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National

- Huge wins for ruling parties in Arunachal, Sikkim

- A dry spot

- LS election survey predicts BJP win, slight rise in vote share for Congress

- Kejriwal returns to jail at the end of 21-day bail granted for campaigning

- Ensure counting norms are followed: BJP, INDIA to EC

- Modi reviews 100-day agenda for new govt.

- Exit poll surveys fake, meant to demoralise Oppn., counting agents must stay alert, says CM

- ED uses Kejriwal’s case to push for stringent checks on grant of interim medical bail

- ‘Ensure safe movement of EVM control units’

- 2 loco pilots injured as goods trains collide in Punjab

- Let us dedicate next 25 years for ‘Viksit Bharat’, says Modi

- NHAI increases tolls across highways by 5% from today

- BJP workers detained for protesting near Rajghat

- Tough contest may have denied BJP a clean sweep in Rajasthan

- Opposition leaders reject exit poll predictions, Rahul Gandhi terms it ‘Modi media fantasy’

- A leader who changed BJP’s fortunes in Aurnachal

- ‘Common man’s Chief Minister’ bags second straight win in Sikkim

- SDF chief Pawan Chamling loses both seats in Sikkim poll

- Provide details of 150 DMs, Collectors, EC tells Jairam

- BJP will keep working for Arunachal’s growth: Modi

- Sikkim CM’s wife Krishna Rai wins Namchi-Singhithang seat

- M.P. reported over 5,000 heatstroke cases in May

- In fight against Nipah, scientists find new way to generate virus-like particles in lab

- 14191

- India to participate in Red Flag, RIMPAC exercises

- Over 6 lakh affected as Assam continues to reel under floods

- Separation, a reality

- Pune car crash: parents of minor sent to police custody

- 70 terrorists waiting to infiltrate Kashmir: DGP

- SC to hear govt.’s plea against premature release of Gawli

Rahul Karmakar

GUWAHATI

BJP wins 46 of the 60 seats in Arunachal ; NPP bags five, Congress is reduced to one; Sikkim Krantikari Morcha sweeps Sikkim in a one-sided contest with an unprecedented 31 out of 32 seats; the Sikkim Democratic Front got the lone remaining seat; this could be the end of the road for the former CM and SDF founder Pawan Kumar Chamling

The Bharatiya Janata Party retained power for the third successive term in Arunachal Pradesh by winning 46 of the 60 seats in the Assembly as votes cast on April 19 were counted on Sunday, while Sikkim too saw a landslide victory, with the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha winning 31 of the 32 seats.

In Arunachal, the BJP has won 10 of the seats uncontested ahead of polling.

The Congress, which had ruled the State for more than 30 years, managed to field candidates only for 19 seats. The National People’s Party (NPP), otherwise an NDA constituent, contested 20 seats.

While the NPP won five seats as in 2019, former Minister Kumar Waii saved the Congress from a complete rout by winning the Bameng seat. The Congress had won four seats five years ago. The remaining seats were divided among the Nationalist Congress Party (three), the regional People’s Party of Arunachal (two) and three Independents.

In Sikkim, of the 32 seats won by the SKM, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang bagged two – Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung. The lone winner for the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Tenzing Norbu Lamtha, had switched over from the SKM ahead of the Assembly election.

The SKM was a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, but the two parties had ended their partnership ahead of the April 19 election.

Political observers said that Sunday’s outcome followed a pattern: the party that rules the State and at the Centre usually wins elections in Arunachal Pradesh. While the BJP did not face any anti-incumbency sentiment, it was also better organised at the grassroots level, and faced hardly any opposition.

One-sided result

The Sikkim election was expected to be a close contest between the SKM and the SDF. Instead, it turned out to be an almost complete sweep in favour of the SKM. Voters in the Himalayan State have been giving a second chance to regional parties since the 287-day President’s Rule in 1985.

Apart from indicating that voters had little or no complaints against the SKM, the outcome underlined the individual-driven politics in Sikkim.

Sikkim’s 2024 mandate could be the end of the road for the 73-year-old former Chief Minister and SDF’s founder-president Pawan Kumar Chamling, who lost comprehensively from two seats — Namcheybung and Poklok-Kamrang. Former ace footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, who merged his Hamro Sikkim Party with the SDF in 2023, lost the Barfung seat, his sixth electoral defeat since contesting on Trinamool Congress ticket in 2014.

The BJP and the Citizen Action Party, both came a cropper too.

Water tower

Flood waters inundated large areas of Gobha village in Morigaon district of Assam on Sunday. RITU RAJ KONWAR (report on Page: 6)RITU RAJ KONWAR

Lokniti Team

In continuation of the Lok Sabha election reports by Lokniti-CSDS in The Hindu (April 11-13), the BJP seems to have held on to its core bastions and warded off the challenge elsewhere. This is the most dominant trend picked up by Lokniti’s post-election survey conducted by visiting the homes of nearly 20,000 respondents selected through systematic random sampling.

As we await the actual counting of votes on Tuesday, Lokniti’s post-election survey confirms the comfortable edge that the BJP enjoys in the 18th Lok Sabha election; it is set to form the government for a third term in a row.

Our survey suggests that both the BJP and the Congress will add a little bit to their respective vote shares from the previous election (37.4% and 19.5%, respectively) to poll 40% and 23%, respectively. However, while the gains for both parties are in the range of 3% to 4%, the margin of error for this calculation of vote shares is ±3.08.

Even as the BJP holds an edge in terms of vote share and is likely to add to its vote share by around three percentage points over the previous election, the Congress, too, will refuse to recede. An equal increase of about 3% votes will ensure that the Congress as a party will remain in the reckoning, though as a distant second. Thus, though the Congress may gain votes compared with its debacle in 2014, that gain might not be sufficient to shake the BJP. This fact, and the spatial spread of votes, will determine the seat shares of these parties. A limited but significant accretion to the vote shares of both parties hints at the attrition of some of the smaller parties.

The Lokniti programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi, conducted the survey in 23 Statesafter each phase of voting. The fieldwork began from April 20, 2024 and will go on till June 3, 2024. So far, 18,014 voters have been interviewed (the data for the last phase will be added after the completion of the fieldwork on June 3).

Kejriwal returns to jail at the end of 21-day bail granted for campaigning

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, wife Sunita, and AAP leaders return after paying tribute at the Rajghat. Shashi Shekhar KashyapSHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal surrendered at Tihar Jail on Sunday evening, soon after telling Aam Aadmi Party workers, “I am going back to jail not because I was involved in corruption but because I raised voice against dictatorship.” The 21-day interim bail granted by the Supreme Court to Mr. Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha election expired as polling came to an end.

Immediately after surrendering, Mr. Kejriwal was produced through a virtual conference before magistrate Sanjeev Aggarwal, who sent him to judicial custody till June 5.

A Delhi court on Saturday reserved its order for June 5 on an interim bail plea on medical grounds filed by Mr. Kejriwal. The hearing of Mr. Kejriwal’s regular bail plea is scheduled to take place on June 7.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Kejriwal left his residence after taking the blessings of his parents, and was accompanied by senior party leaders and his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, as they made their way to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. The Chief Minister then went to the Hanuman Mandir at Connaught Place before addressing party workers at the AAP office on his last stop before heading back to jail.

‘Ready to be hanged’

“I do not know what they will do to me in jail. But we are disciples of Bhagat Singh, who went to jail to free the country, I am going to jail to save the country. Bhagat Singh was also hanged, I am also ready to be hanged,” Mr. Kejriwal said . He added that he did not know when he would return but promised that he would not bow down. “

Ensure counting norms are followed: BJP, INDIA to EC

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Signboards being erected at the entrance of the strong rooms, where EVMs are stored, in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. V. Raju V. Raju

The leaders of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition INDIA bloc met members of the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday and demanded strict adherence to the established processes of counting of votes of the Lok Sabha election on Tuesday.

While the BJP warned the EC against “attempts to undermine the integrity of the electoral process” by the INDIA and “certain organisations, in the guise of civil society”, the INDIA bloc urged the EC to ensure that the control units of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were moved through CCTV-monitored corridors and the current date-and-time display of each machine was verified.

Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal, representing the BJP, submitted a petition and asked the EC to ensure the safety of the counting process and that every official engaged in the counting process was fully conversant with the details of the prescribed process.

Use of EVMs

In the letter to the EC, the BJP noted the verdict of the Supreme Court in April on the challenges raised by civil society organisations on the use of EVMs. The top court had dismissed any apprehensions about the misuse of EVMs.

The BJP’s delegation met the EC officials minutes after the INDIA bloc’s delegation met the officials to share their apprehensions over counting of votes.

Modi reviews 100-day agenda for new govt.

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The plans will kick into action by July 1 if the NDA govt. returns to power , say officials; PM also chairs review meetings on aftermath of cyclone and the heatwave situation prevailing in country

Grand scheme: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs a review meeting with senior officials in New Delhi on Sunday. PTI PTI

A day after exit polls predicted a third straight term in power at the Centre for the National Democratic Front (NDA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a review meeting on a 100-day programme that his team will seek to implement once government formation is completed.

Senior bureaucrats attended the review meeting. According to sources, at least 10 groups, each headed by a Secretary-level official as coordinator, have been created to implement this agenda over the first 100 days of the new government.

The plans, some details of which have been reported in The Hindu earlier, will kick into action by at least July 1, sources said.

“Each Sectoral Group of Secretaries (SGOS) has a Secretary of the Government of India heading it, along with four or five senior officers. This was done in February itself and Ministries put to work to fine-tune plans. As the election season is on, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has been holding reviews,” an official said. These groups deal with various subjects such as governance, infrastructure, security, and economy.

For example, under the theme of governance, the SGOS remit extends to reviewing the foundation courses of the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC), and to the launch of a “Karmayogi Talent Bank”, which will rate civil servants before they are recommended for promotions.

The BJP manifesto has committed to holding simultaneous polls for the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies, and sources say that coming up with a common electoral roll, which is key to that exercise, is part of the 100-day plan.

Cyclone impact

Mr. Modi also chaired review meetings on the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, and the challenges arising out of the heatwave prevailing in northern and western India.

He stressed the need for regular fire and electrical safety audits in hospitals. The meetings come after several children were killed in fires at a gaming arcade in Rajkot and a hospital in New Delhi.

Reviewing the impact of heatwave conditions in parts of the country, Mr. Modi instructed officials to undertake proper drills for preventing and handling fire incidents on a regular basis, according to an official statement.

He also said that regular drills for the maintenance of fire lines in forests and the productive utilisation of biomass must be planned.

At the meeting to review the post-Cyclone Remal situation, another official statement said that Mr. Modi was briefed about its impact in the affected States, including the loss of lives and damage to houses and other properties due to landslips and floods in Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura.

Mr. Modi said the Union government would continue to extend its full support to the States affected by the cyclone, according to the statement.

Exit poll surveys fake, meant to demoralise Opposition, says Kejriwal

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Standing strong: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal at the party headquarters, along with other leaders, in New Delhi on Sunday. Shashi Shekhar KashyapSHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the exit polls that predicted a thumping victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha poll were fake and that the surveys had been released to demoralise workers of Opposition parties ahead of the counting of votes.

Before returning to Tihar Jail after the expiration of his 21-day interim bail, the Chief Minister urged counting agents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) candidates to stay alert, alleging that the pollsters had released the fake numbers on the “instructions from the top”.

“These exit polls are nothing but mind games to drive you into depression,” Mr. Kejriwal said, addressing AAP workers at the party headquarters.

‘Check for discrepancy’

“You must remain there [at the counting centres] till the final counting is done to prevent any chances of manipulation in the election results. Five per cent of the VVPATs are matched with EVMs. If there is any discrepancy, we can expose their EVM scam,” he added.

The exit polls, released on Saturday evening after the conclusion of the polling for the seventh and the last phase of the general election, predicted a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with a decisive victory for the NDA.

Apart from Mr. Kejriwal, several leaders of the INDIA bloc have dismissed the predictions, claiming that the Opposition was set to form the next government at the Centre with at least 295 seats.

Attacking the BJP over the predictions, the AAP chief said several “theories” about why the surveys indicated such a landslide victory for the NDA are doing rounds. According to them, the exit polls were “manipulated” to benefit those heavily invested in the stock market and to put pressure on election officers on the counting day.

“One of the theories is that their friends have invested money in the share market and if the market goes up as soon as it opens [on Monday], they can withdraw funds and earn a huge amount of money,” Mr. Kejriwal said.

“According to the second theory, the exit poll numbers could have been manipulated to influence the poll outcome by putting pressure on election officers [on the day of counting]”. .

“The third theory says the predictions aim at preventing a rebellion against Prime Minister Modi and [Home Minister] Amit Shah in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) before the declaration of the results,” the Chief Minister added.

ED uses Kejriwal’s case to push for stringent checks on grant of interim medical bail

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has used Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea for liberty to pitch hard for stringent checks and balances on the grant of interim medical bail to accused facing money laundering charges, saying only a case of intolerable grief and suffering should justify temporary release.

Mr. Kejriwal surrendered before Tihar Jail authorities on Sunday, 22 days after the Supreme Court, in an unprecedented order, granted him interim bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha election till June 1.

He was remanded in custody till June 5, when a Delhi court is scheduled to pronounce its judgment on his plea for interim bail on medical grounds. The Supreme Court Registry had recently declined to even list for judicial hearing Mr. Kejriwal’s application for a seven-day extension of his interim bail to take a PET-CT scan.

In its response to Mr. Kejriwal’s interim bail plea before the special court, the ED, represented by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, had argued that his claim of “unexplained weight loss is false and appears to be a concocted theory”.

The Central agency went to the extent of drawing out a ‘Body Mass Index Calculator’ in its 56-page affidavit to show that “as per the National Institute of Health, the weight of 64 kg is normal for a person with a height of 5 feet 5 inches”.

“Every sickness does not ipso facto entitle an accused to medical bail,” the ED submitted, referring to judicial precedents from the Supreme Court. The court’s power to grant interim bail should be sparingly used. Interim bail was an “indulgence”, extended only in exceptional and extraordinary circumstances, the ED said.

What is that level of sickness or infirmity that brings an accused within the parameters of “sick or infirm” as envisaged in the proviso to Section 45(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Central agency reproduced the question posed by the Supreme Court in its 2023 judgment in Kewal Krishna Kumar versus Enforcement Directorate.

“The sickness or infirmity should be life-threatening, requiring medical assistance unavailable in penitentiary hospitals. If so, an accused could be granted bail under the proviso to Section 45(1),” the top court answers the question of law.

The ED contended in its affidavit that the twin-conditions of Section 45 would apply to interim bail too.

These conditions include the court finding the accused prima facie innocent and unlikely to commit a crime if given bail.

The ED reminded how the top court had said interim bail “cannot be... made a substitute for regular bail”.

‘Ensure safe movement of EVM control units’

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

INDIA bloc leaders talk to the media after the meeting with EC officials, at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi on Sunday. ANIANI

A team of INDIA bloc leaders met members of the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday to share their apprehensions over the counting of votes.

Senior Opposition leaders Sitaram Yechury, D. Raja, Salman Khurshid, T.R. Baalu, Abhishek Singhvi, and others were part of the delegation. Soon after the meeting, a BJP delegation too met the EC officials.

The BJP leaders alleged that the Opposition, with civil society organisations fronting them, had a “toolkit” aimed at discrediting the electoral process.

In a memorandum to the EC, the Opposition leaders said that it was essential to acknowledge that counting officials requisitioned from local authorities, schools, universities, banks, and so on often failed to fully understand all the aspects of the counting process, despite training by the EC. “This mismatch can be challenging for the counting agents, particularly when counting officials ask for written EC orders/guidelines for every request being made,” the representation said, adding that there was a lack of clarity on the precise details involved in the counting process.

They demanded safe movement of control units of electronic voting machines through a CCTV-monitored corridor, verification of the current date and time displayed on the control units, and confirmation of the start and end time and date of the voting process to the counting agents. “This verification is important because unless it is done, there is no authenticity that it is the same control unit that came from the polling booth,” Mr. Yechury said.

“The previous experience of the counting process also reveals that in many cases the counting officials rush into declaring the results of one machine to the other, leaving scope for manipulation. The EC must issue necessary instructions that the counting officials must wait and allow all counting agents to record the results before moving from one machine to another,” the memorandum said.

It also sought strict adherence to the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. Citing reports that postal ballots would be counted towards to the end in some districts, the memorandum asked for this process to be completed in the beginning, as per the rules.

2 loco pilots injured as goods trains collide in Punjab

Press Trust of India

Fatehgarh

Narrow miss: Goods trains collided near Madhopur in Sirhind, in which two loco pilots were injured, on Sunday. ANIANI

Two loco pilots were injured on Sunday morning when a stationary goods train was hit from behind by another at the Sirhind railway station here, a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said.

He said the collision caused the engine of one of them to flip over to another track and hit a passenger train.

