
garh. At one time it was in
office in every Indian
state. On 29 December
1984 it had 414 members in
the Lok Sabha. Today only
52 or is it 57. In 2014 the
number was 42.
UKRAINE CRISIS
Russian President
Vladimir Putin will go
down in history as a de-
stroyer of an independ-
ent, democratic country.
Hundreds of children
have been killed, millions
of Ukrainians have be-
come refugees, finding
temporary homes in Po-
land, Romania, Slovakia.
A few in Western Europe,
the UK, Canada has of-
fered to take in many
.
ZELENSKYY MANN
The world now has 2 for-
mer comedians heading
governments. Volodymyr
Zelenskyy President of
Ukraine has become a fa-
miliar name throughout
the world. Sardar Bhag-
want Mann who regaled
his audiences is now
Chief Minister of Punjab.
CHANDIGARH TRIP
My wife and I spent a
week in Chandigarh a few
days back with Ama-
rinder Singh, my wife’s
younger brother. It was a
melancholy visit. Ama-
rinder lost his Patiala seat
by 19,000 votes. An unu-
sual experience for him.
Also staying with him was
an engaging couple from
New Delhi. They are
friends of Raninder Sin-
gh, one of the outstanding
shooters in the world. He
is Amarinder’s son.
Jitin Singh is a man of
all seasons. He like me as
a Stephenian. In his col-
lege days he was among
the best squash players in
India. He is not only witty
but well informed about
the politics, economic,
business and media func-
tioning or non-function-
ing. His attractive wife
Rachna is a product of
Miranda House, where
she read History
.
It is unusual for people
in their eighties and in
nineties to make new
friends. “We took Jitin
and Rachna and they
warmly and respectfully
reciprocated”.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
T
Jitin Singh is a man of
all seasons. He like me as
a Stephenian. In his
college days he was
among the best squash
players in India. He is
not only witty but well
informed about the
politics, economic,
business and media
functioning or non-
functioning. His
attractive wife Rachna is
a product of Miranda
House, where she read
History. It is unusual for
people in their eighties
and in nineties to make
new friends. “We took
Jitin and Rachna and
they warmly and
respectfully reciprocated”
THE CONGRESS DOES FACE AN ACUTE
DILEMMA. THE GANDHIS ARE AN ASSET
AND ALSO A LIABILITY. SONIA GANDHI IS AN
ASTUTE POLITICIAN. IN THE CWC MEETING
SHE ANNOUNCED THAT SHE AND HER
SON AND DAUGHTER WOULD STEP
DOWN IF THE PARTY SO DESIRED. SHE
KNEW THE ANSWER, “NO, NO, MADAME,
PLEASE KEEP LEADING US”
K NATWAR SINGH
The author is Former Minister
of External Affairs of India