There was no loss of life in the incident, that took place near Madhopur in Sirhind but two loco pilots Vikas Kumar and Himanshu Kumar were injured, the GRP official said.

A Fatehgarh Sahib Civil Hospital doctor said Vikas Kumar suffered injuries to his head and Himanshu Kumar to his back. They were referred to the Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, he added.

Railway officials said restoration work was under way and trains are being diverted through Rajpura, Patiala and Dhuri and some via Chandigarh.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said directions have been issued to the district administration to provide all possible help.

“There was news of an accident involving two trains at Sirhind railway station. Thank God that there was no loss of life,” he said in a post in Punjabi on ‘X’.

Let us dedicate next 25 years for ‘Viksit Bharat’, says Modi

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a note penned on Saturday while on his flight back to Delhi from Kanniyakumari after a 45-hour meditation retreat, said that “Bharat’s development had a global context”, and that the time had arrived when, for the next 25 years, the country must dedicate itself to creating strong foundation for coming generations.

Mr. Modi in his note titled New Sankalp from Sadhana (new resolutions from reflections) referred to Swami Vivekananda.

“Swami Vivekananda had said in 1897 that we must dedicate the next 50 years solely for the nation. Exactly 50 years after this call, Bharat gained independence in 1947. Today, we have the same golden opportunity. Let’s dedicate the next 25 years solely for the nation. Our efforts will create a strong foundation for the coming generations and the coming centuries, taking Bharat to new heights,” he wrote.

He said Kanniyakumari symbolised the country’s unity as various rivers met with the sea and the seas met at Kanniyakumari. Referring to the statue of Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar at the spot, he said that his work, the Thirukkural, was “one of the crown jewels of the beautiful Tamil language”.

Many lessons

He said India’s development model had many lessons for others. Lifting 25 crore people out of poverty, delivering welfare to the masses without leakage, universalisation of digital public goods were just some measures. Since the conclusion of the G-20 meet in New Delhi, India’s role had acquired a bigger dimension globally, he added.

“We will need to make several changes to move forward in the global scenario. We also need to change our traditional thinking regarding reform. Bharat cannot limit reform to just economic reforms. We must move forward in every aspect of life towards the direction of reform. Our reforms should also align with the aspirations of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) by 2047,” he wrote.

Visit https://newsth.live/PMSankalp for PM’s article

NHAI increases tolls across highways by 5% from today

Press Trust of India

New Delhi

The annual revision of highway user fee was earlier to come into effect on April 1 but was deferred due to election. SUDHAKARA JAINSUDHAKARA JAIN

Motorists using expressways will have to shell out more from Monday as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to hike tolls across the country by an average of 5%.

The annual revision of highway user fee, which is expected to be in the range of average 5%, was earlier to come into effect on April 1.

But the hike was deferred due to the Lok Sabha election.

“The new user fee will come into effect from 3.6.2024,” a senior NHAI official said on Sunday.

The change in toll fee is part of an annual exercise to revise the rates that are linked to the changes in the wholesale price index (CPI)-based inflation.

BJP workers detained for protesting near Rajghat

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The Delhi police on Sunday detained several BJP workers, including Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva, for protesting against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s visit to the Rajghat.

The BJP workers tried to block Mr. Kejriwal’s cavalcade that was about to reach the venue from the Chief Minister’s house in Civil Lines when they were detained.

Mr. Sachdeva said the BJP had organised the flash protest as it was shocking that Mr. Kejriwal, who has been arrested in the Delhi liquor scam that is under investigation, was being allowed to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

“By going to Rajghat and Hanuman Mandir before surrendering at Tihar Jail, Mr. Kejriwal tried to play his old victim card but people of Delhi now know that Gandhiji’s ideology has no place in Kejriwal’s lifestyle,” Mr. Sachdeva said.

He also alleged that Mr. Kejriwal has removed Mahatma Gandhi’s photos from his office and residence.

Tough contest may have denied BJP a clean sweep in Rajasthan

Ishita Mishra

New Delhi

Uphill task: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma during a public meeting in April. PTI

Rajasthan has faced one of the toughest Lok Sabha election contests in 2024.

The simmering anger of the Jat and Rajput communities, the two dominant castes in the State, could determine the poll outcome. Multiple power centres resulting from recent political changes and the absence of a “wave” has added to the challenges faced by the BJP, which had secured a perfect score in 2014 and 2019.

The Jat community, which contributes around 12% of the total vote share, is considered one of the most influential castes in Rajasthan. The community has been demanding a Jat Chief Minister, a wish that has remained unfulfilled. Satish Punia, one of the tallest leaders from the community in the BJP, was the party’s State unit president, but he was removed from the post months before the Assembly election.

The community had hoped that the BJP would fill the void by making a Jat either the CM or the Deputy CM but the party selected Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, a Brahmin, along with two Deputy CMs, Diya Kumari, a Rajput, and Prem Chand Bairwa, from a Scheduled Caste (SC) community. This, sources said, had again enraged the community, which feels betrayed by the BJP.

The Congress, on the other hand, has a Jat State chief in Govind Singh Dotasra.

The Rajputs, who contribute about 9% of the vote share, were on the warpath after a controversial remark made by the BJP candidate from Gujarat’s Rajkot, former Union Minister Parshottam Rupala, that the erstwhile Rajput kings shook hands and broke bread with the British, and also married their daughters off to them.

On the boil

“Mr. Rupala’s statement, given at an event of a Dalit community, had not just sent Gujarat on the boil but the anger also travelled to neighbouring Rajasthan where the BJP, very recently, sidelined its biggest Rajput leader, Vasundhara Raje, for a Brahmin,” a disenchanted BJP worker said. The worker felt that Ms. Raje’s absence from the polls had dented the BJP’s prospects across the State. “Such was her hold on the Jat and Rajput communities that she used to call herself as the daughter of a Rajput and the daughter-in-law of a Jat,” he said.

Apart from disappointed Rajputs and Jats, the fear felt by the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), who contribute 18% and 13% of the vote share, respectively, that the BJP would change the Constitution if voted to power again, has cost the party heavily in the State.

“While the BJP was facing the anger of all the major communities in the State, all the big leaders of the party were seen struggling for their seats this time due to the lack of a strong undercurrent towards the party, as in two previous general elections,” Vaibhav Purohit, a political observer from Rajasthan, said.

Poll observers in the State feel that the Congress was more united this time. The party has entered into wise alliances, including with the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in Sikar, and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party in Nagaur.

The Opposition also has a partnership with the Bharat Adivasi Party (BAP) in the Banswara and Dungarpur constituencies, which are dominated by SC and ST communities.

Opposition leaders reject exit poll projections, Rahul Gandhi terms it ‘Modi media fantasy poll’

The Hindu Bureau

New Delhi

Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera and Supriya Shrinate during a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday. PTI

A day after all major exit polls gave a clear majority to the BJP-led NDA for a third term, Opposition leaders outrightly rejected them, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi terming it “Modi media poll”.

“This is [Prime Minister Narendra] Modiji’s poll, a fantasy poll,” Mr. Gandhi said on Sunday, adding that the Opposition bloc will get 295 of the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose party, Trinamool Congress, was shown as getting fewer seats than the BJP in West Bengal, alleged that “the exit polls were prepared by the BJP two months ago”. “These exit polls have been prepared by the BJP and then given to the media. I am clearly telling you that they have no value… They are fake,” Ms. Banerjee told a Televison channel, which her party shared on its official X handle.

She, however, neither endorsed the 295 figure put out by INDIA bloc leaders nor did she give a number for her party in Bengal.

In an unusual pushback to the exit polls, the Congress invited the media to an online interaction that the party’s communications chief, Jairam Ramesh, had with Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs.

The PCC chiefs shared their assessment for their respective States.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said his party would win at least two-thirds of the 28 seats in the State. Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said all the surveys had given seven to nine seats to the Congress in the State. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the Congress had an edge in two seats and was in a tight contest for the two other seats in the hill State.

Himachal bypolls

Mr. Sukhu also exuded confidence that the Congress was also winning the six Assembly seats where bypolls have taken place.

Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah claimed that the party would win at least half of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the State.

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole, Haryana unit chief Udai Bhan, Rajasthan chief Govind Singh Dotasra and Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai also were confident of performing better than the exit polls projections.

Mr. Ramesh alleged that mind games were being played by Mr. Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “These are bogus polls and psychological games are being played. Pressure is being applied by the outgoing Prime Minister and Home Minister on the Opposition parties, Election Commission, counting agents to create an atmosphere that they are coming back. The reality is the just the opposite,” the Union Minister said.

His colleague Pawan Khera noted, “If you want to make some extra earning in the Satta market or influence the stock markets on Monday for the sake of your friends, it’s okay. But if you have a larger conspiracy and you are trying to legitimise that conspiracy through these figures, then the country is watching you”.

A leader who changed the BJP’s fortunes in Arunachal

Rahul Karmakar

GUWAHATI

Pema Khandu has won the Mukto seat uncontested thrice and has established himself as the power centre in State; he says BJP’s victory march has begun from India’s Land of the Rising Sun

Big win: Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu handing over his resignation to Governor K.T. Parnaik on Sunday. SPECIAL Arrangement

A tragedy — the death of his father and former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu in a helicopter crash — saw Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu winning his first Assembly election uncontested from the Mukto constituency in 2011.

Barring the 2019 election, Mr. Khandu has won the “family constituency” uncontested thrice. With the BJP, it was his first uncontested win in 2024. In doing so, the 44-year-old established himself as the power centre in the State.

“The BJP’s victory march in the country has begun from India’s Land of the Rising Sun,” he said after the party won 46 of the 60 seats, five more than in 2019. He credited the victory to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the pro-development pitch of his party.

Mr. Khandu held various positions in the Congress after joining it in 2000, but his political graph kept rising after he filled the void left behind by his father in Mukto. He became a Minister in the Nabam Tuki government of the Congress and the BJP-supported government of Kalikho Pul after a constitutional crisis led to the imposition of President’s Rule in January 2016.

The late Pul’s government was short-lived after the Supreme Court restored Mr. Tuki’s status as the Chief Minister. But the latter resigned and Mr. Khandu succeeded him.

Mr. Khandu’s political acumen became apparent three months into his term when he masterminded the defection of 43 Congress MLAs to the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), then an ally of the BJP. In December 2016, he joined the BJP along with most of the PPA legislators to hand the saffron party its second government in the State.

He led the BJP to a big win in 2019 to continue in power, allegedly clipping the wings of many who tried to form coteries within the party. A history graduate from Delhi’s Hindu College, he is a member of the Buddhist Monpa community that dominates Tawang and parts of West Kameng districts.

Mr. Khandu met Governor K.T. Parnaik and tendered his resignation along with his Council of Ministers. The Governor ordered the dissolution of the Assembly.

‘Common man’s Chief Minister’ bags second straight win in Sikkim

The Hindu Bureau

GUWAHATI

1 of 2 Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) chief Prem Singh Tamang during the celebrations after party's victory in Gangtok on Sunday. PTI

2 of 2

Local people refer to Prem Singh Tamang as the “common man’s Chief Minister”, but chances are that they are more familiar with his nickname, Golay, than his official name. Golay is derived from Goley, a sub-clan of the Tamang community.

Since 1985, a decade after the Buddhist kingdom of Sikkim was merged with India, politics in the State has been individual-driven. Nar Bahadur Bhandari’s Sikkim Sangram Parishad gave way to Pawan Kumar Chamling’s Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which yielded to Prem Singh Tamang’s Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) in 2019.

The spotlight fell on Mr. Tamang when the SKM ended Mr. Chamling’s reign as the Chief Minister for almost 25 years from 1994 to 2019.

Mr. Tamang became a Minister in the Chamling-headed SDF government after winning his first election from the Soreng-Chakung constituency in West Sikkim in 1994. He continued as a Minister in the next two governments but fell out with Mr. Chamling after winning the 2009 Assembly election from the Burtuk constituency.

He came to be known as a rebel after going public against Mr. Chamling and was sidelined before he and other SDF dissidents formed the SKM in 2013.

The SKM bagged 10 of the State’s 32 seats in the 2014 election, finishing second behind the SDF. In January 2017, Mr. Tamang was disqualified after being convicted in December 2016 for misappropriating government funds in a cow distribution scheme while serving as the Animal Husbandry Minister from 1994 to 1999.

He served a jail term from August 2017 till 2018 after the High Court of Sikkim and the Supreme Court upheld his conviction. The “rebel” found a reason to devote his energy to forming an alternative government, eventually dislodging the SDF from power after the 2019 State election.

Mr. Tamang, who did not contest the election that year, was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 27. Later, he won the byelection from the Poklok-Kamrang constituency by securing 84% of the votes.

Apart from a slew of development and pro-poor measures such as a monthly pension of ₹2,000 for unmarried women, Mr. Tamang rode his charisma and oratory skill to be regarded as the “common man’s Chief Minister”, while his SKM government came to be known as ‘Garib ka sarkar’ (government of the poor).

SDF chief Pawan Chamling loses both seats in Sikkim poll

Five-time former Chief Minister of Sikkim and Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) supremo Pawan Kumar Chamling lost from both the Poklok Kamrang and Namcheybung Assembly constituencies he had contested, officials said. Mr. Chamling lost to Sikkim Krantikari Morcha’s (SKM) Bhoj Raj Rai by 3,063 votes in the Poklok Kamrang seat and lost to the SKM’s Raju Basnet by 2,256 votes from the Namcheybung seat. Mr. Chamling had been the Chief Minister of Sikkim for 25 years from 1994 to 2019. This will be the first time in 39 years that Mr. Chamling will not step inside the Sikkim Assembly as an MLA.PTI

Provide details of 150 DMs, Collectors, EC tells Jairam

The Hindu Bureau

NEW DELHI

The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday sought an explanation from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh regarding his recent claim that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has been calling up District Magistrates and Collectors and has, so far, spoken to 150 of them.

Asking Mr. Ramesh to reply by Sunday evening, the EC said in its notice that when the poll code is in force, officers report to the EC for any directions. It requested him to share the details of the DMs and Collectors to whom Mr. Shah has allegedly spoken.

Congress sources said that Mr. Ramesh’s lawyers are in touch with the EC and will soon submit a reply to the notice.

BJP will keep working for Arunachal’s growth: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked the people of Arunachal Pradesh for reposing their faith in the BJP yet again. He said that the party will keep working with even greater vigour for the State’s growth.

“Thank you Arunachal Pradesh! The people of this wonderful State have given an unequivocal mandate to politics of development. My gratitude to them for reposing their faith in BJP4Arunachal yet again,” Mr. Modi said in a post on X.

Mr. Modi also appreciated the hard work of the “exceptional” BJP workers in Arunachal Pradesh throughout the election campaign.PTI

Sikkim CM’s wife Krishna Rai wins Namchi-Singhithang seat

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s wife Krishna Kumari Rai won from the Namchi-Singhithang Assembly constituency on Sunday, officials said. Krishna Rai, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) candidate, defeated her nearest Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) rival Bimal Rai by 5,302 votes. The SKM nominee secured 7,605 votes while her SDF opponent bagged 2,605. Mahesh Rai (Citizen Action Party-Sikkim) and Aruna Manger (Bharatiya Janata Party) polled 136 and 233 votes, respectively.PTI

M.P. reported over 5,000 heatstroke cases in May

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

NEW DELHI

Rajasthan,Andhra Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh also record thousands of cases ; at least 80 deaths due to heatstrokes, including both confirmed and suspected cases, reported across the country

The States have been asked to ensure that all hospitals and health facilities maintain a digital list of heatstroke cases and deaths. PTI Shahbaz Khan

There were at least 80 deaths due to heatstrokes, including both confirmed and suspected cases, reported across the country in May, as well as 605 deaths reported due to various cardiovascular diseases, show Health Ministry data on heat-related illnesses and deaths. There have been 56 confirmed deaths due to heatstrokes between March and May, of which 46 occurred in May alone.

Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of suspected heatstroke cases in May, with 5,204 cases, followed by Rajasthan (4,357),Andhra Pradesh (2,183), and Chhattisgarh (2,043).While extreme heat can be a risk factor for all ages, older people, pregnant women, and people with chronic morbidities, more specifically those with impaired cardiovascular health, are particularly at risk of mortality and morbidity associated with (extreme) heat.

The highest number of confirmed heatstroke deaths, 14, was reported in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra with 11, and Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh with five deaths each.

In an advisory, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said that the country may experience above normal seasonal maximum temperatures in line with the observed trend of summertime temperatures. To reduce the health impact, health departments must ensure preparedness and timely responses, it said.

The NCDC asked the States to start daily submission of data on heatstroke cases and deaths, emergency attendance, and total deaths from March, using the Integrated Health Information Platform under the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health. The States were also asked to ensure that all hospitals and health facilities maintained a digital line list of heatstroke cases and deaths, both suspected and confirmed.

“Health centres are required to identify active cooling strategies that can be used at health facilities and field levels based on resources available, develop internal protocols, train health care staff, identify/procure resources at health facilities and for ambulances to ensure emergency, rapid cooling of severe heat-related illness patients, ensure availability of sufficient drinking water at all health facilities and sufficient availability of general cooling appliances in waiting and patient treatment area and their functioning. Also, cases with suspected heatstroke should be rapidly assessed and actively cooled using standard treatment protocols,” said the advisory.

In fight against Nipah, scientists find new way to generate virus-like particles in lab

C. Maya

Thiruvananthapuram

This method by the scientists at the Institute of Advanced Virology offers an effective platform for developing neutralising antibodies.

Scientists at the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) at Thonnakkal here have developed a novel way of generating non-infectious Nipah virus-like particles (VLPs) in the laboratory, which mimic the wild-type Nipah Virus (NiV).

This method offers a safe and effective alternative platform for developing neutralising antibodies against the NiV in a biosafety level-2 (BSL) laboratory. The IAV team has thus come one step closer to its mandate for developing monoclonal antibodies and anti-virals against the NiV and similar pathogens.

The zoonotic virus Nipah is a highly pathogenic paramyxovirus, with a fatality rate of up to 80% in affected humans. Yet, research studies have been limited because of the extreme level of biosafety precautions required for handling this BSL-4 pathogen.

Virus neutralisation assays are critical for the development and evaluation of vaccines and immunotherapeutics, and for conducting basic research into the immune response and pathogenesis of NiV. These tests, which traditionally require to be done in high-security labs with the infectious organism, can now be done safely in BSL-2 labs in the country using the NiV-VLPs, Director of IAV E. Sreekumar says.

The laboratory studies by the team of researchers led by Mohanan Valiyaveetil have been detailed in the manuscript which appeared on May 24 in the international journal Heliyon by Cell Press.

More sophisticated

The VLPs are molecules that closely resemble viruses, but are non-infectious. They have long been recognised as effective quantitative platforms for studying viral binding and entry kinetics of the virus. But the advent of NanoBiT technology and “HiBiT-tagged” VLP (HiBiT is an 11 amino acid peptide) makes it far more sophisticated. The genome of the NiV encodes six major proteins: glycoprotein (G), fusion protein (F), matrix (M), nucleocapsid (N), long polymerase (L) and phosphoprotein (P). IAV scientists generated “HiBiT-tagged” Nipah virus-like particles (NiV-VLPs) using plasmid-based expression systems, encoding the NiV structural proteins G, F, and M.

The VLPs thus produced were functionally identical to the native virus. The inclusion of a highly sensitive HiBiT tag on these VLPs accelerates their potential in antiviral drug screening and vaccine development.

The scientists say that the potential risks of using native viruses in virus-based assays could be alleviated with these HiBiT tagged VLPs.

This study is the first of its kind using HiBiT tagged NiV-VLPs, demonstrating their application in neutralisation assays.

However, extensive studies using multiple neutralising antibodies and antivirals that block entry of the virus are needed to conclusively show the efficacy of these VLPs, they added.

(set by Avtaar)

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Across

1 Harbour provides refuge to drunk character (7)

5 Detectives beating the retreat in Drones' bar (7)

9 Doctor starts to treat head nurse for Delhi belly (3,4)

10 Smooth release after introducing current and dropping acceleration (7)

11 Groups of black leaves put up with head of young popping out from nests (9)

12 Cardinal, President and ruler making a comeback (5)

13 Lounge outside India's capital (5)

15 Parallel to one of what a rectangle that is not a square has (9)

17 Spooner orders "Crush cement quickly" (9)

19 Scientist disposing of a German beer mug (5)

22 Members of revolutionary council erected memorial (5)

23 Cheap tailor adapted saree for jeans (9)

25 Almost fully absorb tax hit (7)

26 Story in paper upset candidate seeking a job, for instance (7)

27 Religious education classes in recreation centres (7)

28 Pandemonium in prison about extra charge (7)

Down

1 Iraqis denied independence actively hiring volunteers who are residents of an Arab country (7)

2 Ground-ivy ripped out of a hole (7)

3 Hurt, judge lost temper (5)

4 Seminary's period of mourning for Jews curbed by the old Hebrew sect's leaders (9)

5 Well, head is fired by British foundation (5)

6 Notes describing attendant's shortcomings (9)

7 Trained a kid to lead in ingenious robbery (7)

8 Real lions in ceremonial cages (7)

14 A country bumpkin overwhelmed by Yank's chastisement (1,5,3)

16 Shaquille left, binding with everyone (3,3,3)

17 Scrutiniser for every housing plan (7)

18 Perks up after visit by league mates (7)

20 International tax returns filled by Avtaar for those honourably discharged from service (7)

21 Boy picked up drug with kid's hanky (7)

23 Shots fired to dismiss the insurgents' followers (5)

24 The most influential reproduction of Raphael's not right - wanting in energy (5)

India to participate in Red Flag, RIMPAC exercises

Dinakar Peri

NEW DELHI

Unified front: Indian naval officers aboard INS Shivalik; the naval warship departed from Singapore to Yokosuka, Japan. PTI-

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy are taking part in two mega multinational war games hosted by their U.S. counterparts. The IAF has deployed Rafale fighter jets for the two-week multinational air exercise Red Flag which commenced in Alaska on May 30. On the other hand, the Indian Navy is deploying the indigenous stealth frigate INS Shivalik for Ex RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) scheduled to be held in Hawaii from June 25 to August 2.

“An IAF contingent arrived today at the Eielson AF Base of the U.S. airforce, in Alaska, U.S., to participate in the upcoming edition of the multi-national exercise Red Flag 24. Ably supported by its IL-78 air to air refuellers and the C-17 transport aircraft, the IAF Rafale fighters took a transatlantic flight with staging halts at Greece and Portugal,” the IAF said on X. This is a two-week advanced aerial combat training exercise, it added. For this, the IAF has deployed eight Rafale fighters, three C-17 transport aircraft and two IL-78 mid-air refuelling aircraft, officials confirmed. India has taken part in Ex Red Flag, which even saw the deployment of Russian SU-30MKI fighter jets.

According to the U.S. Air Force, Red Flag-Alaska is designed to provide realistic training in a simulated combat environment. “Approximately 3,100 service members are expected to fly, maintain and support more than 100 aircraft from 4 nations scheduled to participate in Red Flag-Alaska 24-2,” it said.

Indian Navy said on Saturday that INS Shivalik, mission deployed to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean, departed Singapore for onward passage to Yokosuka, Japan to participate in Japan-India maritime exercise JIMEX-24 and then onward to RIMPAC-24. “This deployment is aimed at enhancing the degree of interoperability with the JMSDF, U.S. Navy and other partner navies participating in RIMPAC 24,” the Navy said in a statement.

Over 6 lakh affected as Assam continues to reel under floods

Press Trust of India

Guwahati

The Army’s Spear Corps and Assam Rifles provide relief material on Sunday.

The flood situation in Assam remained unchanged with more than six lakh people in 10 districts reeling under waters, officials said on Sunday.

Heavy rain in different parts of the State led to the swelling of rivers, forcing the affected people in many areas to evacuate, they said.

The Kopili, Barak and Kushiyara rivers were flowing over the danger level.

Altogether 6,01,642 people in Hailakandi Hojai, Morigaon, Karimganj, Nagaon, Cachar, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong West and Dima Hasao districts have been affected by the floods.

The death toll in floods and storms since May 28 is 15, the officials said.

Nagaon remained the worst-hit district followed by Hojai and Cachar. More than 40,000 displaced people are taking shelter in relief camps across various districts. Rescue and relief operations are being carried out by multiple agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, local administration and people.

Trains cancelled

Road and rail communication in several parts of the State remained disrupted, the officials said.

In view of damage to the tracks between New Haflong’s Chandranathpur section and waterlogging at Silchar station of Lumding division, at least 10 trains scheduled for commencing journey from Saturday to Monday were cancelled, a Northeast Frontier Railway spokesperson said.

Separation, a reality

With Dasaratha dead, Bharata has to ascend the throne, but he refuses to do so. He goes to the forest to ask Rama to come back and rule Ayodhya.

The Rama-Bharata conversation shows us many dharmas we have to adhere to, said Navalpakkam Vasudevachariar in a discourse.

Bharata tells Rama that Kaikeyi had asked Dasaratha to pass on the kingdom to Bharata. But now Bharata is giving it to Rama.

So, no one can object to this arrangement. Bharata wonders how he can rule in place of Rama. Can a donkey move at the speed of a horse?

Can an ordinary bird be a match for Garuda? But Rama says that a man cannot do as he pleases. He is not the master of his life. Every relationship ends in separation. No one is together forever.

Rama gives an example. Two sticks are brought together by a wave, but the next wave may separate them.

In the same way, two people come together in life, but have to separate when it is time to do so. Samsara is like the ocean.

The waves are like karma.

The two sticks are like human beings, who face the consequences of karma.

A house that was once grand gets dilapidated in course of time. Likewise, a human being too ages and dies.

We celebrate seasonal changes. But we tend to forget that with each new season we are moving one step closer to the end of our lives.

Pune car crash: parents of minor sent to police custody

A court on Sunday remanded in police custody till June 5 the parents of the 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in the luxury car crash in Pune that left two people dead. The parents are accused of destroying evidence. The mother is accused of swapping the blood samples of the boy with hers at the Sassoon general hospital in the city. The public prosecutor argued that their custody was required to find out who managed to destroy the evidence in an attempt to secure a clean chit for the underage driver.

70 terrorists waiting to infiltrate Kashmir: DGP

Press Trust of India

Srinagar

Sixty to 70 terrorists are “active” on launchpads across the Line of Control (LoC) and its “degraded capability” has not stopped Pakistan from sending men and material to Jammu and Kashmir, according to Director-General of Police Rashmi Ranjan Swain.

“In our meetings with our security partners, we generally have come to the conclusion that it is a fact that the adversary or the enemy has not stopped from sending men and material,” Mr. Swain told PTI.

“At any given point of time, perhaps you would have about 60-70 persons in groups of five or six at different places waiting to be pushed into our side,” Mr. Swain said, asserting that together with the Army, paramilitary forces and the J&K Police, “we are determined that we will make it absolutely hard for the adversary to succeed”.

SC to hear govt.’s plea against premature release of Gawli

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea of the Maharashtra government challenging a Bombay High Court order which paved the way for the premature release of gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli, who is serving life imprisonment in a murder case. On April 5, the Nagpur Bench of the High Court had allowed the plea of Gawli in which he had sought direction to the government for his premature release on account of the remission policy dated January 10, 2006 which was prevailing on the date of his conviction on August 31, 2012. PTI

Regional

- Post-poll violence: Bengal BJP worker killed in Nadia, Sandeshkhali on the boil

- Cooperative-based distribution model mooted for power supply to farmers of Rajasthan

- Banned Jamaat-e-Islami’s peace overtures during Lok Sabha poll await formal government response

- Opposition frustrated, says BJP after Maha Vikas Aghadi criticises exit poll results

- Wait for counting of votes, Akhilesh on exit poll surveys

- ‘Saffron forces’ holding religious activities at Visva-Bharati: SFI; varsity authorities deny charge

- Congress will accept actual results: Hooda on exit polls

- Plot to kill Salman: fifth accused held from Haryana

- ‘Will win at least 12 LS seats, 110 Assembly constituencies’

- YSRCP moves SC against EC on relaxation of postal ballot norms

- MLC polls to be held for six seats in Karnataka today

- Celebrating statehood

- UDF, LDF reject exit poll results; BJP says it will win 5 to 6 seats

- Six minors, being ‘trafficked’ from Jharkhand to Delhi, rescued

- 650 held so far for post-poll violence in A.P.: SIT chief

- BRS leader went to U.S. to meet former intelligence chief: Minister

- Four teams formed to trace Prajwal’s mother

- Rain subsides in Kerala; yellow alert issued in 2 districts

Shiv Sahay Singh

Kolkata

400 companies of Central forces to be stationed in the State till June 6; Chief Minister Mamata claims exit polls not in sync with ground realities and were ‘manufactured at home’ 2 months ago

Security personnel stand guard outside a strong room where EVMs are kept after the conclusion of polls, in Kolkata on Sunday. ANIANI

A day after polling for the Lok Sabha election concluded, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker was killed in West Bengal’s Nadia district in an alleged incident of post-poll violence.

Family members of the victim said that he was targeted by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) for his allegiance to the BJP.

The incident occurred at Kaliganj in Nadia district which falls under Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat. Hafijur Sheikh was attacked by a group of unidentified men on Saturday night and was killed on the spot. TMC’s Mahua Moitra and BJP’s Amrita Roy are contesting the Lok Sabha elections on the seat.

The murder triggered protests and locals did not allow the police to retrieve the body for a few hours. While the family members of the deceased BJP supporter blamed TMC cadres, the ruling party leaders said that the killing was due to family rivalry.

Security deployed

Meanwhile, Sandeshkhali remained on the boil with a large deployment of police and security forces. The region had witnessed violence during polling on Saturday. On Sunday, villagers prevented the police from arresting a local BJP worker who was involved in the violence on Saturday. The police did house-to-house searches to apprehend those responsible for the violence on the day of polling.

The Election Commission of India has ordered repolling on two polling booths — one in Barasat and the other in the Mathurapur Lok Sabha seat on Monday. The BJP had sought repoll on about 200 polling booths, mostly in the Diamond Harbour seat.

The last phase of elections in the State had witnessed several incidents of violence.

In another development, it has been decided by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer and the State government that about 400 companies of Central forces will be stationed in the State at least till June 6. This is to contain any incidents of post-poll violence in the State. As many as 92 companies of Central forces will be deployed at the counting centres in the State on June 4.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, meanwhile, claimed that exit polls telecast by media houses were not in sync with ground realities because they were “manufactured at home” two months ago.

“These exit polls were manufactured at home by some people two months back for media consumption. They have no value,” the Chief Minister told a Bengali television channel. She pointed out that none of the exit polls in West Bengal in 2016, 2019, and 2021 turned out to be true.

Cooperative-based model mooted to supply Rajasthan farmers power

The Hindu Bureau

JAIPUR

Possible pathways to address poor quality of electricity supplied to agricultural consumers were also discussed. Special ArrangementANKITA

A dialogue on systemic issues of poor electricity supply faced by the farmers in Rajasthan has recommended the establishment of a farmers’ cooperative-based distribution model with the regulatory viability under the Electricity Act, 2003. The critical need to increase regulatory accountability for supply of electricity to agricultural consumers was also raised on the occasion.

The dialogue was organised by the Jaipur-based Centre for Energy, Environment and People (CEEP) as part of the ‘Vidyut Samvad’ series here earlier this week. The participants made an attempt to understand the complexities of electricity supply and discussed the technical and financial solutions in the power sector through a study of Chandan area in Jaisalmer district, which typically faces only four hours of electricity supply as well as continuous voltage fluctuations, which lead to malfunctioning of irrigation motors and transformers.

Farmers’ struggles

Chandan Farmers’ Union vice-president Jaitmal Singh Bairwa said the typical block supply duration in the rural area was barely four hours against the mandate of six hours. The voltage fluctuations often led to malfunctioning of irrigation motors and transformers, he said, adding that the loss of crops and increased cost of farming because of this was a major concern among the agriculturists.

Over 60 participants from Rajasthan and other States and a panel of experts voiced different perspectives and highlighted the ground realities as well as the technical and regulatory challenges. The experts discussed the possible pathways to the address the issue of poor quality of electricity supplied to the agricultural consumers.

CEEP’s founder Simran Grover said the dialogue tried to evolve consensus for resolving various issues, while considering the steps needed to bridge the gaps in the power distribution infrastructure. The panel of experts also discussed the role of solar and energy-efficient pumps for irrigation in the agricultural fields.

The experts who spoke at the dialogue and gave suggestions included farmer and social activist Aiveer Singh Patavat from Jaisalmer’s Sanwala village, and Jodhpur Vidyut Vitaran Nigam’s former Superintending Engineer Jetharam Choudhary, Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Deputy Director (Technical) P.K. Garg and Sweta Kulkarni, Fellow of Prayas Energy Group, Pune.

Jaipur-based CEEP is a research and policy advocacy institution, which has undertaken critical research and fostered democratic coalitions for low carbon transition and climate justice.

Banned Jamaat-e-Islami’s peace overtures during Lok Sabha poll await formal government response

Peerzada Ashiq

Srinagar

The sealed headquarters of Jamaat-e-Islami in Srinagar.

Voting by cadres of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in all three Lok Sabha constituencies of the Kashmir valley has brought to the fore the back-channel dialogue between Delhi and the socio-religious organisation, which has publicly expressed its willingness to participate in the election if the ban is lifted.

There are indicators pointing at official engagement with the JeI. Several leaders of the banned group were allowed to address the media in all three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.

The engagement, according to official sources, has been ongoing for more than a year at a non-political level.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) banned the JeI in 2019 for being an “illegal association” under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for a period of five years. The ban was extended this year in February, till 2029.