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INDIA
06
Kohima (PTI): Naga-
land is likely to get a
woman Rajya Sabha
MP for the first time as
a coalition of the
NDPP and the BJP,
having 35 MLAs in the
60-member Assembly,
nominated the saffron
party’s Mahila Morcha
president S Phangnon
Konyak as the candi-
date for the election to
the state’s lone seat to
the Upper House of
Parliament.
The Naga People’s
Front with 25 members
held a meeting on Sat-
urday to decide wheth-
er to support Konyak or
field its own candidate,
but it remained incon-
clusive, NPF secretary
general and spokesper-
son Achumbemo Kikon
told media.
The party will hold
another round of meet-
ing on Sunday
.
However, even if the
NPF fields its candi-
date, the NDPP-BJP
combine has more
MLAs and its nominee
is likely to win.
New Delhi (PTI): The
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) high command
has once again sum-
moned to Delhi the care-
taker Chief Minister of
Manipur, N Biren, and a
seniorBJPMLA,T Bish-
wajit, on Saturday
. Both
left Imphal by different
flights. Both declined to
speak to the press about
the sudden directive.
They were earlier
summoned on Tuesday
in connection with the
selection of the State’s
next Chief Minister and
went to Delhi by a char-
tered flight, accompa-
nied by State BJP presi-
dent A Sharda, to return
after two days in sepa-
rate commercial flights.
Bishwajit returned by a
morning flight, and
Biren and Sharda re-
turned by an evening
flight at the time.
With Biren and Bish-
wajit summoned back
to Delhi, political cir-
cles here have been left
wondering over new
developments in the
ongoing tussle.
Nagaland may get
first woman RS MP
Manipur leadership issue
still hangs in the balance
PM MODI, HOME MIN SHAH TO ATTEND
ADITYANATH’S OATH-TAKING ON MAR 25
Lucknow (Agencies):
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi, Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah, Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh,
Bharatiya Janata Party
national president JP
Nadda are among the
list of invitees sched-
uled to attend the oath-
taking ceremony of
Yogi Adityanath as
Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh, said sources.
According to sources,
Yogi Adityanath, who
led his party to a thump-
ing victory in Uttar
Pradesh, is likely to take
oath as Chief Minister
of the state for the sec-
ond tenure on March 25.
Other than Union
Ministers and the lead-
ership of BJP and
Rashtriya Swayamse-
vak Sangh, many other
Union Cabinet Minis-
ters and chief minis-
ters of BJP-ruled
states are also among
the invitees. If sources
are to be believed, sev-
eral Opposition lead-
ers have also made
their way to the list of
invitees to the oath-
taking ceremony.
“Congress president
Sonia Gandhi, Con-
gress General Secretary
Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra, Samajwadi Par-
ty founder Mulayam
Singh Yadav, SP chief
Akhilesh Yadav and Ba-
hujan Samaj Party
chief Mayawati are
among the prominent
names likely to be in-
vited from the opposi-
tion parties,” said
sources.
Beneficiaries of vari-
ous central and state-
run welfare schemes
have also been invited to
the oath-taking ceremo-
ny with a special focus
onwomenbeneficiaries.
Preparations for the
grand ceremony
have begun in Eka-
na Stadium of
Lucknow.
As per sources,
cabinet members’
names have al-
ready been
finalised
by the
BJP
.
Opposition leaders, including Sonia, Mulayam, Mayawati, likely to be invited
BJP ALLIANCE PARTNERS
SEEK ‘RESPECTABLE’ SHARE
IN UTTAR PRADESH CABINET
Lucknow (PTI): Ap-
parently convinced
that they had played a
crucial role in the
massive victory of
the BJP in the Assem-
bly polls, the Apna
Dal (S) and Nishad
Party (NP), which
had contested the
polls in alliance with
the BJP
, are now seek-
ing their pound of
flesh ahead of the for-
mation of the next
government in the
state. They also be-
lieve the saffron
party would need
them to win the
state in the
next general
elections in
2024. Accord-
ing to the
sources in the
BJP, the
A D
and NP wanted a ‘re-
spectable’ share in the
UP cabinet and their
leaders had also ap-
prised the BJP leader-
ship in the state about
their ‘expectations’.
The AD, which had
contested 17 seats in
the polls, managed to
win 12 while the NP
had contested 18 seats
and its candidates
emergedvictoriouson
11 seats, mainly the
eastern region of UP
.
NP president San-
jay Nishad said that
his party had not put
any conditions.
“We are sure the
BJP will keep in mind
our contribution and
role in the electoral
victory while forming
the ministry and will
accommodate us re-
spectfully
,” he said.
Preparation underway at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium where Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to be
sworn in as UP Chief Minister for the second consecutive term on Friday.
Chandigarh (PTI):
Punjab Chief Minister
Bhagwant Mann on
Saturday, in the first
decision of his first
Cabinet meeting,
threw open 25,000 jobs
in various State Gov-
ernment departments,
including 10,000 in Po-
lice Department.
The decision to fill
the 25,000 vacancies in
various departments
was taken in a Cabinet
meeting chaired by
Chief Minister Mann,
whohimself announced
it in a video message.
“The agenda of 25,000
government jobs was
passed in the Cabinet
today
,” Mann said in his
message.
He said 10,000 jobs
will be filled in the Pun-
jab Police Department
and the rest of them
will be in different oth-
er departments, boards
and corporations.
He said the jobs will
be given on merit.
“There will be no dis-
crimination, no ‘sifar-
ish’ (recommendation)
or no bribe,” he added.
Unemployment has
been one of the major
issues that the Aam
Aadmi Party had raised
during the just-conclud-
ed state assembly polls.
25,000 government jobs for Punjab:
Bhagwant Mann’s 1st decision as CM
Punjab CM Mann chairs the first meeting of the Punjab Cabinet, in Chandigarh on Saturday.
PUNJAB: TEN AAP MLAS INDUCTED
INTO BHAGWANT MANN-LED CABINET
Chandigarh (ANI): Ten
AAP MLAs, including a
woman, were inducted
in the Bhagwant Mann-
led Cabinet in Punjab
here on Saturday.
Governor Banwarilal
Purohit administered
the oath of office and
secrecy to the minis-
ters at Punjab Bhawan
here. Among the 10,
eight are first-time
MLAs. All of them took
the oath in Punjabi.
Harpal Singh Cheema,
Harbhajan Singh, Dr
Vijay Singla, Lal Chand,
Gurmeet Singh Meet
Hayer, Kuldeep Singh
Dhaliwal, Laljit Singh
Bhullar, Bram Shanker
Jimpa, Harjot Singh
Bains and Dr Baljit
Kaur, the lone woman
in the cabinet, were
administered the oath.
There are 18 berths
in the Cabinet, includ-
ing the Chief Minister.
Punjab Governor had
on Wednesday ad-
ministered the oath of
office and secrecy to
Bhagwant Mann.
CRUCIAL READ
New Delhi: National Investigation Agency (NIA) court
has ordered framing of charges against Lashkar-
e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz
Saeed and Hizbul Mujahi-
deen chief Syed Salahuddin,
Kashmiri separatist leaders
including Yasin Malik, Shabbir
Shah, Masarat Alam and oth-
ers under various sections of
Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in a case
pertains to the terrorist and secessionist activities
that disturbed the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mumbai: Following the reports of a surge in COVID-19
cases in European countries and neighboring China,
Maharashtra Health Minister
Rajesh Tope on Saturday said
the state government is on
alert over the situation. “We
have received a letter from the
Centre to be on alert as there
is a surge in cases across
European Countries, South Korea and China. Accord-
ingly, our health department had issued a letter to DCs
to be cautious and take necessary steps,” Tope said.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh chief of the Rash-
triya Lok Dal (RLD) has resigned from the party
after accusing the top brass of selling tickets for
the recently concluded State assembly elections.
In a letter to RLD supremo Jayant Chaudhary,
former state unit president Dr Masood Ahmad
alleged party tickets were sold to undeserving
candidates ahead of the UP elections, and that
Muslims and Dalits were sidelined. Jayant Chaud-
hary’s RLD had tied up with the Samajwadi Party,
led by Akhilesh Yadav, in the run-up to the seven-
phase Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. RLD had
bagged eight seats in the recently held polls.
HAFIZ SAEED, HIZBUL CHIEF, SEPARATISTS
CHARGED IN TERROR FUNDS CASE
COVID-19: MAHARASHTRA ON ALERT
AMID RISING CASES IN CHINA, EUROPE
RLD’S UP CHIEF RESIGNS, ALLEGES
SALE OF PARTY TICKETS BEFORE POLLS
AIMIM is BJP’s ‘B’ team,
it was proved in Bengal,
UP elections: Sena’s Raut
Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP
Sanjay Raut on Satur-
day rejected the sugges-
tion of AIMIM for an
alliance with the MVA,
saying those who bow
before the grave of Au-
rangzeb cannot become
Maharashtra’sidealand
dubbed the Asaduddin
Owaisi-led party as the
“B team” of the BJP
.
AIMIM MP Imtiaz
Jaleel has caused a flut-
ter in political circles by
hinting an alliance with
the MVA, saying the dis-
pensation can become a
“comfortable car” from
the three-wheeled au-
torickshaw which can
prevent the BJP from
coming to power.
“The AIMIM has a se-
cret alliance with the
BJPwhichwasprovedin
UPandBengalpolls.The
AIMIM is a ‘B’ team of
the BJP and will remain
so. The MVA is a three-
party alliance and there
is no room for a fourth
partner,” Raut said.
He said MVA part-
ners revere Chhatra-
pati Shivaji Maharaj
and Chhatrapati Samb-
haji Maharaj while
AIMIM bows before
Aurangzeb- the 17th
century Mughal em-
peror who had kept
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj in captivity in
Agra before the latter
managed to escape.
India may soon top
hate, anger charts:
Rahul slams Centre
New Delhi (PTI):
Congress leader Ra-
hul Gandhi on Satur-
day in an apparent
jibe at the Centre over
the country’s ranking
in the latest World
Happiness Report,
said India would soon
top hate and anger
charts.
Taking to Twitter,
Rahul Gandhi shared
the report and said,
“Hunger Rank: 10,
Freedom Rank: 119,
Happiness Rank: 136.
But, we may soon top
the Hate and Anger
charts!”
Published by Unit-
ed Nations Sustaina-
bleDevelopmentSolu-
tions Network, the
World Happiness Re-
port ranks 150 coun-
tries of the world on
several factors such
assenseof well-being,
GDPpercapita,social
support system, life
expectancy
, generosi-
ty
, liberty to make life
choices and percep-
tions of corruption,
etc.
In this year’s re-
port, Finland topped
the list. The other
countries ranked
among the top 10 list
includeDenmark,Ice-
land, Switzerland,
The Netherlands,
Luxembourg, Swe-
den, Norway
, Israel
and New Zealand
(rankwise from sec-
ond to tenth).
India performed
slightly well this year
and moved up three
places to 136th posi-
tion in the World Hap-
piness Report. Last
year,Indiawasranked
139th in this list.
Uttarakhand: BJP meeting to
pick new CM likely on Monday
Dehradun (PTI): The
BJP legislature party
meeting to decide the
new chief minister of
Uttarakhand is likely to
be held here on Monday
.
Theparty’scentralob-
servers for Uttarakhand
Rajnath Singh and
Meenakshi Lekhi may
arrive a day earlier on
Sunday or on the same
day to attend the meet-
ing.
The swearing-in cere-
mony may take place on
Tuesday with Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi, Home Minister
Amit Shah, BJP presi-
dentJPNaddaandChief
Ministers of several
BJP-ruled States likely
to attend the event, he
said.
The MLAs have been
informed about the like-
ly formation of govern-
mentintwotothreedays
and will arrive in Dehra-
dun by Sunday
, Uttara-
khand BJP president
Madan Kaushik said.
While Pushkar Singh
Dhami continues to be
the frontrunner for the
post of chief minister,
other probable names
for the top job doing the
rounds include those of
Chaubattakhal MLA
Satpal Maharaj, Shrina-
gar MLA Dhan Singh
Rawat and Rajya Sabha
member Anil Baluni.
CALL FOR ALLIANCE!
Sena leader Sanjay Raut AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi
Two CM probables summoned to nat’l Capital
N Biren Singh, CM, Manipur
India among
‘unhappiest’
nations, languishes
at 136th spot
WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT
Rahul Gandhi

COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
60,95,212
TOTAL DEATHS
39,97,58,090
TOTAL RECOVERED
6,27,78,190
ACTIVE CASES
46,86,31,492
TOTAL CASES
INDIA
5,16,381
TOTAL DEATHS
4,24,61,926
TOTAL RECOVERED
27,773
ACTIVE CASES
4,30,06,080
TOTAL CASES
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Injury-
prone India all-round-
er Hardik Pandya says
he is still a “work in
progress” and is focus-
ing on the “controlla-
bles” as he gears up to
lead Gujarat Titans in
the upcoming Indian
Premier League be-
ginning March 26.
The 28-year-old has
been battling fitness
concerns ever since in-
juring his back in 2019
and didn’t find a place
in the Indian team for
the last few series
against New Zealand,
South Africa, West In-
dies and Sri Lanka.
“I was just spending
time with family, work-
ing hard as always. (I’m)
making sure I prepare
well. For me, it was a
time of self-realising a
lot of thinking about
what I want and what
will work for me going
forward and I got these
answers during this
time,” Hardik said in a
video posted on the IPL
website.
There was a lot of
buzz after Pandya was
named the captain of
the Gujarat Titans after
he was not retained by
Mumbai Indians ahead
of the IPL mega auction
in February
.
“I don’t think it is go-
ing to be my comeback
nor am I focusing on it.
For me, right now I just
want to be in a positive
mindset and I’m not
looking way ahead, I am
just focusing on things
which are controllables,
which is looking after
my body and making
my team win,” he said.
“Eventually if I do
things right for Gujarat
Titans in IPL, then
things will fall into plac-
es for future as well. I
am just a work in pro-
gress right now but for
me, what will be impor-
tant is that I will always
be available for the play-
ers no matter what time
and day
.”
Pandya, who has
been demoted from
Grade A to C in the
BCCI central con-
tracts, had recently
undergone a general
assessment at the Na-
tional Cricket Acade-
my (NCA) in Bengalu-
ru where he bowled
and also passed the
‘Yo-Yo’ Test comfort-
ably
.
I’m a work in progress, focusing on controllables: Hardik Pandya
IPL 2022
There was a lot of buzz after Pandya was named the captain of
the Gujarat Titans. —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Amreli: A wildfire
broke out on a large
patch of grassland
near the sanctuary for
Asiatic lions in Am-
reli district but it was
brought under con-
trol on a large area
before it could affect
lions and other wild-
life, an official said on
Saturday
.
The blaze, which
erupted on Friday even-
ing, has been nearly
brought under control
by over 300 forest per-
sonnel and firefighters,
the official said.
“No animal casualty
has been reported in
the blaze so far and the
area will be scanned
for the next three
days,” he said.
The fire broke out in
the bushes and tall
grass on a hillock in
the revenue area near
the Mitiyala wildlife
sanctuary, which is a
protected area for Asi-
atic lions, and soon
spread across 250 acres,
the official said.
Some of the patches
were still burning and
efforts were underway
to douse the flames, he
said.
The fire on a major-
ity of the area was
brought under control
before it could spread
to the protected area
and affect lions and
other wildlife, Amreli
collector Gaurang
Makwana said.
“The fire has mostly
been brought under
control with the help of
around 300 forest per-
sonnel and 10 fire ten-
ders with 40 firefight-
ers. Some of the patches
where the fire tenders
could not reach are still
burning, and efforts are
underway to control it,”
the official said.
“Mitiyala forest
range, which is located
nearby
, remains protect-
ed from the fire. We did
not let the fire reach a
rivulet that divides the
two areas,” he said.
Incidents of fire were
not unusual in the area.
Lions in these areas
rush into the forest be-
fore they are affected by
fires, the collector said,
adding that no animal
carcasses have been
foundsofarandthearea
will be scanned for the
next three days.
Around 300 personnel
of three forest ranges of
Gir (East), Shetrunjay
and Amreli social for-
estry
, including officers,
trackers, wildlife
friends and locals, were
involved in controlling
the blaze, a forest offi-
cial said.
Wildfire breaks out near
Mitiyala lion sanctuary
Over 300 forest personnel and
firefighters battled the blaze to
ensure no animal casualties
28-year-old gearing up to
lead Guj Titans in maiden
outing later this month
The blaze could be seen at a great distance.
SEEKING BLESSINGS
A woman from Ahmedabad’s Tamil community carries a ‘kavadi’ while displaying a ‘vel’
(sacred spear) pierced through her tongue, as part of the annual Panguni Uthiram festival at
the Sri Balamurugan Temple in Khokhara. It is believed that people who carry kavadi, which
symbolises the hills of burden taken by Idumban, will be blessed by Lord Murugan, who will
less the devotee’s burden in life. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
NEWS
07
HAS THE STATUS OF
THE GANDHI FAMILY
DIMINISHED?
Defeat often carries
with it the burden
of blocked beliefs,
which was clearly visi-
ble in CWC meeting
convened in New Delhi.
The meeting lasted for
five hours but only five
people came forward in
support of Gandhi fam-
ily. Whereas, 52 leaders
attended the meet. So-
nia Gandhi offered her
resignation, declaring
that ‘the Gandhi family
can sacrifice anything,
to protect the Congress’.
This time no slogans of
‘Sonia Gandhi
Zindabad’ were raised.
Only five leaders stood
in her support. After
this, it was the turn of
Rahul Gandhi. KC
Venugopal raised slo-
gans in favor of Rahul.
Same was the case with
Priyanka Gandhi. The
five people who took the
lead in Rahul’s favour,
after Rahul spoke, were
Bhupesh Baghel, Ka-
mal Nath, Ashok Ge-
hlot, Mallikarjun
Kharge, and Adhir Ran-
jan Chowdhury. In this
meeting, only three
leaders of disgruntled
G-23 faction of Con-
gress including Ghu-
lam Nabi Azad, Anand
Sharma Mukul Was-
nik attended the meet.
Various senior leaders
praised Azad for his
speech. Obviously, Gan-
dhi family was feeling
uncomfortable.
RAJYA SABHA SEAT
TO VADRA’S CLOSE
ONE FROM KERALA?
As a senior party
leader AK Antony
had kept all his hopes on
the lone RS seat from
Kerala.Butthenamedo-
ing the rounds for the
same is that of Con-
gress’ Telangana in-
charge Krishnan Srini-
vasan, who is also on
board of directors of
several firms owned by
Robert Vadra. Ever
since the matter of RS
candidature has come to
the fore, there has been
a ruckus in Congress
unit of Kerala and AK
Antony has started talk-
ing about retiring from
politics. RS term of
Anand Sharma, a prom-
inent Congress G-23
leader, is about to end.
Sharmaalsoapproached
AAP supremo Arvind
Kejriwal, but given Ke-
jri’s political style, there
is little hope that he will
favour Sharma.
AKHILESH’S EYES
ON 2024!
SP chief Akhilesh Ya-
dav has won from
Karhal seat of Mainpu-
ri, but he wants to leave
his assembly seat and
retain the MP status.
Akhilesh’s uncle Shiv-
pal Singh Yadav wants
to field his son Aditya
Singh from Karhal,
but Akhilesh has de-
clared him as LoP in
Assembly, so that he
couldn’t pres-
surise Akh-
ilesh on
this is-
s u e ,
say-
ing that he has some big
plans for Aditya in
2024. Akhilesh’s vote
share has increased by
one a half times in
UP polls he wants to
maintain this boom in
2024 LS polls too.
WILL AKHILESH
GIVE RAJYA SABHA
BERTH TO JAYANT?
The queue of those
seeking RS seat
from Akhilesh Yadav
gets longer. Jayant
Chaudhary’s name has
also been added to this
list. On the one hand,
the BJP continues to
woo Jayant so that the
party’s path can be
eased in western UP in
2024. This time
J a y a n t ’ s
party RLD
has won 8
seats. Usu-
ally, 38
votes are
re-
quired for a RS seat,
that is why Jayant is
now looking towards
Akhilesh for 30 votes.
But Akhilesh’s dilem-
ma is that there is a
long queue of people
seeking Rajya Sabha’s
seat from him. Akhile-
sh has also made up his
mind that ‘he will not
give Rajya Sabha seat to
any Yadav or Muslim
on behalf of SP’. In fact,
Akhilesh wants to send
a message to the back-
ward caste voters of the
state before the election
of 2024 that SP is not
only a party of Yadavs
and Muslims.
DEFEAT FROM
WITHIN?
To review Congress’
crushing defeat in 5
states, party’s interim
president Sonia Gandhi
has constituted a com-
mittee. The responsibil-
ity of probing the defeat
has also been entrusted
to same leaders, on
whom the party cadre
has been raising fingers
earlier. For example,
most of Congress lead-
ers of Uttarakhand
were blaming the in-
charge Devendra Yadav,
Avinash Pandey and co-
in-charge Deepika Pan-
dey for the crushing
defeat. Now interest-
ingly, in the committee
formed by Sonia Gan-
dhi to review the defeat,
Ajay Maken along with
Avinash Pandey has
also been included. In
review meeting which
was held to review de-
feat in Punjab, just be-
fore CWC meeting, Con-
gress MPs said that
‘Ghar ko ag lagi ghar ke
chirag se’. Now ques-
tions are being raised
that who is in Rahul’s
team who is taking for-
ward leaders like Avi-
nash Pandey and Chan-
dan Yadav. The needle
of suspicion has wan-
dered around and fixed
on Alankar Sawai.
PRIYANKA GANDHI
IN TROUBLE!
After UP poll results
were declared, Pri-
yanka Gandhi held a
review meeting with
Congress leaders of the
state. The narrative of
‘Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti
Hoon’ has reached the
public in a wrong way
etc-etc. So, realizing the
gravity of the situation,
many prominent lead-
ers of the state were
called from Priyanka’s
office and Priyanka
herself spoke to those
leaders and presented
her clarification. Af-
ter this, when
the meeting
s t a r t e d ,
s e n i o r
U P
Congress leader
Pramod Tiwari started
his speech by praising
Priyanka and said,
“You fought very well.
Congress’s voice has
been raised in the en-
tire state.” Majority of
leaders weren’t agree-
ing with Tiwari’s opin-
ion’ For Priyanka too,
the situation was get-
ting uncomfortable in
the meeting, but some-
how she managed the
matter.
...AND FINALLY
The Sangh’s Sarkar-
yavah Dattatreya
Hosabole is ready to re-
turn to Nagpur after
completing his mission
UP. His office is also
shifting from Lucknow
to Nagpur. Sources re-
veal that Hosabole, the
architect of BJP’s mas-
sive victory in UP, can
be handed over the com-
mand of the 2024 Lok
Sabha elections from
now on.
FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL
BY TRIDIB
RAMAN
The author is a journalist
and political commentator
and views expressed are
his personal
Ghulam Nabi Azad
Akhilesh Yadav Priyanka Gandhi
Jayant Chaudhary
Ajay Maken
Gujarat launches...
The projects include
deepening of lakes, desilt-
ing of check dams and
reservoirs, cleaning and
revitalisation of monsoon
rivers, repairing and con-
struction of check dams,
it said.
Since the campaign’s
inception in 2018, at
least 21,402 lakes have
been deepened and
constructed, 1,204 check
dams have been built and
50,353 km of canals and
water streams have been
cleaned, the release said.
“As a result, the total
water storage capacity
has increased by 61,781
lakh cubic feet and 156.93
lakh labour-days employ-
ment was generated,” it
said. The chief minister
said the project is vital
to making Gujarat self-
reliant in terms of water
conservation. The state
government is constantly
aware of water manage-
ment plans to ensure that
people don’t face water
problems. Patel also ex-
pressed his commitment
to making tap water avail-
able to every household
in the state by the end of
the year.
FROM PG 1