The banning of the JeI in 2019 also saw the organisation’s top members, including its ‘Amir’ (chief), Abdul Hamid Fayaz, spokesperson Zahid Ali, and former secretary general Ghulam Qadir Lone, being arrested. All three were released on the direction of the court on separate orders. However, two senior leaders, Mr. Fayaz and Mr. Ali, were arrested again.

Mr. Ali’s arrest came immediately after a section of the JeI voted in the Srinagar constituency on May 13, reflecting an apparent division within the ranks of the group.

However, Ghulam Qadir Wani, a JeI leader from Pulwama’s Gussu, claimed there was no division. Mr. Wani heads a special panel constituted by the Jamaat, and he claimed to have the backing of the ‘Shura’ (the organisation’s top elected decision-making body), too, for the dialogue with the government.

‘We will contest polls’

Ghulam Qadir Lone, former general secretary, has also backed the initiative. He blamed the 1987 “rigging” for the organisation’s decision to distance itself from electoral politics in the 1990s. “If the ban on the JeI is lifted and rigging not allowed, we will contest [the elections],” Mr. Lone said.

In spite of a number of voices emerging from the JeI, the government and the BJP’s leaders have not reacted formally.

Opposition frustrated, says BJP after Maha Vikas Aghadi criticises exit poll results

Ateeq Shaikh

Mumbai

Sanjay Raut-

Leaders of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Sunday rejected the exit poll numbers forecasting a majority in the Lok Sabha for the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, labelling the predictions a “corporate game” and “fraud”.

Of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in the State, India Today-My Axis predicted 28 to 32 seats for the Mahayuti (comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Nationalist Congress Party) and 16 to 20 seats for the MVA (comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP-SP). Republic TV-PMARQ marked 29 seats for the Mahayuti and 19 for the MVA, while News18 indicated 32 to 35 seats for the ruling alliance and 15 to 18 seats for the Opposition.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut called the numbers a fraud and said the exit polls were manipulated by the ruling government. “We have full faith that the INDIA bloc will form the government on June 4 and win over 295 seats across India,” he said, adding that his party will retain its 2019 tally of 18 seats.

He said the numbers were a “corporate game and a fraud” as there was a lot of pressure on media companies and they did not conduct these for free, it could be manipulated by offering money. His estimate was that INDIA bloc would win 295-310 seats across India, as there was an undercurrent among people and Shiv Sena would retain its 2019 tally of 18 seats.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Nana Patole echoed similar sentiments, adding that the INDIA bloc would win over 300 seats country-wide.

‘Dashed expectations’

BJP MLA Ashish Shelar hit out at Mr. Raut for being “high on substances” for dubbing the exit polls a lie, while Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat said the Rajya Sabha member was “insane” for making such claims.

“Don’t pay attention to Sanjay Raut, he has gone insane. On counting day, he can hurl stones out of frustration because the actual results will fall short of his expectations,” Mr. Shirsat said, adding that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena would win at least 11 to 12 seats by itself.

Wait for counting of votes, Akhilesh on exit poll surveys

The Hindu Bureau

Lucknow

Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday dismissed the predictions made in the exit polls — that the BJP-led NDA was on its way to a third consecutive term at the Centre — and asked candidates and polling agents of the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc to keep a close watch on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) on the counting day.

He said the exit polls had been prepared “months in advance” to help the BJP gain from stock markets on Monday, a day before the counting of votes. “The downcast look on the faces of the BJP leaders is revealing the truth about the results,” Mr. Yadav said.

“The BJP leaders realise that the result of the whole country cannot be changed like it was done in the Chandigarh mayoral election because this time the Opposition is fully alert and public anger is at its peak,” the SP chief said in a post in Hindi on X.

In the Chandigarh mayoral election held earlier this year in February, which AAP and Congress had fought together, the BJP candidate was declared the winner. However, the result was overturned after the Supreme Court stepped in, noting “brazen malpractices” in the election process.

“The result will come from the counting of votes. Mann ki Baat does not apply here. This is about Jan ki Baat (public’s voice) and when the public is vigilant, people can’t do whatever they please,” Mr. Yadav added.

He reiterated that the Opposition will come to power at the Centre and advised INDIA bloc candidates to celebrate only after collecting their winning certificates.

Press Trust of India

Kolkata

Left-wing Students Federation of India (SFI) has alleged that “saffron forces” are holding ‘certain religious activities’ on the Visva-Bharati campus with over 12 rooms allotted to one such organisation in the university guest house.

Responding to the charges, Visva-Bharati authorities, however, said, “No religious meet has been allowed within the university campus” but any room of the varsity-run guest house can be booked by any “bona-fide organisation as per applicable rates”.

The SFI levelled the ‘saffronisation’ charges a day ago, citing reports that the Shankaracharya of Puri will be attending a three-day religious event at a Bolpur auditorium and staying at a guest house at Ratankuthi in Santiniketan.

‘Posters pasted’

The SFI further claimed in a mail to the vice-chancellor of the central university that a couple of days ago a “mass postering” of the said religious event was spotted around the campus premises.

Denying any religious meet “has been permitted at Visva-Bharati,” Registrar Ashok Mahato said, “I read in newspapers that Shankaracharya’s programme is to be held at Gitanjali complex, which, as you know, is outside our campus”.

About the report that the Puri seer will be staying at the university-run guest house, Mr. Mahato said, “While I don’t have the guest details with me now, it can be said the guest house can be booked against applicable rent.”

Congress will accept actual results: Hooda on exit polls

With the exit polls predicting that Prime Minister Modi will retain power for a third straight term, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday said the Congress party will accept actual results when they are out on June 4. Mr. Hooda, the Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, emphasised the Congress will only recognize the actual results as he pointed to “frequent inaccuracies” of the exit polls. The Congress leader, according to a statement, said the true verdict will emerge from the EVMs on June 4. He highlighted “overwhelming public support” for the party during the election.PTI

Plot to kill Salman: fifth accused held from Haryana

Ateeq Shaikh

Mumbai

The fifth arrest was made by the Navi Mumbai police in connection with the plot to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan, said officials, adding that the accused was arrested from Haryana on Saturday.

Deepak Hawasingh Gogalia alias Johnny Walmiki, 30, was arrested from Haryana’s Bhiwani following a tip-off, said police. Mr. Gogalia had allegedly made logistical and accommodation arrangements for the conspirators, and was in touch with them throughout the planning stage, officials said, adding that the accused was a part of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldie Brar gangs.

A cache of arms and ammunition, including AK-47s and a Zigana pistol, was also recovered during the arrest.

The four other accused were arrested and produced in court over the past week.

‘Will win at least 12 LS seats, 110 Assembly constituencies’

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday asserted that the party would form the government in Odisha with a two-thirds majority by winning at least 110 of the 147 Assembly constituencies in the State. The party said it would also bag at least 12 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats. Rejecting exit polls that predicted that the BJP would win 15 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, the BJD said that exit polls for the State have proved to be wrong in 2014 and 2019 elections and the trend would continue this time as well. “We are well poised to retain power in the State,” BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said.PTI

SC likely to hear plea on EC’s move to relax postal ballot norms

Krishnadas Rajagopal

NEW DELHI

Invalid votes being taken into account can cause grave injustice to the petitioner, the YSR Congress, in the Assembly and LS polls, the plea notes

Police personnel casting their vote through the postal ballot in Visakhapatnam ahead of the polls there. File photoV RAJU

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) moved the Supreme Court urgently on Sunday against the Election Commission (EC), questioning the validity of around five lakh postal ballots cast in the State of Andhra Pradesh.

A Vacation Bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and Aravind Kumar is likely to hear the case on Monday.

The party has challenged the State High Court’s refusal to consider on merits its plea against the relaxation of postal ballot norms by the poll body. The High Court had dismissed the plea on the sole basis that there was an alternative remedy available — election petitions.

The petition, filed by advocate Mahfooz A. Nazki, said postal ballots cast form 1.5% of the total votes. “It is important to note that the results of Assembly as well as Parliamentary constituencies are scheduled to be declared on June 4. In the event invalid votes are taken into account, the same is bound to cause grave prejudice to the petitioner (YSRCP),” it highlighted.

The petition directed the court’s attention to the procedure governing the casting, verification and counting of postal ballots envisaged under Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and the instructions issued on July 19 last year by the EC read with Form 13A of the 1961 Rules. Rules 23 and 24 prescribe the form in which postal ballot votes are to be processed.

Form 13A is to be signed in the presence of an authorised officer who also has to attest to the signature. The declaration that is duly attested is to be kept in a cover marked as Form 13A. Thereafter, the said officer is necessarily required to put his designation, signature, and seal in the Form 13A. Rule 54A(4) mandates that an unsigned or unattested Form 13A should be rejected.

“From the above, it is clear that this procedure is sine qua non for a postal ballot to be treated as valid,” the petition said.

However, the YSRCP said an EC circular issued on May 30 had relaxed the postal ballot norms. The party said the circular was made applicable only to Andhra Pradesh. “Strangely, the EC issued the impugned circular dated 30.05.2024 only in respect of the State of Andhra Pradesh providing that even if Form 13A only contains the signature of the attesting officer, the same is to be accepted…The action of the Election Commission is ex-facie unsustainable,” the party contended.

The circular was issued 17 days from the date of elections that took place in Andhra Pradesh on May 13. “It therefore raises suspicions regarding the motives behind the circular,” the appeal said.

YSRCP said it was not trying to impede the election process. “The challenge is made to ensure a free and fair election process,” it noted.

MLC polls to be held for six seats in Karnataka today

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

Polling officials gearing up for the Legislative Council election in Mangaluru on Sunday. H.S. MANJUNATHH S MANJUNATH

The crucial biennial elections to six seats in the Legislative Council from the Teachers and Graduates’ constituencies — the results of which is keenly watched — will get under way on Monday.

As many as 78 contestants, including a woman, are in the fray across six constituencies. The elections are being held in the Karnataka East Graduates’, Bangalore Graduates’, Karnataka South East Teachers’, Karnataka South West Teachers’, Karnataka South West Graduates’, and Karnataka South Teachers’ constituencies. The combined electors in the three graduates’ constituencies number 3,63,573 and in three teachers’ constituencies 70,260.

This will be the second major elections after the Lok Sabha polls that the BJP-Janata Dal(S) combine will be fighting against the ruling Congress. While the BJP is contesting four seats, the JD(S) has fielded its candidates in two.

Hope for Congress

In the 75-member Upper House, the Congress does not have a majority and is looking to improve on the number in this election, which would help it to wrest the majority from the NDA.

The shift in number will not only help the Congress in the easy passage of Bills, but will also have an impact on the future of Chairman of the House Basavaraj Horatti and Deputy Chairman M.K. Pranesh, both of whom belong to the BJP. The Congress, which has 29 members in the Upper House, hopes to wrest majority with a good performance here and with the seven assured seats in the subsequent polls that it is likely to get from the Assembly.

The BJP is facing trouble in the South West Graduates’ seat where its former legislator from Udupi K. Raghupathi Bhat, now expelled from the party, is contesting as an Independent. The Congress has fielded Ayanur Manjunath, a senior politician and a former lawmaker, who was with the BJP and JD(S), from the seat.

In Bangalore Graduates’ constituency, A. Deve Gowda of the BJP is seeking re-election, while in South Teachers’ constituency, four-time JD(S) MLC Marithibbe Gowda, now in Congress, is seeking another term. S.L. Bhoje Gowda of the JD(S) is seeking re-election from South West Teachers’ constituency and Y.A. Narayanswamy of the BJP is seeking another term from the South East Teachers’ constituency.

Celebrating statehood

High spirits: A grand display of fireworks marks near the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Secretariat and Martyrs’ Memorial in Hyderabad marked the Telangana Formation Day on Saturday. NAGARA GOPAL

UDF, LDF reject exit poll results; BJP says it will win 5 or 6 seats

The Hindu Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The UDF is winning in Thrissur. Suresh Gopi, the BJP candidate, will end up third K. Muraleedharan Congress leader

The United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) have rubbished exit poll reports, which projected significant gains for the BJP in the Lok Sabha election in Kerala. Meanwhile, the BJP leaders said the poll results would usher in a new era of political realignment in the State, sounding the death knell of LDF-UDF revolving door politics.

LDF convener E.P. Jayarajan branded the exit polls as a politically motivated exercise which was carried out without the aid of any scientific findings or ground-level analysis. “All the exit polls have taken a stand that parrots what the BJP has been claiming about the poll results. That makes it even more suspicious. The BJP has hardly any chance of opening its account in Kerala. The Kerala society, with a highly educated and secular population, does not wish for a communal party to win from here. Considering how the exit polls have been projected, extreme vigil should be maintained during the counting process,” Mr. Jayarajan said.

‘Onus on Pinarayi’

Despite the largely favourable projections for the UDF, Congress leader K. Muraleedharan, who contested from Thrissur, said that the exit polls have got it wrong regarding the BJP, which will yet again get zero Lok Sabha seats from the State. He especially rejected the projections for Thrissur and Attingal, which some pollsters expected the BJP to win.

“The UDF is sure of winning in Thrissur. Suresh Gopi, the BJP candidate, will end up third. In case he ends up in second place, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan would be responsible for it. The BJP can secure second place only with cross-voting from the LDF. In all the seven Assembly constituencies in Thrissur, the fight was between the UDF and the LDF,” he said.

CPI(M) leader A.K. Balan expressed confidence that the INDIA bloc would win all the seats in Kerala. However, if the BJP manages to win a seat, the UDF would be responsible for it. “Exit polls are untrustworthy. In 2004, most polls projected the NDA to come to power. However, it was the UPA which came to power. The pro-Modi wave of 2019 does not exist now. An anti-Modi verdict will be reflected in the election,” he said.

BJP leader V. Muraleedharan said the party is poised to open its account in Kerala. BJP State chief K.Surendran said the party would win five or six seats.

Alert woman helps rescue six girls being ‘trafficked’ to Delhi

Alisha Dutta

New Delhi

Six minor girls from Jharkhand who were being brought to the national capital on a train by alleged traffickers were rescued on May 29 after an alert co-passenger, who works as a counsellor at Jharkhand Bhavan in Delhi, notified the authorities.

Nirmala Khalko, who has worked closely with children trafficked from Jharkhand, said she called the authorities, who rescued the girls after the train reached Delhi, after noticing that the children sounded distressed while talking to their parents and spoke in an accent distinct from that of the alleged traffickers, who claimed to be their relatives.

The minors, aged 12 to 17, are presently with a Child Welfare Committee (CWC), and their statements are being recorded for further investigation, a senior police officer said. The girls belong to Gumla and Simdega districts of Jharkhand.

“The Sub Divisional Magistrate is the competent authority to deal with such cases. After the minors’ statements are recorded, the police will file an FIR,” an official said.

Chance encounter

Ms. Khalko said she, along with the minors and their alleged traffickers, had boarded the Jharkhand Swarna Jayanti Express from Ranchi on May 28. Soon after they took their seats — three minors with a woman in the seat opposite Ms. Khalko’s — in the sleeper coach, the Jharkhand Bawan official struck up a conversation with her fellow passengers.

“Minutes after we began talking, three minors told me they were travelling to Delhi for summer vacation. Two of them looked like twins,” Ms. Khalko said, adding that she noticed the minors spoke in a different accent from that of the woman travelling with them and claiming to be their ‘aunt’.

“Soon, I overheard one of the twins speaking to her mother in Kuruk [a language spoken mainly by members of the Oraon tribe], and asking her not to worry. I also noticed that all the minors had a different accent than that of the woman who was travelling with them and claimed to be their aunt,” she added.

Over the next couple of hours, the Jharkhand Bhavan official gathered information about the three minors and learnt that there were three more girls in the same compartment.

“When the ‘aunt’ left her seat to go to the washroom, I quickly informed our nodal officer at the Jharkhand Bhavan and the minors were rescued as soon as the train reached Anand Vihar railway station,” she added.

“In most trafficking cases from Jharkhand, the victims are told that they are being brought to work as house help. In this case, the girls had no clue what lay ahead of them in Delhi,” she added.

650 held so far for post-poll violence in A.P.: SIT chief

Rajulapudi Srinivas

VIJAYAWADA

Vineet Brijlal C_V_SUBRAHMANYAM

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to inquire into the poll-related violence cases in three districts of Andhra Pradesh has so far arrested nearly 650 accused, says its chief and Inspector-General of Police Vineet Brijlal. The government had constituted the SIT with 13 officers following violence from May 12 to 14.

The police have registered 37 cases in Palnadu, Anantapur and Tirupati districts. Following violence on polling day (May 13) and on the following day, the police had registered cases in Narsaraopet, Macherla, Gurajala, Chandragiri, Tirupati and Tadipatri.

“During investigation, we observed that 1,370 accused are involved in the attacks. Of them, nearly 650 have been arrested. Besides, notices have been served under Section 41-A of the Cr.PC,” Mr. Brijlal told The Hindu. “We are coordinating with the Superintendents of Police (SPs) of the districts concerned. Many accused are yet to be traced. We are examining the CCTV camera and video footage available in the vicinity,” he said.