08
2NDFRONT

z The main theme of
The New JC Show is
that the fight is not
for 2024 now, but for
2029. What does that
mean?
Jagdeesh Chandra:
The point is that it is a
sweeping statement
which only indicates
the towering image of
Modi and Amit Shah
and failure of all Oppo-
sition parties including
Congress, SP and oth-
ers. I can see it clearly
that the fight is no long-
er for 2024. Now leaders
in Delhi have to plan for
2029. If the team Modi-
Shah remains then it is
sure that 2024 is in their
hands. Now, the next
milestone is 2029. That
is the theme of the en-
tire story
.

z What is the politi-
cal message and
practical effect of the
five Assembly elec-
tions where BJP has
won 4 states?
The messages from this
win are multi-fold.
Firstly, Narendra Modi
is the real hero of the
nation and it has been
proved once again.
There is no match for
Narendra Modi’s face
and Amit Shah’s hard
work and strategy. Sec-
ond message of this vic-
tory is that 15-20 crore
people still place Modi
adjacent to God, since
he can turn the tables at
the last moment. An-
other message is that
Central leadership is
now making party win
in states too and people
have been voting on
Modi’s face in states
too. Local CMs have be-
come irrelevant as all
the work is being han-
dled by central teams.
CMs only have one re-
sponsibility, that of
campaigning. There is
no role in decision-mak-
ing process of state
leadership and central
leadership’s new exper-
iment has been a super-
hit in this election. An-
other message is that
traditional political dis-
course like inflation,
unemployment etc have
become irrelevant.
Such issues can make
people think on them
but cannot convert
their votes in favour of
other parties. Modi
goes, makes promises,
attacks opposition, tar-
gets its leaders and the
situation changes com-
pletely. One more mes-
sage of this election is
that Congress is almost
over in the election bat-
tle. Priyanka was Con-
gress’ last hope, but that
card too has failed. And
the last message is that
wherever people have
become disgruntled
with Congress, BJP, SP
or any other party, they
have found an option in
Kejriwal’s AAP whom
they will give a decision
mandate.

z Everyone thought,
even the Opposition
parties, that SP will
form government in
Uttar Pradesh. But it
came to nought. How
do you see that?
It was a failure of Op-
position unity. In UP,
Mayawati was a natural
ally but she went her
way
. Therefore, SP lead-
ers termed her a villain
and it’s a fact that due to
Mayawati factor, SP lost
on several seats and
BJP won. The anti-es-
tablishment forces
could not form a union
and therefore they fell
down like a house of
cards.