“Director-General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta has directed us to complete the investigation. We will complete the report soon, which will be submitted to the Election Commission,” he said.

Liquor shops closed

Meanwhile, the police are continuing the cordon-and-search, mock operation and flag marches across the State to prevent violence during the counting of votes on June 4.

The Collectors have ordered closure of liquor shops in all the districts from June 3 evening. In some districts, the police have issued orders for closure of shops located near the counting centres.

The Collectors and SPs have directed the owners of petrol filling stations not to sell fuel in bottles and containers, and have asked the firecracker shop owners not to sell crackers.

BRS leader went to U.S. to meet former intelligence chief: Minister

The Hindu Bureau

HYDERABAD

Telangana Minister for Roads and Buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Sunday alleged that Siddipet MLA T. Harish Rao met former State Intelligence chief T. Prabhakar Rao, who is under the scanner in the phone-tapping case, to plead with him not to return to India.

“If Mr. Prabhakar Rao returns to India, he will have to share all the details about ‘phone-tapping’ and finally, it will end up at former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao,” he said, and demanded that Mr. Harish Rao reveal the details about his U.S. trip.

He said Mr. Harish travelled to U.S. on an Emirates flight on May 26 at the instance of KCR.

“Mr. Prabhakar Rao is avoiding KCR’s calls, saying he is in hospital and that is why, perhaps, Mr. Harish was told to go to the U.S. for discussions and to ask him not to come back to India,” he said.

The Minister suggested that KCR ask Mr. Prabhakar to come back to India and face the probe.

Mr. Reddy also took a dig at the Bharat Rashtra Samithi celebrations on 10 years of State formation on June 1. He mocked BRS saying that even Mohammad Ali Jinnah used to gain vicarious pleasure celebrating Pakistan Independence Day on August 14, a day before India celebrates its Independence Day. He said KCR never had any love for Telangana and started the ‘TRS’ only as he was denied a Cabinet berth in the TDP government.

Four teams formed to trace Prajwal’s mother

The Hindu Bureau

Bengaluru

Officials of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) continued to grill Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing allegations of sexually abusing several women and also videotaping them. He has been suspended by the Janata Dal(S).

The SIT officials were also trying to get information about the phone used by Mr. Prajwal to record the videos as the device has been missing, according to sources. The officials are trying to ascertain the purpose of recording the videos and the possible involvement of other people in it. Mr. Prajwal, who was using another phone which is in the custody of the SIT, told the police that he had lost his phone long ago and had even filed a complaint with the police.

The police are also questioning him about his movements during his time abroad and the people with whom he was in touch with. Mr. Prajwal has apparently not responded to most of the questions. The SIT was also planning to take him to where the alleged crime took place.

Meanwhile, four special teams have been formed to track down Mr. Prajwal’s mother Bhavani.

She was supposed to appear before the SIT for questioning but has not responded despite officials visiting her house on Saturday. The teams have been dispatched to Mysuru, Bengaluru, and Hassan, sources said.

Rain subsides in Kerala; yellow alert issued in 2 districts

The Hindu Bureau

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

The heavy rain that has been lashing parts of Kerala for the past few days abated on Sunday with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) revising the alert issued for various districts on the day.

However, Athirappilly in Thrissur witnessed some intense spells. The monsoon flow was weak on Sunday. The IMD issued a yellow alert warning of isolated heavy rains for Kannur on Monday and Thrissur on Tuesday.

However, the State is likely to receive fairly widespread light to moderate spells with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds for the next five days triggered by a cyclonic circulation that lies over the southeast Arabian Sea adjoining the south Kerala coast and another cyclonic circulation over the westcentral Bay of Bengal.

Thrissur and Alappuzha recorded the highest rainfall of 12 cm each in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Sunday, followed by Ernakulam with 9 cm and Kozhikode with 7 cm.

Science

- Tonga volcano could cause unusual weather for rest of decade: study

- BIG SHOT

- Carnian pluvial episode: bounty in rain

Tonga volcano could cause unusual weather for rest of decade: study

Martin Jucker

Usually, the sulphur dioxide in the smoke of a volcano cools the earth’s surface for a short period. Hunga Tonga was an underwater volcano, so it produced little smoke and a lot of water vapour, which shot into the stratosphere. And in the stratosphere, water vapour is a potent greenhouse gas.

1 of 2 The eruption of the underwater volcano Hunga Ha’apa off Tonga in 2022. The volvano has had weather altering impact across the globe. REUTERS CIRA/NOAA

2 of 2 The eruption created a tsunami which triggered warnings across the entire Pacific basin, and sent sound waves around the globe multiple times

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai (Hunga Tonga for short) erupted on January 15, 2022, in the Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. It created a tsunami, which triggered warnings across the entire Pacific basin, and sent sound waves around the globe multiple times.

A new study published in the Journal of Climate explores the climate impacts of this eruption.

Our findings show the volcano can explain last year’s extraordinarily large ozone hole as well as the much wetter than expected summer of 2024.

The eruption could have lingering effects on our winter weather for years to come.

A cooling smoke cloud

Usually, the smoke of a volcano — and in particular the sulphur dioxide contained inside the smoke cloud — ultimately leads to a cooling of the earth’s surface for a short period. This is because the sulphur dioxide transforms into sulphate aerosols, which send sunlight back into space before it reaches the surface. This shading effect means the surface cools down for a while, until the sulphate falls back down to the surface or gets rained out.

This is not what happened to Hunga Tonga.

Because it was an underwater volcano, Hunga Tonga produced little smoke, but a lot of water vapour:100–150 million tonnes, or the equivalent of 60,000 Olympic swimming pools. The enormous heat of the eruption transformed huge amounts of sea water into steam, which then shot high into the atmosphere with the force of the eruption.All that water ended up in the stratosphere: a layer of the atmosphere between about 15 and 40 kilometres above the surface, which produces neither clouds nor rain because it is too dry.

Water vapour in the stratosphere has two main effects. One, it helps in the chemical reactions that destroy the ozone layer, and two, it is a very potent greenhouse gas.

There is no precedent in our observations of volcanic eruptions to know what all that water would do to our climate, and for how long. This is because the only way to measure water vapour in the entire stratosphere is via satellites. These have only existed since 1979, and there hasn’t been an eruption similar to Hunga Tonga in that time.

Follow the vapour

Experts in stratospheric science around the world started examining satellite observations on the first day of the eruption. Some studies focused on the more traditional effects of volcanic eruptions, such as the amount of sulphate aerosols and their evolution after the eruption, some concentrated on the possible effects of the water vapour, and some included both.

But nobody really knew how the water vapour in the stratosphere would behave. How long will it remain in the stratosphere? Where will it go? And, most importantly, what does this mean for the climate while the water vapour is still there?

Those were exactly the questions we set out to answer.

We wanted to find out about the future, and unfortunately, it is impossible to measure that. This is why we turned to climate models, which are specifically made to look into the future.

We did two simulations with the same climate model. In one, we assumed no volcano erupted, while in the other one we manually added the 60,000 Olympic swimming pools worth of water vapour to the stratosphere. Then, we compared the two simulations, knowing that any differences must be due to the added water vapour.

What did we find out?

The large ozone hole from August to December 2023 was at least in part due to Hunga Tonga. Our simulations predicted that ozone hole almost two years in advance.

Notably, this was the only year we would expect any influence from the volcanic eruption on the ozone hole. By then, the water vapour had just enough time to reach the polar stratosphere over Antarctica, and during any later years, there would not be enough water vapour left to enlarge the ozone hole.

As the ozone hole lasted until late December, with it came a positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode during the summer of 2024. For Australia, this meant a higher chance of a wet summer, which was exactly opposite what most people expected with the declared El Niño. Again, our model predicted these two years ahead.

In terms of global mean temperatures, which are a measure of how much climate change we are experiencing, the impact of Hunga Tonga is very small, only about 0.015 degrees Celsius. (This was independently confirmed by another study.) This means that the incredibly high temperatures we have measured for about a year now cannot be attributed to the Hunga Tonga eruption.

Disruption for the rest of the decade

But there are some surprising, lasting impacts in some regions of the planet.

For the northern half of Australia, our model predicts colder and wetter than usual winters up to about 2029. For North America, it predicts warmer than usual winters, while for Scandinavia, it again predicts colder than usual winters.

The volcano seems to change the way some waves travel through the atmosphere. And atmospheric waves are responsible for highs and lows, which directly influence our weather.

It is important here to clarify that this is only one study, and one particular way of investigating what impact the Hunga Tonga eruption might have on our weather and climate. Like any other climate model, ours is not perfect.

We also didn’t include any other effects, such as the El Niño–La Niña cycle. But we hope that our study will stir scientific interest to try and understand what such a large amount of water vapour in the stratosphere might mean for our climate.

Whether it is to confirm or contradict our findings, that remains to be seen — we welcome either outcome.

(Martin Juckeris lecturer in atmospheric dynamics, UNSW Sydney. This article is republished from The Conversation.)

This picture from the Institut Botanic de Barcelona shows a fern in New Caledonia. A small, seemingly unremarkable fern that only grows on a remote Pacific island was on May 31crowned the record-holder for having the largest genome of any organism on the earth. The New Caledonian fern (Tmesipteris oblanceolata)has more than 50-times more DNA packed into the nucleus of its cells than humans. AFP Pol Fernandez

Arkatapa Basu

At one point during the late Triassic Period, it rained for more than a million years straight. Getty Images/iStockphoto abhishek mane

The earth’s climate has always been in flux. There have been ice ages, periods of scorching deserts, even seemingly endless rain.

Some 230 million years ago, during the late Triassic Period, it rained for more than a million years straight. Researchers call this slice of time the carnian pluvial episode. And right after this episode, the age of the dinosaurs began. While it wasn’t as major an event as, say, any one of the planet’s five mass extinctions, the carnian pluvial episode certainly altered the path of evolution of both terrestrial and marine flora and fauna.

The world’s landmasses in the late Triassic consisted of the supercontinent Pangaea. Scientists have suggested that the heavy downpour was the result of volcanic activity in the Wrangellia Province, which is in the present day on the western coast of North America. This volcanic activity is expected to have wiped out approximately a third of marine life and a substantial amount of terrestrial life — but which, according to evidence scientists have found, the carnian pluvial episode may have turned around for the better.

During and after the episode, the number and diversity of species increased. Many of them played and continue to play an important role in the way the earth looks today.

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The message from the Andhra Pradesh bifurcation

1 of 2 Parakala Prabhakar is a political economist and author of ‘The Crooked Timber Of New India: Essays on a Republic in Crisis’

2 of 2

It is 10 years since Andhra Pradesh was divided into two States. A decade is a long enough time examine the political, economic and historical implications of the division of the political geography of the Telugu people, for them as well as for the Indian Republic.

Scant nostalgia

The vitriol that dominated the bifurcation discourse for almost half a decade prior to the actual bifurcation has now vanished without trace. The two successor states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, are moving on. Telugu society today on both sides of the political division carries on with very little nostalgia for the nearly five and a half decades of living together in one political entity. For people from the shrunken Andhra Pradesh part, only Hyderabad from the new state of Telangana remains in their imagination. The rest of the geography of Telangana hardly figures in their consciousness. And, for the people of Telangana, no area or aspect of life from across the Andhra Pradesh side of the divide animates their political, social, cultural, or economic imagination.

This is puzzling for two reasons. These two regions were under different political authorities for only about 150 years. Before the Nizam gave away the coastal districts and the ‘ceded’ districts that came to be called Rayalaseema to the European powers, historically, they were ruled from Golconda and Hyderabad for a long time. And, they were together again since 1956.

However, these long years of living under one political authority could not foster enough of a sense of togetherness to prevent the resumption of their separate journeys. That parting of ways has not yet happened with the Kannada-speaking area of the Nizam’s Hyderabad State, nor did it happen as yet with its Marathi-speaking area. They both joined Karnataka and Maharashtra States, respectively, after the linguistic reorganisation of States.

The question arises, therefore, whether the shared vision of the Telugu elites from both the regions — Madras Presidency and Hyderabad State — for unity on the basis of language is frailer compared to those of the shared visions of Kannada and Marathi elites. Or, does a similar fate await them too in the not too distant future? For, regional economic disparities, linguistic divergences, lifestyle differences, and variations in political culture are more or less the same in all the three linguistic groups across the geographies of the Presidencies and Hyderabad State.

As of now, it is only the unity of the Telugus based on language that has come unstuck. Are the other linguistic States likely to meet the same fate in the years or decades to come? Does the fate of Andhra Pradesh which has pioneered the reconfiguration of the Indian Republic’s political architecture along linguistic lines also foreshadow its eventual unravelling? Does the Indian Republic eventually have to look for an organising principle other than language? That is the larger question that the division of Andhra Pradesh pelts at the Republic of India.

It is often not fully appreciated that except a few States in the geographical centre of our Republic, all other States (from Assam in the east, going along the east coast to the southeast and continuing towards the west coast and up to the Punjab and Haryana in the northwest) of our Republic are organised on a linguistic basis. If the underlying organising principle of language is unlikely to hold them together as units, giving greater force to economic, political, historical and other fault lines, an alternative principle will have to be formulated sooner rather than later. Could that be the size of territory or population? Or, should it be something else? If the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh suggested anything at all, it is that the Indian Republic cannot avoid this question for long.

Size, when translated into the number of seats in the central legislature, might eventually be a point of friction among the units of our Republic, because representation in the form of numbers determines the distribution of political power. And, the distribution of political power has the potential to exert decisive influence on the distribution of economic resources within the federal structure. There are already faint noises of unease among the political elites in some States, especially in the south, regarding speculation about future delimitation in which some northern States could gain abnormal numbers in the central legislature.

Where States stand

The bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh can give us some idea as to how reconfiguration can radically alter the pecking order of States. In the united State for example, Andhra Pradesh had 42 Lok Sabha seats and was the largest State in the south India. It was as big as today’s West Bengal and slightly smaller than Maharashtra. It could carry significant clout in the national political equation. But now, with a mere 25 seats, it is smaller than Tamil Nadu which has 39 seats and Karnataka that has 28 seats, effectively making it third in the pecking order. Telangana, with 17 seats, is smaller than Kerala, thus becoming fifth in the pecking order in the south. A part of the biggest State in the south is now rendered as the third and another part became fifth in the regional pecking order in terms of political clout. In our federal structure, numbers do matter in more ways than one can imagine.

If some States become smaller while others remain big, political equations among them will become unequal and may result in undesirable strains in the federal structure of our Republic. Grossly unequal sizes among the units can render some regions irrelevant and others more relevant in deciding who holds power at the Centre. Any perception that an incumbent regime is serving the political and economic interests of some States because its political base is beholden to the unequal power distribution could lead to disenchantment, dissent and alienation of those States from the mainstream of our Republic.

The cracks will surface

The questions that the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh threw up and the lessons the process of division offers cannot be parried or ignored. It is unwise to take comfort from the fact that neither side has as yet sharply articulated and followed up on their grievances regarding the messy way the process of bifurcation was handled. Political expression of those grievances from both sides of the division may be delayed but is eventually inevitable. Telangana elites are still in a euphoric mood that they won their fight for a separate State and are eager to showcase the brighter side of the consequence of their victory. A glittering Hyderabad and the revenue boom it generated conceal chinks in its development path. Elites, therefore, are under no pressure yet to focus on issues arising out of division. Once the euphoria wears off, their perception of the omissions and commissions of the badly handled division and their political and economic implications will begin to surface.

The Andhra Pradesh side, in the first five years after the division, got bogged down in its attempt to build for itself a world-class capital to prove to the world with a vengeance. that it would overcome the loss of Hyderabad. And the next five years were consumed by profligate direct benefit transfer (DBT) welfarism. Alternating between these two foci will eventually bring more serious issues to the surface that could be traced to the ham-handed division of the State. The fact that both the obsessions have made the State financially anaemic is glossed over for now. But it cannot remain under wraps for long. Unfulfilled promises made by the Centre on special category status and financial help for building the capital city, inability to effect proper division of joint assets as well as other such core issues will not escape the attention of the political elites for long.

The idea of the linguistic reorganisation of India had a long incubation period. It was thought through, elaborately debated, agreed upon and then implemented. That idea was seen in the national context. But a departure from it was neither thought through nor debated. It was done as a political expediency to pacify an ongoing agitation. Therefore, from the clumsy drafting of the act, its messy passing, the placatory assurances and their half-hearted implementation characterised the departure of a six-and-a-half decade-old mature Republic from a core organising principle of its political geography. The Republic cannot afford such clumsy and thoughtless handling of major departures from its core organising principles. The Andhra Pradesh bifurcation and its fallout merit a deeper and mature examination to ensure a firm footing for our Republic.