z The Opposition
could not come under
one umbrella in UP
,
so will there be a
united front with one
face against Naren-
dra Modi in 2024 gen-
eral elections?
There is no hope. It is
purely imagination. It
is a dream to have one
leader from the united
opposition be it for
Prime Ministerial post
or for Presidential post
or any other position.
Opposition parties can-
not be united. They can
certainly talk, Mamata
can meet with other
party leaders, Thacker-
ay, Pawar and others
can meet but, in the
end, no one face will be
seen. There is example
of Bengal where Con-
gress has parted ways
from TMC. There is no
chance that one candi-
date of united opposi-
tion can be placed be-
fore BJP’s Modi.

z Who among Modi,
Shah and Yogi have
played what role in
BJP’s massive win in
Uttar Pradesh and
how much of a credit
will you give to each
of the BJP leaders?
First credit goes to Nar-
endra Modi not just for
being a leader but for
being the most popular
leader. Secondly, for
strategy and executing
it on ground, credit goes
to Amit Shah. Thirdly,
for campaigning, mak-
ing a consensus among
people and hard work
for the party credit goes
to Yogi Adityanath. I
had said that this elec-
tion proves that CM has
become irrelevant but
UP will be an exception
to that since Yogi has
had an existence in the
state, he has had a ma-
jor contribution, he has
an image and his contri-
bution can be seen
clearly. So, these three
are key players who
have played out their
roles to the best. Amit
Shah conducted several
meetings, PM moved
about for 20 days on sev-
eral seats, but of course,
the maximum credit
goes to Narendra Modi
who covered 134 seats
and then Amit Shah
who went to about 60
seats and thereafter
Yogi Adityanath who
held over 200 rallies.

z Before elections,
Yogi Adityanath’s
contribution to UP
,
his performance and
results were being
highlighted by both
PM Modi and Amit
Shah. But in Modi’s
victory speech in the
BJP office post re-
sult, there was no
mention of Yogi.
What sort of contra-
diction is this?
This is not a contradic-
tion. It is a political
compulsion before Nar-
endra Modi and Amit
Shah on how to handle
Yogi. They could not de-
cide for a long time and
have perhaps still not
found a way in this re-
gard. But they tweeted
about Yogi being given
another term as CM
and his relationship
with the high command
is like a googly where it
keeps changing and
PM’s tweet about Yogi
as CM is part of that,
which is a good thing
and should have hap-
pened too in the man-
ner it did. One person
has worked hard in UP
and it is a good effort
but it is basically a po-
litical compulsion.

z There were rumours
of certain differences
between Yogi and
Central leadership
for the past two
years. What do you
think, were these ru-
mours only? Also,
what about the up-
coming cabinet for-
mation?
Call it difference of
opinion or communica-
tion gap but the basic
point is that all was not
well between BJP high
command and Yogi. The
reason for that is that
Yogi is a strict person
with his own unique
ways, he is compara-
tively less flexible. Sec-
ondly, he is a reluctant
‘yes man’ before high
command, whereas in
Congress and BJP by
and large everyone is a
‘YES MAN’ before high
command. Therefore,
he is considered strin-
gent due to which dif-
ferences may arise. But
in some cases, being
flexible is a constitu-
tional requirement be-
tween the Centre and
state. What happened
last year? The high
command decided on
AK Sharma’s inclusion
in government but it
didn’t go down well
with Yogi. Then the is-
sue of carving Purvan-
chal state also came up
and a meeting was held
in Delhi. I have heard
that the Home depart-
ment had even finalised
the draft to this effect
but Yogi didn’t want
that and the same even-
ing he released a press
note that UP will not be
divided. Then this
year’s differences are
too deep and therefore
there is a delay in for-
mation of cabinet.
From what we have
heard, it appears that
Baby Rani Maurya,
high command’s Dalit
face, has to be made
Deputy CM and a de-
partment like Home has
to be given to her. Yogi
says she does not have
that kind of role in UP
politics whereas the
high command may
have a strategic thought
behind it, and therefore
a difference may erupt.
But one thing is sure,
whenever cabinet is
formed in UP, you will
find Baby Rani Maurya
as deputy CM else the
cabinet will not be
formed. UP cabinet is
not a minor issue or
just Yogi’s cabinet for-
mation. It is what will
decide BJP’s future po-
litical landscape and
2024 roadmap of the saf-
fron party. We heard
that there was come is-
sue on number of depu-
ty CMs as high com-
mand was asserting for
four while Yogi wanted
just two but then news
came that the parties
have agreed to three po-
sitions. But I feel that
there is still no agree-
ment on it. It is a tricky
situation which could
be delayed for few more
days.

z The high command
has decided that Yogi
will lead UP for next
5 years. So, has Yogi
become indispensable
for the high com-
mand or has he be-
come flexible or if the
coordination has im-
proved?
Both the things are
there. He is indispensa-
ble because of the par-
ty’s Hindu card, of
which he has a good fol-
lowing. So, he is indis-
pensable to the extent
that neither can you
underwrite him or
change him. You can-
not make a new leader
in his place in UP. You
cannot undermine him
too in cabinet forma-
tion and running of
state. You will have to
give him freedom in
these aspects. To that
extent he is certainly
indispensable for the
party and high com-
mand. And if it is about
being flexible, well the
world runs on hope, so
let’s see.

z The Yogi cabinet is
to be formed in next
few days. How much
of a free hand will
Yogi have and how
much of a say will
the central leader-
ship have?
It is very difficult, but
the baseline is that Yogi
will not get more than
fifty percent free hand.
This is what I think.
Amit Shah himself is
going there as an ob-
server and it is perhaps
for the first time in 9
years that a leader of
Home Minister’s stat-
ure is going to any state
as an observer. Because
the challenge and task
is to handle Yogi. In it
there is another chal-
lenge that when he goes
to Delhi and when he
comes back to Lucknow
if the issues decided
upon get implemented
in the same manner as
decided upon, that is
one challenge. UP is a
complicated state and
whosoever may be the
Chief Minister, if they
say I will have a hun-
dred percent say in cab-
inet formation, it will
never be so. But one
thing is sure that Yogi
will have a reasonable
free hand and you will
not see if he has been
undermined. But an-
other thing is also sure
that high command will
have a huge say in it.

z Yogi came to Delhi
on March 13 and met
PM, Home Minister,
JP Nadda and BL
Santosh. What really
happened in these
meetings?
I believe that PM does
talk about the nitty-
gritty of things and
talks on broader lines.
During his meet one
year back, PM had
handed a report fur-
nished by BL Santosh
stressing that 150 MLAs
were against CM and he
was told that there is a
need for improvement.
Agencies had conduct-
ed surveys wherein at
first BJP was getting 80
seats and then 150 seats.
PM talks on policy lev-
el. The nitty-gritty
would have come when
he would have met Amit
Shah and perhaps a bit
with BL Santosh. Na-
dda does not have a
critical role in decision
making as his office is
more or less a post of-
fice. But I feel Mohan
Bhagwat would get in-
volved this time around
because UP is a sensi-
tive issue.

z PM Modi tweeted in
favour of Yogi after a
long meet with him.
What does that
mean?
It is a welcome move.
He is the Prime Minis-
ter and Yogi is his lead
worker. The Yogi camp
was demotivated that
after such a historic
win and in the function
at BJP headquarters,
Yogi wasn’t mentioned.
So, to counter that feel-
ing, and to fill in the
gap, Modi displayed his
leadership through that
tweet.