Forsaken, marginalised and forgotten

Ziya Us Salam

Majoritarian nationalism is reshaping Indian politics. Declining minority participation, particularly Muslim representation, in the corridors of power is an inevitable consequence. The general election, that has just concluded, is a veritable testimony to India’s, at times enthusiastic, at others grudging, acceptance of hues of Hindu nationalism. Even as the wounds of a complete abnegation of Muslim representation in the outgoing government had not healed, a fresh stab was made at the idea of India. Muslim exclusion from electoral politics is beginning to sound real, central, and almost all pervasive. As we await the results to the 18th Lok Sabha, there is a cause for concern over the diminishing space for a section of society in the electoral fray. In the 2019 election, 115 Muslims had contested as the representatives of various political parties. This time, the number was 78, with many parties too timid to give a ticket to a Muslim candidate from anywhere except in the so-called Muslim dominated seats. It could be a reflection of our politics where a Muslim candidate is not preferred by some merely because of his or her faith.

Ground reality

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, despite the noises made last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about Pasmanda Muslims, entered a sole Muslim, Abdul Salam, from Malappuram in Kerala. Otherwise, from Punjab to Tamil Nadu, Gujarat to Nagaland, the party deemed Muslims surplus to its electoral arithmetic. The Indian National Congress did not cover itself with glory either — the number of Muslim candidates fighting on the party symbol came down from 34 in 2019 to 19 this time. What was disconcerting was the party’s reluctance to put up even a single Muslim candidate from either Delhi or Mumbai, leading to noises of protest from the party leader Muhammad Arif Naseem Khan who said, “The party wants Muslim votes, not Muslim candidates.” Mr. Khan could as well have been speaking for most non-Bharatiya Janata Party parties. The Samajwadi Party, often criticised for being MY (Muslims and Yadavs) representative, fought on 62 seats in Uttar Pradesh but put up only four Muslims in the State where Muslims comprise 19% of population. Likewise, the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar fielded only two Muslim candidates; however, its ally, the Congress, did give tickets to Muslim candidates from Katihar and Kishanganj.

In Gujarat, neither the Congress nor the BJP put up a Muslim candidate. The story of Muslim denial was repeated by both parties in Rajasthan. In Bengal, the Trinamool Congress, despite Mamata Banerjee’s robust defence of minority rights, gave tickets to only six Muslim candidates out of the 42 seats it contested in the State. Significantly, Muslims account for a little over 27% of the State’s population. Bengal presents a microcosm of the country. This under-nomination is bound to result in under-representation in Parliament. The community looks at the bleak prospect of sending possibly its lowest number of Members of Parliament to the Lok Sabha when the results are announced on June 4. Forsaken, marginalised, and, probably forgotten.

A fading

All this is a far cry from the heydays of the 1980s when Muslims enjoyed a sizeable slice of the electoral cake. In 1980, there were 49 Muslim MPs in the Lok Sabha. In 1984, there were 46 Muslim MPs.

Pertinently, the BJP was just born in 1980 and had only two Lok Sabha MPs in 1984. As the party’s fortunes rose in ensuing elections, the fortunes of the largest minority went into a parallel decline, finishing with only 23 MPs in 2014. There was a token increase of three in 2019 — a number that seems difficult to attain this time in the light of a drastic fall in the number of Muslim candidates. The Muslim MP is faced with the prospect of gradual elimination. Muslims bring up a little over 14% of India’s population, but since the first election in 1951-52 to the last round in 2019, the community’s share in Lok Sabha has been under 6%.

An attack on the idea of India

Incidentally, while Muslims have not been as visible as candidates this time, this, however, has not translated into their absence from headlines during the elections. Mr. Modi led the pack in stoking fears in the larger society, referring to the community members as “infiltrators” or “the Congress seeking to give a buffalo to a Muslim if a Hindu owned two buffaloes” to give an example or two. He was both coarse and divisive. If the data shared by the Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, are to be believed, Mr. Modi used the term ‘Mandir-Masjid-Muslim’ 421 times in his speeches. For all his bluff and bluster, he did not conceal his irreverence for the idea of India — a value system that regards all citizens as equal stakeholders in the progress of the nation. Mr. Modi’s aggressive Hindutva set the benchmark for other parties. Forget the so-called Muslim vote-bank politics of yesteryears. Today, even the Centrist and Left parties remain disinclined to end Muslim political isolation.

The demographic profiles of the contestants to the 18th Lok Sabha could be a nod to Mr. Modi’s concept of Bharat. Indian democracy, however, will be better served without taints of such exclusion.

ziya.salam@thehindu.co.in

For a consensus

Elections should not prompt politicians to break consensus on foreign policy

With the curtains coming down on the general election 2024, every party will take stock of its campaign on issues of domestic political importance. However, it is also necessary for all concerned, particularly those forming the next government, to review the disturbing trend of revisiting questions of foreign policy. Both sides have ratcheted up the rhetoric over India’s international ties and in some cases, even the re-opening of settled bilateral agreements. At the start of the campaign, the ruling party focused on the issue of the half-century-old Katchatheevu agreement, that accepted the island as Sri Lankan territory, to target the Opposition Congress and the DMK that were in power in 1974. In response, Congress leaders asked whether the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh could also be reviewed for its land concessions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led the charge on other foreign policy fronts, especially on Pakistan, calling the Congress party a “disciple of Pakistan” and comparing its manifesto pejoratively to that of the Muslim League that founded Pakistan. U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath even proclaimed that were Mr. Modi to be re-elected, he would reclaim Pakistan Occupied Kashmir “within six months”. Other brash comments over India’s use of its nuclear arsenal, or that the government will transgress international boundaries to kill ‘terrorists threatening India’, have raised eyebrows in many capitals. The clashes between the Indian Army and Chinese PLA at Galwan in 2020 that led to the deaths of 20 soldiers have often been raised by Opposition leaders in campaign rallies, as in the past as well. Meanwhile, throughout the campaign, Mr. Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar accused “western powers” of attempting to interfere in Indian polls.

Such heated campaign rhetoric is meant for domestic audiences, but it would be unwise for political leaders to assume that India’s international partners are not watching and listening carefully. India’s ties with its smaller neighbours carry the highest levels of sensitivity, and raking up these issues and exposing India’s vulnerable faultlines, just to make political capital, seems short-sighted. While domestic policy has always been deeply divisive, India’s polity had for long achieved a bipartisanship when it came to foreign policy positions, and often took pride in the deployment of Opposition leaders to defend India’s case worldwide, including at the UN. The proper platform for the government to assert foreign policy, or for the Opposition to air its differences with it, is not the hustings, but Parliament. It is hoped that as the dust settles, leaders will reflect on the potential damage to India’s credibility from campaign propaganda, and restore a more enduring consensus on international relations.

Nipped in the bud

Both supply and demand sides of baby trafficking need to be stopped

Criminal activity is mostly driven by a combination of socio-economic factors — poverty on one end, wealth on the other, and unmet needs or desires. The recent inter-State baby smuggling racket that was busted by the Telangana police should be seen under this lens. While news of baby smuggling rackets dominate headlines from time to time, blowing the lid off of this network has revealed chilling subterranean levels of operation, spanning several States. An inter-State gang smuggled children from Delhi and Pune and sold them to prospective parents in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. As many as 11 people were arrested for the smuggling of as many as 50 babies in the past year. As per initial reports, the gang had been ‘purchasing’ babies from two persons in Delhi and one person in Pune, traffick them to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and sell to the highest bidder among childless couples in these southern States. It is learnt that the rate for a baby could be between ₹1.80 lakh and ₹5.50 lakh, netting the brokers between ₹50,000 and ₹1 lakh as commission. Three women in the gang had apparently been booked for the same offence earlier.

Further investigation will reveal how the babies were procured, but this is not the first time such rackets have been busted. There is no reason to believe that the reasons were any different: poverty of the biological parents in many cases, urging them to sell their newborns for a paltry sum, and smuggling of newborns from government hospitals where security is lax. On the other end of the spectrum are couples eager to have children, and impatient with the long waiting time to adopt a baby legally. The current waiting time to adopt a child under two years can be anywhere between two to four years. While the lengthy process is put in place to ensure that the best interests of the child are served, the non-availability of babies for adoption has queered the pitch, allowing the demand to seek supply avenues by hook or by crook. Rounding up a gang might at best be a short-term measure in this particular situation. Children are not commodities to purchase at a premium from the free market when supply is low. The government needs to do many things at once to ensure such incidents do not occur again: provide effective poverty alleviation schemes; employment opportunities for youth; generate awareness about adoption schemes for both biological and adoptive parents; remove unnecessary bureaucratic processes in adoption, and ensure effective policing to nip such plots in the bud.

The exit polls

It is astounding that political parties fail to understand the futility of any discussion, debate, and argument and counter-argument over the exit poll results in the media. No doubt these ‘results’ arouse interest, but the fate of all the political parties was sealed soon after the last phase of the general election. Politicians and the public have no other go but to wait for the designated day. There is no point in exchanging heated words over the ‘outcome’ of the exit polls.

K.V. Seetharamaiah,

Bengaluru

Polling is over and the results are locked in the electronic voting machines. What purpose does it serve then to have exit poll results when the people have been waiting patiently for long for the results? Many such exit polls have gone wrong in the past. The only purpose seems to be to increase TRP ratings of channels and also promote betting! It is amusing that newspapers give front page coverage to exit polls.

Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,

Hyderabad

It should be noted that most of these media houses have for some time been affiliated to the National Democratic Alliance and its associated organisations. To project the electoral ‘exit poll results’ any other way would be surprising. Also, the demeanour of the anchors and the way in which they taunt the Opposition parties does not befit the status of a democracy such as India.

Ratheesh Chandran,

Thiruvalla, Kerala

It is scary to have the exit poll results. If true, what happens to the idea of India? Will every institution fade away?

S. Francis,

New Delhi

Fewer women are being hired for leadership positions

The Hindu Data Team

LinkedIn’s Economic Graph data show that representation of women across the workforce has declined

While representation of women across the workforce has increased over the years, LinkedIn’s Economic Graph data show that progress has stalled since 2022 and declined in 2024. Also, the progress that was being made in promoting women to senior and leadership roles has stagnated in recent years.

Most women in senior positions are employed in sectors such as healthcare, education, administrative, and support services. The number of women employed across all positions is poor in the manufacturing, construction, oil and gas industries. LinkedIn found these trends from self-reported data by more than 1 billion members across 41,000 skills in 68 million companies and 1,35,000 schools globally.

Chart 1 shows representation of women in the overall workforce and in senior positions over the years. Women’s representation in the overall workforce increased from 23.9% in 2016 to 27.3% in 2022. It stayed the same in 2023 before decreasing to 26.8% in 2024. The 2024 data are based on the position of women in the month of January.

A similar trend was also seen in the representation of women in senior leadership positions. The promotion of women to higher roles has been snail-paced. It took four years (2016 to 2019) for the share of women in senior positions to go up by one percentage point and another four years (2019 to 2022) for it to go up by another point. If the downturn seen in January 2024 persists throughout the year, even this slow-paced increase will cease.

The stagnation in the share of women in senior positions and the dip in January this year can be attributed to the slowdown in fresh hires of women for leadership roles, data show. The share increased from 18.8% in 2016 to 25.2% in 2021 and declined after that. “LinkedIn Economic Graph data shows that despite progress, women still face obstacles in reaching leadership roles due to bias, societal norms, and structural barriers. However, recent focus on ‘women-led development’ has led to concerted efforts by both policymakers and business leaders to tackle these challenges,” said Aditi Jha, LinkedIn India Board Member and Country Head, Legal and Government Affairs.

An industry-wide look at the share of women in senior leadership positions shows that even the gradual rise was limited to certain sectors. The entry and career progression of women were lowest in the oil, gas and mining, construction, utilities, wholesale, manufacturing, transportation and real estate sectors (Chart 2). In these sectors, there were just 11%-14% women in leadership roles. The oil industry had the lowest share of women in top positions — just around 11%.

In accommodation and food services, financial services, retail, technology, and media, the representation of women in senior roles was between 15% and 20% (Chart 3).

In administrative and support services, healthcare and hospitals, consumer services, government administration, and education, the share of women was between 22% and 30% (Chart 4). The share of women in senior positions was highest in the education sector (30%).

Data in the report also show that laws such as the Companies Act, 2013, which mandates women directors on company boards, are not being followed strictly. Between April 2018 and December 2023, 507 companies were fined for flouting this norm. Of them, 90% were listed companies.

With inputs form PTI

Anger, separation, and the aftermath

1 of 2 Sumit Bhattacharjee

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On June 2, 2014, when the composite State of Andhra Pradesh was divided into two States, the people were angry. They alleged that the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre had passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act without consulting key stakeholders and after consulting a few regional parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party in secret. To make matters worse for them, Hyderabad was to cease being the capital of Andhra Pradesh from June 2, 2024.

A brief history

To know what has changed in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana today, it is crucial to look back. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru consented to carving out the State of Andhra from Madras State in 1953, but only after the freedom fighter, Potti Sriramulu, began a fast-unto-death for a separate State in 1952 and died in the process. At that time, the new State of Andhra, which included Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra, did not include Hyderabad State. It was only after several deliberations that Andhra Pradesh, including Hyderabad State, came into being on November 1, 1956.

But discontent simmered between the people of Andhra and Telangana. This culminated in the violent Telangana agitation of 1969. In 1972, as a response to it, a counter movement called Jai Andhra began. It gained momentum after the Andhra Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court upheld the Mulki rules. The rules were safeguards to ensure that Mulkis, or native residents, did not face difficulty in procuring government jobs in Telangana. The people of Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema felt that the Mulki rules treated them as foreigners in their own land.

Though this agitation died down, the people of Telangana remained angry. This led to the agitation of 2013-14, led by K. Chandrasekhara Rao of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. The Union government accepted the agitators demand for separate Statehood. Mr. Rao became the first Chief Minister of Telangana and Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party became the first Chief Minister of residual Andhra Pradesh.

Ever since Hyderabad State was merged with Andhra, the people of Telangana felt marginalised. Rich farmers from coastal Andhra Pradesh reportedly moved into Hyderabad and procured huge chunks of land. Ministers in successive Cabinets all hailed from Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. The people of Andhra held a grip over industrialisation. All the key areas of the economy such as industry, agriculture, health care, and education were either under the control of the Reddys from Rayalaseema or the Kammas from Coastal Andhra. When Mr. Naidu started developing Hyderabad as an IT destination, contracts were given to people from these regions. This did not go down well with the people of Telangana, says former bureaucrat E.A.S. Sarma.

Political observers believe that such disillusionment would not have happened if the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1956 had been followed. The Agreement was signed to provide safeguards to the people of Telangana. The safeguards included distribution of revenue and industries, representation in the Cabinet, domicile status, and importance to the local language and culture. But they were never implemented in letter and spirit. Under the agreement, Regional Standing Committees were formed independent of the Chief Minister to ensure that development is decentralised and every region in Telangana gets its share of development. But these failed too.

The failure of the Gentlemen’s Agreement is evident from the fact that of the 17 Chief Ministers who ruled composite Andhra Pradesh, 14 were from the Andhra region and a majority of them were either from the Reddy or Kamma community. Despite the share of these communities being relatively low in the State, they have ruled the political landscape.

After bifurcation

This brings us to the question, what is the scenario post-bifurcation? The main benefit is that the people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh now have the space to articulate their concerns independently. The people of Telangana are now part of a separate State, which means that they are not dominated by politicians from Andhra Pradesh. Their local issues are highlighted. Issues such as riparian rights are addressed or at least being heard.

Meanwhile, the people of Andhra Pradesh who insisted that key resources from the region were being pumped into Hyderabad can no longer say that. It is the Chief Minister’s job to harness the resources of a region. How well the Chief Ministers of the State have been able to do this in the last 10 years is debatable.

The greatest benefit is that though there are two separate States today, there is little animosity among the people.

There are issues too. Some of the promises made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, have been implemented, but others await implementation. An Indian Institute of Technology in Tirupati, an Indian Institute of Management in Visakhapatnam, and an All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in Mangalagiri have been set up, but projects such as the South Coast Railway Zone in Visakhapatnam remain in limbo in Andhra Pradesh. And significantly, the State now does not have a capital.

sumit.b@thehindu.co.in

Counting the failures of the past decade

G.V.R. Subba Rao

Progress in Andhra Pradesh has been tardy on various fronts

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Andhra Pradesh is a State without a capital. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, had said that Hyderabad would be the common capital of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana until June 2, 2024, following the bifurcation of composite Andhra Pradesh in 2014. While a few office spaces, an interim Secretariat, and a High Court have been established, successive governments have not been able to make Amaravati the capital.

Andhra Pradesh has also not made rapid strides from a development and economic perspective. Major projects such as the Polavaram project, the Kadapa Steel Plant, and the South Coast Railway Zone in Visakhapatnam remain unrealised dreams. The Polavaram project is delayed because of technical issues and lack of funds. Expert committees have said that establishing an integrated steel plant in YSR Kadapa district is not technically and economically feasible. Though the Centre cleared the decks for operationalising the South Coast Railway Zone, the project has not taken off. The Union government has claimed that the State has not handed over land, while the Andhra Pradesh government has asserted that 52 acres were identified at Mudasarlova in Visakhapatnam and an agreement was made in this regard.

In Parliament, both the BJP and the Congress promised Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh, but the Union government turned down the proposal. The TDP walked out of the NDA in 2018 over the SCS issue and faced a drubbing in the 2019 elections. Apart from reminding the Union government every now and then about the SCS, the YSRCP has been unable to mount pressure on it.

The economy of the State has also not improved compared to States such as Maharashtra and Gujarat. Apart from Kia Motors in Anantapur, reportedly no other major players have ventured into Andhra Pradesh. Instead, Amara Raja Batteries relocated operations to neighbouring States. The Reorganisation Act mandated the Union government to lend support to Andhra Pradesh for its resource gap for 2014-15. The TDP government pegged the revenue deficit at ₹16,078 crore, but the Union government pruned it to ₹3,979.50 crore. The revenue deficit touched ₹31,479.88 crore by March 2024 (preliminary estimates).

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana still face unresolved issues post-bifurcation, including division of assets and pending power bill dues. The division of various institutions and corporations, listed in Schedule IX and Schedule X of the Reorganisation Act, has not been completed due to a lack of consensus. According to the Act, as many as 89 government companies and corporations are listed in Schedule IX. Assets belonging to nearly 245 institutions mentioned in Schedules IX and X, worth about ₹1.42 lakh crore, are yet to be divided between the two States.

The people of Andhra continue to rely on Hyderabad for health and educational facilities. Policymakers and bureaucrats are not in Hyderabad, but they are still connected to the city emotionally. This could be one of the reasons for the tardy progress in Andhra Pradesh.

In this scenario, it is important that the party which forms the next government focuses on establishing a capital in the State. The YSRCP put forth the idea of three capitals, but this may not be easy and may run into legal issues. Similarly, a grandiose capital, as planned by the TDP, will have fiscal problems if the various welfare schemes promised in the manifestos are implemented. To win investors’ confidence, the government has to develop a capital with the resources it has now.

The development of infrastructural facilities gives a big boost to the industry and service sector. As the Union government is prioritising port-led development, Andhra Pradesh can look for a bigger share in the pie given its coastal advantage. Its pending issues with Telangana have to be solved soon. It is also time for Telangana to pay ₹6,756 crore to Andhra Pradesh for the supply of power post-bifurcation (from June 2, 2014, to June 10, 2017). The river management boards which were supposed to be set up in Andhra Pradesh should be shifted to the State from Hyderabad. It is time for the government to make up for the failures of the last decade.

Bhutan King enthroned: Colourful function at Thimpu

Thimpu, June 2: King Jigme Singye Wangchuk was enthroned this morning the monarch of all Bhutan, at the ceremony at the Royal Fort Palace here to the accompaniment of elaborate and colourful religious and social rituals whose origins are lost in legend and history. The 18-year-old King received the multi-coloured traditional scarf of Royal office from the Je Khempo, the chief and incarnate Lama of Bhutan at an auspicious hour chosen by astrologers shortly after 9 a.m. The President, Mr. V.V. Giri, and the President of Bangladesh, Mr. Mohammedullah and the Chogyal of Bhutan, who is also related to the Bhutanese Royal family were the three Heads of State to honour the occasion by their presence while Nepal sent as its representative Prince Gyanendra. All the permanent members of the Security Council, including China sent their Ambassadors or Charge d’Affaires marking international recognition of the young King’s ascension to the throne. The presentation of the scarf by the high priest to the King was private and secret unwitnessed and unphotographed. In the small confines of the throne room the King sat without a crown but wearing a highly decorative silken woven dress and ceremonial scarf. Before entering the private chambers for the ceremony, there were some interesting rituals in the courtyard of Tashichhodzong the Royal Fort Palace which also includes part of the Secraetariat and a huge wing for Buddhist monks.

International emigration conference

Rome, June 2: The Emigration Conference concluded after adopting practically unanimous resolutions drafted by the committee dealing especially with general principles of treaties respecting emigration and colonisation. An important matter determined was the declaration of principle with regard to the legal status of emigrants and conditions governing the residence of workers in foreign countries. The conference passed a resolution urging states to institute compulsory medical examination of emigrants before embarkation and decided to hold a second conference in 1927, in one of the immigration countries.

Does inequality lead to growth?

Rahul Menon

Several argue that inequality harms democratic processes. Some inequality, others argue, is actually beneficial, since it acts as an incentive to entrepreneurs to start businesses. This view is mistaken, for inequality can have deleterious economic effects

iStockphotodrante

Rahul Gandhi’s statements regarding redistribution — and the polarising rebuttal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — have brought the topic of inequality to the forefront. Researchers from the Paris School of Economics have shown inequality in modern India to be greater than colonial times.

Several argue that inequality harms democratic processes. Some inequality, others argue, is actually beneficial, since it acts as an incentive to entrepreneurs to start businesses, thereby increasing employment and welfare for others.

This view is mistaken, for inequality can have deleterious economic effects as well. Consider one form of inequality, that of concentration of monopoly power amongst capital relative to labour. This can have negative effects on consumption, welfare, and growth. If done properly, wealth taxes and distribution can have positive effects.

Monopoly power and consumption

Billionaires draw their wealth from monopoly. Their business groups are dominant players in their specific market. This allows them to set prices instead of being determined by the market. The extent of mark-ups above the cost of production is determined by their monopoly power. Thus, for any given level of money wages, real wages — which determine purchasing power — are lower in economies with strong monopolies.

These monopoly effects are currently being experienced as the cost-of-living crises affecting the developed economies. The phenomenon of “greedflation”, or companies raising prices to increase profit margins in the wake of multiple demand-and-supply shocks due to the pandemic, has been pointed to as contributing to high rates of inflation in the West. Textbook economics shows us that the profit-maximising level of output under a monopoly is less than under a competitive economy, implying a welfare loss. Thus, the presence of monopolies can lead to lower real wages and lower levels of output and investment.

Inequality and growth

Assume that a company decides to set up a new factory. Before the new capital stock is created, wages are paid out to workers to build it. The income of the workers is spent on purchasing goods, which increases the income of goods-sellers, whose increased income results in purchases of other goods, and so on. The total increase in the income of workers and goods-sellers is greater than the initial investment. This process is called the ‘multiplier’ effect, wherein investment raises incomes by a greater proportion than the initial investment.

When companies exercise market power, mark-ups and prices will be higher. Real wages of workers are lower, and they can only purchase lesser items. However companies, because of higher margins, will enjoy the same amount of profits from the sale of a lesser amount of goods. The increase in income from a given amount of investment will be lesser under monopoly because of reduced consumption power. Thus, investment will have a weaker effect on growth under monopoly while not affecting profits.

One can argue that consumption of the rich can help boost growth. While the absolute amount of consumption of the rich is more, they consume a smaller proportion of their incomes. The multiplier process depends on the proportion of consumption from incomes. An unequal economy will put lesser incomes in the hands of those with a greater propensity to consume, leading to weaker expansion in the economy.

Redistribution and growth

Some argue that the ‘cure’ of redistribution can prove more harmful than the disease of inequality by affecting job creation. Entrepreneurs would see reduced incentives for amassing wealth under a high-tax regime, resulting in a scale-back of investment and jobs.

One must make a distinction between wealth and profits. Investment occurs under the influence of future profit expectations, while wealth is accumulated past profits. As the Polish economist Michal Kalecki argued, taxes on wealth would not affect investment since it leaves expectations of future profits unchanged. For example, taxing Gautam Adani’s wealth will not affect investment since expected profits from airports depends on the demand for air-travel which is independent of the value of his wealth.

No doubt, the difficulty in converting profits into wealth may deter some business-owners from undertaking investment. But an economy with high expectations of profit would ensure businesses invest even if wealth is taxed. Redistribution can generate forces to spur growth even if some billionaires pull back on investment. For one, if wealth is redistributed and increases income, the multiplier process would become stronger. Businesses would be more willing to invest where purchasing power is strong. If monopolies are curtailed, then prices would be lower and real wages higher, leading to greater demand.

Consider Thomas Piketty’s proposal of taxing billionaire wealth and providing basic income. This might cause some to exit the economy, but can create a new class of entrepreneurs who can create start-ups, freed from the necessity of working for wages. Redistribution is not a silver bullet, and too high a rate of taxation can become a net drain on an economy. Used in conjunction with other policy measures, curtailing inequality can lead to a healthier economy.

Can domestic MFs invest in their overseas counterparts?

Saptaparno Ghosh

What does a proposed framework by SEBI put forward? What are some of the concerns?

The story so far:

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on May 17 floated a consultation paper proposing a framework for facilitating investments by domestic Mutual Funds (MFs) in their overseas counterparts, or Unit Trusts (UTs) that invest a certain portion of their assets in Indian securities. Comments about the framework are solicited until June 7.

What is the framework’s purpose?

Noting India’s strong economic growth prospects, SEBI observes that Indian securities offer an attractive investment opportunity for foreign funds. SEBI says this has led to several international indices, exchange traded funds (ETFs), MFs, and UTs allocating a part of their assets towards Indian securities. In the consultation paper, MSCI Emerging Markets Index was noted to hold 18.08% exposure to Indian securities.

Indian mutual funds, somewhat conversely, diversify their portfolios by launching ‘feeder funds’ which invest in overseas instruments such as (units of) MF, UTs, ETFs and/or index funds. Other than diversification, it eases the path to make global investments. However, ambiguity remains about investments which have Indian exposures, which deters domestic MFs from investing in these instruments. SEBI’s cumulative assessment sees merit in potentially allowing investments of this kind with “limited exposure to Indian securities.” Within the proposed framework, the markets regulator also intends to place essential safeguards which would keep the Indian instruments “true to their label” and enable investors to take desired exposure in overseas securities. If the fund has significant exposure to Indian securities, the purpose of making an overseas investment is defeated.

What proposals has SEBI tabled?

Significantly, the upper limit for investments made by overseas instruments (in India) has been capped at 20% of their net assets. That is, overseas instruments being considered must not have an exposure of more than 20% in Indian securities. Deeming the cap “appropriate,” SEBI explains that this would help “strike a balance between facilitating investments in overseas funds with exposure to India and preventing excessive exposure.” The markets regulator has also sought that Indian mutual funds ensure contributions of all investors of the overseas MF/UT is pooled into a single investment vehicle. Other than this, Indian mutual funds must also ensure that all investors of the overseas instrument are receiving gains proportionate to their contribution — and in no order of preference. SEBI stresses that these investments are to be made autonomously by the manager (of the overseas instrument) without any influence from the investors or undisclosed parties. SEBI is also seeking public disclosures of the portfolios of such overseas MF/UTs periodically for the sake of transparency. Finally, it warns against the existence of any advisory agreement between the Indian mutual fund and the overseas MF/UT. This is to prevent conflict of interest and avoid any undue advantage.

What happens when overseas instruments breach the limit?

If the overseas instrument breaches the 20% limit, the Indian mutual fund scheme which is investing in the overseas fund would slip into a six-month observance period. This period is to be utilised by the overseas instrument/fund to rebalance its portfolio adhering to the cap. Further investment in the overseas instrument would be allowed only when the exposure drops below the limit. If the portfolio is not rebalanced within this period, the MF must liquidate its investment in the overseas instrument within six months.

Are there other considerations?

The first consideration is RBI’s upper limit for overseas investment by mutual funds. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das stated that there was no proposal to increase the investment limit. In light of this, Suresh Soni, CEO at Baroda BNP Paribas Mutual Fund told The Hindu, “The changes to regulations would not have any practical impact immediately, as the overall industry limit for overseas investments is effectively exhausted.” Mr. Soni says such investments provide diversification opportunities to Indian investors.

The politics of womanhood: from abstinence to abortion

Nandini Bhatia

A closer look at literature suggests that women’s experiences of unsafe, backstreet abortions are tied more intricately than they seem. Writers like Annie Ernaux have translated their pain into writing, for their own relief and of those like them, isolated by the laws

Access to all: A supporter holds up a sign during Missourians for Constitutionals Freedom kick-off petition drive on February 6, 2024, in Kansas City, APED ZURGA

A woman’s body is a political playground; it always has been. Like all politics, womanhood, with its morality and many mandates, manifests into literature and unveils the inconspicuous prejudice that grows underneath the grace and tenderness of femininity. Across the world, the issue of women’s rights — or rather, women’s access to basic human rights — has emerged and evolved constantly; first and foremost, the right to bodily agency and by extension, the right to (safe and legal) abortion. Between France becoming the first country to grant constitutional freedom to women to have an abortion and the U.S taking a step backwards by overturning Roe vs Wade two years ago, the carousel keeps turning. A closer look at literature suggests that women’s experiences of unsafe, backstreet abortions are tied more intricately than they seem.

‘Angel-makers’

French writer Annie Ernaux, in her first book, Cleaned Out (1974/1990), chose the comfort of fiction to confront her own horrid experience of an illicit abortion in the 1960s — she wrote about it after it had been decriminalised in France. It was only after almost 40 years that she chose to write on the topic upfront, in her memoir Happening (2000/2001) and later again, in The Years (2008/2017). Denise, the 20-year-old protagonist of Cleaned Out, finds herself pregnant and loses faith in religion and literature, much like Ernaux who briefly lost interest in academics and the socio-political momentum of the time, occupied by the humiliation and desperation of finding a backstreet abortionist — “angel-makers” as they were popularly called. Unsupervised medication, expensive and dodgy tools, and precarious set-ups eventually lead her to a hospital, nearly dead, where the hard-hitting reality of her working-class background awaited her. “The law was everywhere,” she writes. Even when seen through the distance of time, Ernaux’s reflections hold true. In hindsight, one wonders along with her: “whether abortion was banned because it was wrong or wrong because it was banned.” Nonetheless, she felt it her duty to translate her pain into writing, for her own relief and of those like her, isolated by the laws. The question stands, much to the plight of American women today (or German women being harassed by pro-life protestors, or Irish women a few years ago).

The social gaze

Simone de Beauvoir, the literary beacon of women rights, especially in France, went a step further by arguing that how women are treated depends on how they are seen by society, in The Second Sex (1949/1953). She observes the role of social, religious and political agents in determining a woman’s worth as a potential carrier of future life — a vessel — as opposed to an independent entity, seen in the light of “the sexual and the reproductive” function of the body. All understanding boils down to one simple truth: anything a woman chooses to do with her body — from procreation to recreation — is a threat to society and its pecking order, which is why women are primarily placed in a position of subordination, where eliminating woman’s right to choose for herself is the safest way to minimise the very threat.

Literature has more to offer on the subject but more often than not, writings on abortion go unnoticed; they remain hidden from mainstream reading, perhaps owing to the stigma it evokes, irrespective of what the law says. The word abortion itself was often left unsaid in the rooms it was performed in; “[t]his thing had no place in language,” as Ernaux noted. Like Ernaux, other literary figures also underwent painful, silent and secret abortions, including Susan Sontag, Alice Walker (who elaborated on racial discrimination as a component of medical treatment) and Audre Lorde. They too, as writers, used the currency of their gender and their art, to materialise their experiences. All four writers went on to have children later in life, which speaks all the more for the need to have progressive laws on abortion. Their abortion was an exercise in reason, an exercise of choice, an act of desperation, and not, by any means, a protest against social order. Making such a choice inaccessible, by denying safe medical procedures, only worsens the condition; raising the risk of avoidable maternal deaths or perhaps even an increased number of abandoned, unwanted, infants.

Humanising a debate

A pro-choice attitude is often seen as a form of radical feminism by those who are pro-life. Two recent anthologies — Choice Words: Writers on Abortion (2020) edited by Annie Finch and Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on The Decision Not to Have Kids edited by Meghan Daum (2015) — debunk this assumption by humanising the debate of a ‘childless’ woman (by design) from a ‘childfree’ woman (by choice). “People who want kids will always outnumber people who don’t,” notes Finch. However, such writings not only help others who undergo similar experiences feel seen, but also establish reproductive freedom as a matter of social justice.

As for where India stands, legally and historically, it can be claimed that both, the ideals of motherhood and the choice of remaining childfree, have been viable in the country, as Amrita Nandy notes, in Motherhood and Choice (2017). In her academic pursuit, she cites mythology and history. Her work complements de Beauvoir’s philosophy that in society, marriage certifies a woman’s sexuality, thereby “completing” her; and that in the absence of marriage, the threat magnifies. Both writers acknowledge and deconstruct the “woman-as-womb” argument which seems to favour only the female sex and not the gender, in its fluid form; a distinction that needs more discussion.

Ernaux was influenced by de Beauvoir as much as the women (and writers) of today are by Ernaux’s commitment to memory-keeping, in both personal and political ways.

Literature has been and will always be a tool to process, reveal and protest the conditions of the world, especially those that contribute to the becoming and unbecoming of a woman.