z How many phases
will the Yogi cabinet
be formed in and who
will be part of it?
Phases can be many, till
the time CM gives his
resignation to Gover-
nor for the next elec-
tion. In Rajasthan too
everything has hap-
pened but people still
hope that there will be
another expansion ex-
ercise. So such things
can go on but I feel that
eighty percent appoint-
ments will be carried
out in this first phase
and from what I have
heard, it is said that 62
ministers will be sworn
in, 25 cabinet minis-
ters, 21 MoS with Inde-
pendent charge and 23
MoS. As far as faces are
concerned, there are
many in the race for
deputy CM but apart
from Baby Rani Mau-
rya, I am not too sure
about others personal-
ly. So Baby Rani Mau-
rya, AK Sharma and
Asim Arun of which
Arun being appointed
as deputy CM will be an
experiment. Modi lead-
ership is known for giv-
ing surprises so per-
haps he may be includ-
ed. Others include
Rajeshwar Singh, Pan-
kaj Singh, Siddharth
Nath Singh, Swatantra
Dev Singh. But those
who have lost, I don’t
think they will be given
a chance. 11 ministers
have lost the election, I
don’t think any of them
will be adjusted any-
where.

z How did Narendra
Modi and Amit Shah
handle Yogi govern-
ment’s anti-incum-
bency factor?
Definitely there was
some anti-incumbency
but it wasn’t much per-
haps 20-25 percent. But
to counter it, they fo-
cussed on the constitu-
encies where their sur-
vey indicated anti-in-
cumbency was preva-
lent. So, they focussed
on 134 seats and Modi-
Shah handled the reins
of critical seats. These
people accept challeng-
es and confront it, work
hard for it so they han-
dled it and succeeded.
During the show
#JConModiUPWave
trended top All-India
on Twitter
TO BE CONTINUED...
Editor-In-Chief of First India, Jagdeesh Chandra, in The New JC Show
Editor-In-Chief of First India, Jagdeesh Chandra, in The New JC Show,
, speaks about
the massive victory of BJP in the Assembly polls of four states and what it means for the
future political realm of the nation and all political parties. Chandra also analyses how
people now don’t vote for Modi only for LS polls but also for the State Assemblies, how the
strategy of Modi-Shah changes with time issues at hand and the relationship of Yogi
Jagdeesh Chandra with Shweta Mishra, Aditi Nagar, Akanksha Bhalla, Astha Khandelwal and Sudhanshu Mathur at the New JC Show. —PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA
NOT 2024, BUT THE ACTUAL
FIGHT NOW IS FOR 2029!
MODI’S POPULAR FACE AND
AMIT SHAH’S STRATEGY IS
A DEADLY COMBINATION
WHICH THE OPPOSITION
CANNOT MATCH!
If you propose to do good, expect the
stones as well as a flower or two,
they should not hinder your efforts.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
AHMEDABAD, SUNDAY,
MARCH 20, 2022
oli is known
as the ‘Fes-
tival of
Happiness’
since peo-
ple of all
c a s t e s ,
creeds, colours and
races are painted in
the same colour.
And this year, India
has celebrated the
festival of colours
two years after the
outbreak began
with great vigour
and joy.
Holi sequences
and Bollywood are a
natural fit. We have
seen how Indian
cinema has given a
new expression to
the festival of col-
ours, starting with
vintage films. From
upbeat songs to
funky dance moves
and crazy celebra-
tion. On the auspi-
cious occasion,
many Bollywood ce-
lebrities took to so-
cial media plat-
forms to
wish
their fans while
some experimented
with colours, others
spent time with
their family and cel-
ebrated the festival
with much love and
enthusiasm. City
First brings you
some colourful chit-
chat about gingery
Bollywood celebs
and their Holi cele-
bration.
Katrina Kaif and
Vicky Kaushal, the
newlyweds from
Bollywood, cele-
brated Holi in the
most intimate and
lovely way possible
with their loved
ones. On their first
Holi after marriage,
the couple decorat-
ed the entire town
with their colour of
love and celebrated
the festival with
much elegance.
Priyanka Chopra
and her hubby Nick
Jonas threw a super
fun Holi bash at
their Los Angeles
home. The lovebirds
brought the party
home and
drained each
other in
the colour
of their
love. The diva
smeared colours on
her hubby’s face
and exchanged some
lovely kisses. Tak-
ing to social media,
the couple gave a
glimpse of all the
madness.
AnkitaLokhande
and her betterh-
alf Vicky Jain
c e l e b r a t e d
their first Holi
together with
much love.
The couple
enjoyed the
c l o s e - k n i t
Holi, they
were dressed
in white enjoy-
ing light of ro-
mance, candid
moments with
each other.
Mouni Roy, went
desi and celebrated
her Holi in the tra-
ditional manner.
The gorgeous diva
was seen touching
her husband’s
feet. The couple
also shared
some cosy pic-
t u r e s
smeared in
gulaal.
H
FESTIVALOFCOLOURSANDSTARS
OFBOLLYWOODGOHANDINHAND.
CITYFIRSTBRINGSTOYOUSOME
ICONICBOLLYWOODMOMENTS
SHAREDDURINGTHEFESTIVALOF
HOLIBYB-TOWNSTARS
UTTKARSHA
SHEKHAR
uttkarsha.shekhar@firstindia.co.in
ing to social media,
the couple gave a
glimpse of all the
AnkitaLokhande
and her betterh-
alf Vicky Jain
mance, candid
moments with
Mouni Roy, went
desi and celebrated
her Holi in the tra-
TERE
TERE
RANG
RANG MEIN
MEIN
Ankita Lokhande and her hubby Vicky Jain Priyanka Chopra and her hubby Nick Jonas
Mouni Roy and her husband
Suraj Nambiar
K
a
tr
in
a
K
a
if
a
n
d
V
ic
k
y
K
a
u
s
h
a
l
w
it
h
th
e
ir
fa
m
il
y

accines have
their success
storiesandhor-
rible tragedies.
Some of the
most deadly
diseases have
been eradicated by vac-
cines or contained sig-
nificantly like small-
pox, polio, hepatitis A
and B, yellow fever, ra-
bies, tetanus etc. But
there are some painful
memories and hor-
rible experiences
also. How one
can forget the
“ Cutter labo-
ratory fias-
co” and the
r e s u l t a n t
tragedy of
the USA
where thou-
sandsof children
gotpoliobecauseof
a vaccine which left
many paralysed and
some dead? The Deng-
vaxia controversy of
Philippines children
getting more at risk be-
cause of vaccination in
previouslynon-infected
children against den-
gue is also fresh in the
memory of many peo-
ple. All these episodes
may make many people
sceptical about vac-
cines, especially RNA
vaccines. The recent
incident of strong pro-
test by truckers in Can-
ada and also related to
tennis player Novak
Djokovic point to “ vac-
cine hesitancy” regard-
ing COVID 19 vaccine.
As nobody wants to die
of infectious disease,
then why people are re-
fusingthisvaccine?Pro
vaccine people try to
brush aside such pro-
testsaspoliticalagenda
but are it really so? As
such, no ordinary citi-
zenwouldliketoputhis
life at risk to prove a
political point. A deep-
er analysis is required
to understand this vac-
cine hesitancy
.
If anybody analyses
the whole scenario of
just declined COVID 19
pandemic, it appears
that the whole pan-
demic management
was poorly planned
globally. The treat-
ment regimens were
frequently changed to
the extent that even af-
ter two years, nobody
can be confident about
the exact line of treat-
ment in future. Drugs
like remdesivir which
were black marketed
are now already in
oblivion along with
much-abused doxycy-
cline, Azithromycin,
HCQS and ivermectin
in many latest treat-
ment advisories.
Similar things have
also happened with the
vaccine. From the very
beginning, everything
wasputonthepublicdo-
mainonanad-hocbasis.
Thedoseschedule,when
it should be given after
anepisodeof disease,its
pricing, effectiveness,
side effects etc all kept
changing at a rapid pace
in tandem with a num-
ber of people dying at
that point in time. This
inconsistency gave
enoughmaterialtoscep-
tical people to denounce
the vaccination effort as
a farce and profit-mak-
ing venture of big phar-
ma. Even the pro-vac-
cine people lost some of
their trust in the effec-
tiveness of the vaccine.
It is common knowl-
edge that in most coun-
tries, senior doctors
stayed indoors and iso-
lated. They never ex-
amined patients close-
ly and treated them
only by guesswork. As
a result, their opinion
regarding the useful-
ness of the vaccine was
taken with a pinch of
salt. With the advent of
Google and other social
media, personal expe-
riences were shared
across the world and
when, during the sec-
ond wave, immunized
people started report-
ing severe COVID 19
symptoms, the trust in
the vaccine was far low
to recommend it to eve-
ryone. It was also sur-
prised to note that no
portal was created
where registered medi-
cal professionals can
report about side ef-
fects, success and fail-
ure of vaccine case by
case. This approach by
manufacturers dented
the authenticity of
their published data.
Then came the ques-
tion of the easy and
systematic availability
of vaccines during the
launch period and its
dosage schedule. Peo-
ple who were interest-
ed to get vaccinated for
its perceived benefit
were not getting the job
easily and there was
very poor communica-
tion between them and
authorities. The time
gap between the first
and second dose and
finally the booster was
not well-defined and
even most of the doc-
tors were not sure of
the exact timing. The
time gap went on
changing as per the
availability of the vac-
cine. A logical question
arises under such cir-
cumstances - is science
so much flexible?
At this point in time,
the COVID 19 virus has
lost its virulence sig-
nificantlywhichmeans
it can no more kill peo-
ple as it did during the
first and mainly second
wave. Now a question
arises that should the
governments of the
world force people to go
for vaccination even
when the pandemic has
gone into abatement
and become endemic?
Hasn’t the time arrived
when these things
should be left to medi-
cal professionals and
people as in cases of
many other diseases?
Political involvement
always leads to division
in society and should
be minimal in day to
day decisions of the
people. Politicians have
nothing concrete to of-
fer and hence, are al-
ways in search to get
credit for trivia and
important.
V
RAM AWATAR SHARMA
ramawatarf132@gmail.com
10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
ARSHITA, Model
WHY DON’T SOME PEOPLE
WHY DON’T SOME PEOPLE
TRUST THE
TRUST THE
COVID VACCINE?
COVID VACCINE?
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Don’t give a firm
commitment in financial
matters before considering
the viability of the project.
You succeed in completing an
important project well before
deadline. Disagreements on the family
front are foreseen. Be careful about
the legal apprehensions.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
It is good day to confess
your love as stars appear
favourable for positive
reply. Your sole
dependency on friends may fail to
bring any respite from loneliness
today. A sound financial health of
businessmen would enable to give
monetary benefits to employees.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Rewards and recognition
will come your way for
your involvement in a
social endeavour. It’s a
very good day to take calculated
risks in financial matters. Those
suffering from chronic ailments may
find remarkable improvement in their
health with home remedies.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Distant relatives may drop in
for a surprise visit.
Investment antiques and
jewellery would bring
handsome financial gains. On
professional front, recognition for good
work would motivate you to work
harder. Those awaiting an affirmation
on romantic front will get lucky.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Develop a good adaptabil-
ity to handle pressurized
situation on professional
front. Paying special
attention to plan your career would
give immense joy. You are likely to
get clearance or approval for your
construction plans. You find things
moving in the way you want them.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Senior management will be
appreciative of your creative
inputs on professional front.
Seek the opinion of your
family before finalizing a property deal.
An impromptu invitation to a function
from an unexpected friend is likely to
be received. Your bold initiatives on
romantic front bring back passion.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You will succeed in
resolving
misunderstanding with
family members,
normalizing ties. You will remain
much in demand on social front. You
need to stand by romantic partner
during testing times to make the
relationship stronger.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Chances of being misled
by competitors in business
are high, so remain alert.
You may get a chance to
pursue old hobby. Health tips from
an expert will enable you to get
closer to your fitness goals. Your
generous behaviour will enable some
lovely moments with family.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Yoga would help in raising
energy levels and improve
your metabolism. Some of
you are going experience
emotional fulfilment. Place emphasis
on domestic affairs to enhance the
domestic tranquillity and harmony.
Associating yourself with humanitar-
ian group would benefit you.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Avoid being indulgent in
your spending to balance
budget. Continue to put in
efforts at work and you will
see promising opportunities coming
your way. Matrimonial match for
siblings will bring happiness for
entire family. You will get a good
price for your property.
PISCES
FEB 20 - MARCH 20
Your hard work and
dedication are likely to be
noticed by seniors, paving
way for promotion or
increment. Better to consult an
expert in financial matters before
making an investment. Family will be
supportive of career aspirations. A
promising day overall.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
A sound monetary position
would enable you to keep
pace with changing times.
Avoid raising controversial
issues. Successful implementation of
new ideas and projects would add to
your prestige on the professional
front. It is a wonderful day to build
new connections.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, MARCH 20, 2022
11
he Taj Ram-
bagh Palace at
Jaipur epito-
mises rich tra-
ditions and a
place where
heritage and
culture are protected
and celebrated and
customs are preserved
and performed to per-
fection.
Even a usual visit to
Rambagh has over-
tures of royalty as one
is greeted by the aus-
picious ‘aarti’ and
‘tika’ ceremony per-
formed by women in
the traditional Ra-
jasthani attire.
Rambagh boasts of
overwhelming timeless
interiors of the resi-
dence of the last ruler
of Jaipur, Maharaja
Sawai Man Singh II and
his queen, the beautiful
MaharaniGayatriDevi.
Holi is also celebrat-
ed paying homage to
the age-old traditions.
GM Ashok Rathore
takes a personal inter-
est in the same and en-
sures that the customs
are carried out to per-
fection.
With the traditional
Holika Dahan Puja and
lighting of the holy fire,
one feels one is back in
royal times and holi
songs and cultural per-
formances add to the
ethereal experience. As
peacocks frolic in its
royal gardens, one can
be forgiven for actually
thinking that we have
entered a time machine
and are back in the age
of Kings and Queens.
T
TAJ RAMBAGH JAIPUR CELE-
BRATES ALL THE FESTIVALS
ENSURING THAT THE AGE-OLD
TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS ARE
EXECUTED TO PERFECTION. CITY
FIRST BRINGS YOU A FEW GLIMPS-
ES OF THE HOLIKA DAHAN TRADI-
TIONAL CELEBRATION!
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
Ashok Rathore during
the traditional holika puja Ashok Rathore prays before the holy fire before lighting it Traditional chang artists go round the holi fire before it is lit
Cultural performance with the majestic Rambagh as a backdrop
Phoolon ki holi Horses and horse drawn carts add to the traditional ambience
Guests enthralled by the celebrations A floral Rangoli greets all guests
Phoolon ki holi being enjoyed by the guests
Guests at the celebration pose for a pic As the holy fire of Holika Dahan burns bright the guests gather to pay homage
GM Ashok Rathore
Ki RAM RAM
Ki RAM RAM

12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
Jagdeesh Chandra with
the JC show team during
the shoot of The New JC
show on Tuesday. (From
left) Jinendra Shekhawat,
Vijendra Solanki, Poonam
Sharma, Khushi Ajwani,
Srishti Khatri, Yogesh
Sharma, Sudhanshu
Mathur, Shweta Mishra
Awasthi, Aditi Nagar,
Anita Hada, Muskan
Kamdaar, Neelanjana
Jangid, Tanu Choudhary,
Tripti Arora, Ayushi
Vijayvargiya, Shishir
Awasthi and Mahesh
Sharma.
—PHOTO BY
SUNIL SHARMA
THE JC
SHOW
TEAM!
heLexiconArt
Gallery organ-
ised an inau-
gural art show
titled ‘His Glo-
ry and His
Monuments’
at The Lexicon Art,
Connaught Place re-
cently
. The theme of-
fered a brief albeit in-
tense visual journey
into the occult nature
of reality and history
.
From Jain Tirt-
hankaras to the Sirohi
Mandala, ‘His Glory
and His Monuments’
captivated and provid-
ed thoughts into the
aesthetic,cosmological,
and esoteric traditions
of both Ancient and
Mediaeval India. The
art gallery has been
presenting shows of
contemporary Indian
art. Now, they are step-
ping a milestone to ex-
plore the numerous
forms of Indian and
International art.
The exhibition was
curated and also
explicated through
abook-lengthessay
by Dr Kallol Roy
.
Mamta Nath,
Founder Direc-
tor-LexiconArtGal-
lery said “This exhi-
bition, titled” His
Glory and His Mon-
uments”isacollabo-
rative effort of vari-
ous learned minds in
the field of art. We hope
tonotonlyexhibitthese
treasures to all but also
make them accessible.
Hopefully, for the dis-
cerning art lovers, this
show shall bring joy
and dispense the much-
hidden knowledge
about an art form
which remains en-
shrined in the scrip-
tures and miniatures.”
Dr Kallol Roy said,
“This exhibition show-
cases an eclectic assort-
ment of miniature
paintings,manuscripts,
maps and other objects
which explore the eso-
teric and transcenden-
tal explorations of Hin-
du and Jain religious
and metaphysical sys-
tems!”
Claudio Ansorena
PhD Ambassador of
Embassy of the Repub-
licof CostaRica,Indian
Designer,scenographer
and art curator with
Padma Bhushan Ram
VanjiSutar,DrBlossom
Kochhar, philanthro-
pist Neelam Pratap
Rudy, Classical Singer
Dr Meeta Pandit, Mam-
ta Nath Founder Direc-
tor The Lexicon Art,
Designer Leena Singh,
K L Ganju Consul
General of the Re-
public of Union
of Comoros, An-
nieMunjaal,De-
signer Preeti
Ghai, Aash-
meen Munjaal,
Artist Avijit Dut-
ta, Prabhakar
Kolte, Artist Mani-
sha Gawade, Art-
ist George Martin
PJ, Director and
founderof Izhaar
by Core Designs
Ruchita Bansal
and Manisha
Bhatia, Gaurav
Grover with
wife Palka
Grover graced
the event with
their pres-
ence.
Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi and Varun Sharma Nupur Sanon were spotted in Delhi for
the special screening of the movie Bachchan Pandey at PVR Plaza on Thursday.
CITY FIRST
N
euro Spine
Onco Update
2022 was organ-
ised by Rajiv
GandhiCancerInstitute
Research Centre re-
cently
. The seminar was
organised to spread
awareness about new
techniques that have
revolutionised the treat-
ment of brain and spi-
nal cord tumours. These
treatments with high
precision are leading to
total removal of tu-
mours while preserving
the organs and leaving
the least detrimental ef-
fect on their functional-
ity
. Experts from Tata
Memorial, RGCIRC,
AIIMS, GB Pant Hospi-
tal, RML Hospital and
Safdarjung Hospital de-
livered talks and
shared their experi-
ences. Dr I C Premsa-
gar said ,“The seminar
was one-of-its-kind
event in terms of its
depth and width where
neuro-oncosurgeons,
medical oncologists, ra-
diationoncologists,neu-
ro-pathologists, neuro-
anaesthetists, neuro-ra-
diologists, neuro-physi-
ologists and neuro-psy-
chologists came togeth-
er to discuss the latest
trends in the field of
brain and spinal tu-
mours to make the man-
agement of these tu-
mours technically feasi-
ble, surgically safer,
more effective and ac-
ceptable to the patients.
Fight Cancer With Awareness!
CITY FIRST
R
ajasthan Inter-
national Fash-
ion Week organ-
ised a Pre-
Launch Holi Party at
Barrel Co Club in
Mumbai on Friday
. Dur-
ing the launch party
Rahul Kapoor, a well-
known Celebrity pro-
moted his event Ra-
jasthan International
Fashion Week which is
to be held in Rajasthan
soon. Fashion week will
showcase the lineage
and traditions of Ra-
jasthan via dresses,
Jewellery and will also
be promoting culturally
rich monuments. The
event will provide a pro-
motional platform for
all the associates and
would serve as a brand-
building exercise com-
bined with a whole lot
of opportunities to be
recognised in the Indi-
an market. The event
will propel the Fashion
Industry to greater
heights by showcasing
the work of National
and International De-
signers, also will pro-
vide a platform where
budding talented de-
signers would be able to
create a brand name.
Star-Studded Holi Party!!
SPOTTED IN THE CITY
ICONIC GOLD AWARDS
His Glory and His
MONUMENTS
SHUBHANSHI PATHAK
cityfirstdel@gmail.com
T
The Iconic Gold
awards 3rd edition
announced its
winners at Hotel
Sahara Star on 12th
March, Mumbai.
The starry event
witnessed several
B-town celebrities
sparkling up the
red carpet with
their gracious
presence. Despite
the difficulties the
film industry faced
during the Covid-19
pandemic, Iconic
Gold Awards and
its CEO Piyuus
Jaiswal decided,
it was important
to commemorate
the best of Indian
cinema.
Mita Pandit and Mamta Nath Dr Priyanka Tyagi with a guest Leena Singh and K L Ganju
Claudio Ansorena
Manisha Gawade
George Martin PJ
Annie Munjaal, Preeti Ghai and Aashmeen Munjaal
(L-R) Ajay, Rahul Kapoor, Kasturi, Arshi Khan and Eshaan Masih
(L-R) Aditi, Dr Ashwin Naayak, Rahul Kapoor, Indu and Amruta
Dr IP Premsagar, Dr Sudhir Rawal and DS Negi
—PHOTOS
BY
SHAZID
CHAUHAN
—PHOTO
BY
SHAZID
CHAUHAN
—PHOTOS
BY
SHAZID
CHAUHAN

20032022 first india ahmedabad

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