Nandini Bhatia is an independent feature writer @read.dream.repeat

Today is the 100th death anniversary of Franz Kafka, whose surreal fiction brought to life worlds in which humans contemplated themselves in the face of the impossible

Vasudevan Mukunth

Visual question: Name this man, a confidant of Kafka’s, who introduced him to the woman in Q2 and is the friend in Q4.

Question 1

The name of the protagonist of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, gives away two sources of inspiration for the story. One is a novel by Jakob Wassermann. Another is a book by X called Venus in Furs, where a character is named Gregor. Kafka also references the book’s title through a picture in the story. Name X.

Question 2

On August 13, 1912, Kafka met __ ___. A week later, he wrote in his diary: “As I was taking my seat I looked at her closely for the first time, by the time I was seated I already had an unshakeable opinion.” He dedicated his short story ‘The Judgment’ to her. Fill in the blanks.

Question 3

Kafka’s stories are famed for their use of the X literary technique. It gets its name from the fact that Kafka’s stories don’t reveal to readers the moral position of some character or circumstance in a story. Instead, the reader is left to decide for themselves. Name X.

Question 4

Kafka’s novel _ __, featuring a protagonist named ‘K.’, was unfinished when he died. A friend of his heavily edited and published it posthumously. Later, the friend decided to restore the parts he’d cut, but couldn’t publish the new version right away because the Nazis had banned the book. Name it.

Question 5

The term ‘____’, rooted in the sensation of alienation that suffuses Kafka’s stories, is used to describe similar situations in the real-world. But some critics have said the term doesn’t just describe such a circumstance: it also presumes that a person faced with such hopelessness fights it with all their hope. Fill in the blank.

Questions and Answers to the May 31 edition of the daily quiz: 1. John von Neumann said that the ideal length of this should be one-millionth of a century, which is roughly 52.5 minutes. Ans: Lecture

2. If 1 HP is equal to roughly 750 watt, name the term for 250 watt. Ans: Donkey power

3. This is a humorous unit of measurement used to denote a distance of around 3.08 cm. Ans: Attoparsec

4. Name the influential American programmer who likely founded the community known as ‘hackers’ and helped design the first Lisp machines. Ans: Richard Greenblatt

5. This English physicist was so laconic that Cambridge University invented a unit to measure the rate at which taciturn people spoke. Ans: Paul A.M. Dirac

Visual: Name this political commentator. Ans: Thomas Friedman

Early Birds: Rajmohan. V| Prashant Nain| Fathima Niloofar

What is that busybody doing here?

S. Upendran

I thought this was a private event but the entire stadium is rife with photographers

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You’re late again!”

“Had to go to the bank, and then see that busybody, Ramesh.”

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone call Ramesh a busybody. I thought he minded his own business.”

“He certainly does! Never interferes in anyone’s business. But he keeps himself busy all the time. Never has time for….”

“Then, he’s not a busybody. A busybody is someone who keeps poking his nose in other people’s business.”

“In other words, someone who is very interested in other people’s affairs. Wants to know what is happening.”

“Not just interested, but makes it a point to meddle or interfere in them. This individual goes around giving advice even when no one is asking for it.”

“I guess the word is used to show disapproval, then?”

“That’s right! ”

“No one took advice from Nirmala. Everyone was convinced she was nothing more than an interfering busybody.”

“That’s an excellent example! The plural of this word is ‘busybodies’. Bharath is seldom invited to parties. He is seen as a busybody.”

“I don’t think he is a busybody.”

“You’re in the minority. Tell me, why did you have to meet Ramesh? The poor chap has had a pretty hectic week so far.”

“That’s exactly what he said when I asked him about which shares to buy.”

“As the CEO, Ramesh has to make many decisions every day! I’m sure at the end of the day, he has decision fatigue.”

“Decision fatigue? Fatigue means tired. What does decision fatigue mean?”

“It means being mentally exhausted because you’ve been making one decision after another.”

“When you make many big decisions, you experience decision fatigue.”

“They needn’t always be big decisions. They could be a series of small decisions as well. But they all add up, and leave you mentally drained.”

“And therefore, your potential to make decisions temporarily deteriorates.”

“Exactly! At the end of a very busy day, my friend took me to the new coffee place. They had over twenty varieties. When the waiter asked what I wanted, I experienced decision fatigue, and just couldn’t answer.”

“How is the word ‘r…i…f…e’ pronounced?”

“It rhymes with ‘life’, ‘wife’ and ‘knife’. Do you know what ‘rife’ means?”

“When you say that something is rife, what you’re suggesting is that it is widespread. It is something common.”

“That’s right! It is a very common occurrence. The important thing to remember is that the thing that is rife is usually unpleasant. Good things are seldom rife. For example, rumours were rife there would be riots in the streets.”

upendrankye@gmail.com

Business

- An unhealthy credit score can impact financial future

- Gold gains a tad, silver on upward jounrly

- Investing in PPF

- Updater Services Ltd. : the silent companion in the background

- An eye on the MPC’s vote Close on the heels of the poll verdict, policy rate change will be keenly watched

- TVS-E looks to reclaim decades-old legacy by foraying into EMS space

- It’s climate offensive

- SPIC’s natural gas play boosts operations, net

An unhealthy credit score can impact financial future

Radhika Binani

Improving your credit score now would make it easier for you to access credit in the future and help in case of financial emergencies and fulfilling crucial life-goals

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2 of 3 Lenders may outrightly reject credit applications of applicants with poor credit scores and such applicants might not get any unsecured loan

3 of 3 If you have a poor score and in need of funds, opt for secured loan such as gold loan or loan against property instead of unsecured personal loan

Maintaining a healthy credit score is a crucial financial habit, but is often ignored. This lack of awareness coupled with poor credit behaviour leads to a poor credit score, which can have serious repercussions on your financial future.

As lenders consider credit score as one of the key deciding factors while processing your application for a loan, an unhealthy credit score will make it very difficult for you to access credit. What is an unhealthy credit score? Credit score is a three-digit number ranging between 300 and 900, representing creditworthiness on the basis of credit history.

It is measured by credit- information companies or credit bureaus. When you apply for any kind of loan or credit card, lenders check your credit score, to assess repayment behaviour. A credit score of more than 750 is generally considered to be a high score and is a reflection of a responsible borrower with excellent credit history. It is preferred by most lenders and credit card issuers. Consumers with a healthy credit score benefit from ease of access, wide choice of offers to compare and choose, best interest rates and other favourable terms and conditions.

A score in the range of 700 to 750 is considered a good score too, but may not be eligible for the best offers from lenders. Credit score between 600 and 700 is considered to be an average score and reflects credit behaviour in the past has not been good. Very few lenders are likely to approve a loan application for consumers in the average zone.

Any score below 600 is considered a poor credit score and it’s unlikely any lender will offer you a loan.

Fraud impacts score

Do note a low score can also be a result of fraudulent activities or erroneous errors in your credit report. To avoid situations where score has plummeted because of frauds or errors, check your credit report regularly, at least once a quarter, and take immediate action if you notice any discrepancy, by raising a dispute with the credit bureau. It’s critical that those who are below the healthy credit score bracket work on their credit score and improve it, to avoid challenges in accessing credit in the future.

What is the impact of an unhealthy credit score on your finances in future? Lenders may outrightly reject credit applications of applicants with poor credit scores and such applicants might not get any unsecured loan.

Loan rejections are also reported in the credit report, and can in fact further lower your score. If you have a poor score and in need of immediate funds, try to opt for a secured loan such as gold loan or loan against property instead of unsecured personal loans. Some lenders might still approve credit applications of applicants with average to good credit scores.

Financial crisis

But these loans would come at unfavourable terms for borrowers and a high cost, as the lender is likely to charge a significantly higher interest rate and in some cases, also approve a lower loan amount. A low score often leads to a financial crisis when one is short of funds in case of emergencies like a medical exigency. The inability to take a loan can also adversely impact your financial goals like buying a home. On the other hand, consumers with a strong credit score are the most preferred applicants for lenders. They are likely to get loans at the best interest rates, and sometimes with low or no processing charges.

Improving the score

Improving your poor credit score is not an overnight process, it requires consistently responsible credit usage over a period to boost your credit score. Hence, it is better to take timely necessary measures to improve the credit score. The most important aspect is to pay your EMIs and credit card bills in full on time. You should also avoid behaviour that’s a reflection of overdependence on credit, like making too many applications for loans or credit cards in a short span of time or maxing out your credit cards regularly.

Pending dues

You should check if the poor score is a result of an old credit account that may not have been closed, and has had pending dues for long. This can bring down your score drastically. Get in touch with the concerned lender immediately and take necessary steps to close the account. So, if your credit score is not in the healthy range, it is important for you to take proactive steps to build your score. Improving your credit score now would make it easier for you to access credit in the future and help in case of financial emergencies and fulfilling crucial life-goals.

(The writer is Chief Product Officer, Paisabazaar)

Gold gains a tad, silver on upward journey

B. Krishnakumar

After a strong performance in April, gold and silver were largely range-bound in May; the long-term outlook for these metals remains positive; prices of these metals may consolidate or edge lower in the near term

After a strong performance in April, precious metals remained largely range-bound in May.

The mixed flow of economic data in the U.S. and the expectations regarding the possibility of an interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve played a role in influencing precious metals prices in May. While the Comex gold price did not move much last month, the silver price showed a lot more traction to the upside.

Comex gold gained 2.19% in May to settle at $2,347.7 an ounce. Comex silver posted a much better show in May with the white metal scaling a fresh 11-year high last month. Comex silver gained 15% to end the month at $30.55 an ounce.

Mirroring the trend in the global markets, MCX gold closed 1.89% higher in May and closed at ₹71,850 per 10-gram. MCX silver closed 13.2% higher at ₹91,650 per kilogram.

‘Trend absent’

As anticipated last month, the price movement in Comex gold was devoid of any trend. The price was confined to the $2,280-$2,450 range in May. This price action is likely to persist until the price breaks out of the extremes of the range. A move above $2,450 would signal the start of the next leg up in Comex gold.

Until the breakout happens, expect volatile price action to continue, within this broad range.

From a medium-term perspective, Comex gold could head to $2,500-2,515 zone. This view would be invalidated on a fall below $2,150.

On a strong wicket

Comex silver ruled extremely strong in May, and the price also managed to move well past the target zone of $27.8-$28.5 mentioned last month. The recent rally has pushed the silver price to an overbought zone.

A cool off can therefore be expected in the short term to the $29.5-$30 range. The overall trend is still positive and Comex silver would resume its uptrend once the anticipated cool off is over.

Likely to ease

Mirroring the global trend, MCX gold too ruled firm and reached the target zone of ₹72,200-72,500 mentioned last month. MCX gold could rule soft in the near term and could ease to the immediate support at ₹70,500-71,000. Long term uptrend would resume once the expected cool off is completed. MCX silver remained buoyant in May and the price also went past the then-mentioned target zone of ₹83,200-83,500.

Expect silver price to remain range bound and ease a wee bit in the near future. A fall to ₹89,500-₹90,500 appears likely. The long-term uptrend is likely to resume on the completion of the expected pull-back. To summarise, the long-term outlook for both gold and silver remains positive. The price could however consolidate or edge lower in the near term.

(The author is a Chennai-based analyst / trader. The views and opinion featured in this column is based on the analysis of short-term price movement in gold and silver futures at COMEX & Multi Commodity Exchange of India. This is not meant to be a trading or investment advice.)

Investing in PPF: benefits

Venkatesh Bangaruswamy

There are two advantages with PPF — one: interest earned on the investment is exempt from tax and second: interest is compounded, but the investment does not eliminate reinvestment risk

For most individuals, Section 80C of the Income-Tax Act is the primary means for saving taxes. Individuals typically avail benefits under Section 80C by investing in provident fund (PF), public provident fund (PPF) and equity-linked savings scheme (ELSS). Previously in this column, we discussed why investing in PPF and PF is more optimal than investing in ELSS. In this article, we discuss how to structure your investment in PPF.

Compounding returns

There are two advantages associated with PPF investment. One, interest earned on the investment is exempt from tax. Second, interest is compounded, but the investment does not eliminate reinvestment risk. This is the risk you will be forced to reinvest annual interest at a lower rate if interest rate declines.

Bank deposits

Take bank recurring deposit and cumulative fixed deposit. The interest prevailing at the time of initiating the deposit is locked-in through the life of the deposit. So, these two kinds of deposit eliminate reinvestment risk. Interest rate on PPF is reset quarterly.

So, PPF investment will earn lower return if interest rate declines, exposing you to reinvestment risk. The comforting factor is you do not have to look for avenues to reinvest. The accrued interest is automatically reinvested into your PPF account.

Overarching argument

That interest income is tax-exempt is the overarching argument to consider PPF investment. Note, your interest income is otherwise taxable at your marginal tax rate (30%). So, you save ₹45,000 if you invest ₹1.5 lakh every year. Also, note you can renew PPF account each time for a block of five years after its initial maturity period of 15 years. So, it may be optimal to renew the account till you retire, as PPF can be an important part of your retirement portfolio.

Conclusion

You should consider investing ₹1.5 lakh annually, regardless of the headroom you have under Section 80C. That is, exhaust the PPF limit of ₹1.5 lakh without considering other eligible investments your make under the section. Your tax deduction will be limited to ₹1.5 lakh.

The argument is simple. You can avail the tax benefit if you invest in ELSS. But, you will be unable to shield income on your bond (read interest earning) investments from taxes unless you invest under Section 80C in PPF and PF. To avail the benefit of compounding, it is preferable to invest lump sum or large sums in PPF earlier in a financial year than later.

(The author offers training programmes for individuals to manage their personal investments)

Updater Services: silent companion in the background at factories, airports

Vinay Kamath

Among the country’s largest business services firm, UDS has transitioned up the value chain to provide sophisticated engineering support services for auto manufacturers, and even airports, where it handles maintenance of generators, transformers, UPS, chillers, HVAC among other facilities.

1 of 2 Carving a niche: UDS is among India’s largest facilities management companies.The HinduVELANKANNI RAJ B

2 of 2 UDS got listed in October 2023 in the price band of ₹280-300, scaling the highest price of ₹380 and the lowest of about ₹260; in FY24, revenue rose 16% to ₹2,456 crore

It’s a blazing summer day but undeterred by the heat, a battery of workers is involved in assembling cars of various brands at the Hyundai factory near Chennai. While the men on the assembly line are hard at work, another batch of workers are feeding the assembly line with components just in time; some operating forklifts which bring windshields for the cars or tyres, at different sections of the conveyor. Another set of workers is focused on line assembly for roof.

The second set of workers who are providing the engineering support services are part of UDS — Updater Services Ltd. — which is among India’s largest facilities management companies UDS — Updater Services Ltd. — which is among India’s largest facilities management companies — working with Hyundai since 1998.

This over 30-year-old company has scaled up the value chain to provide sophisticated engineering support services for auto manufacturers, to even airports, where it handles maintenance of generators, transformers, UPS, chillers, HVAC among other facilities.

UDS manages a clutch of airports from Bengaluru T2, Mangaluru, Guwahati, Goa Mopa airport and Delhi international airport, among others.

At the Hyundai factory, for instance, UDS employs over 900 people who provide various support services. Says Saravanan C.R., COO, “We are part and parcel of Hyundai operations. Our 900-plus employees are responsible for every operation, including line operations, assembly, press and body shop, as well as end of line functions. Also, there are 12 different support companies of Hyundai which supply critical parts; UDS provides people support for them also.” In short, it’s the MMM, as Mr. Saravanan says — men, machines and materials — UDS provides.

UDS was founded by Raghunandana Tangirala in the early ’90s when facilities management was in its infancy. The big inflection point came in the late 1990s-early 2000s when software companies started putting up huge campuses and offices and needed support services. “Expectations changed and it redefined the way office complexes were maintained. We initially started off with cleaning, catering, electrical work. From there, we moved to all services and manufacturing, engineering services where we built capabilities. We have a 30-day training capsule on site for the people who join.”

Silent backbone

As Mr. Saravanan says, UDS offers ‘soft’ services and ‘hard’ services. Soft is housekeeping, facade cleaning, landscaping et al while ‘hard’ would be mechanical to electrical support services. “We have an umbrella of companies in the group and provide most services under one roof; like UDS provides housekeeping services we have a company for food and beverages; one for specialised hospitality, for washroom hygiene, a company for supplying housekeeping materials; this is unique about UDS as a group.

“Competition may have more numbers, but providing every service under one roof is unique to us.”

Today, close to 35% of UDS’ revenues come from the manufacturing industry while 60% is from supporting IT, pharma, ITeS, BFSI industries. UDS supports over 40 industries ranging from Railways and Metros to oil and gas companies to hospitals, employing over 50,000 people. It is the backbone of many firms, working silently in the background, if you will. Competition is from a variety of players offering full services like UDS, such as Quess, SIS and others like ISS and Sodexho and a plethora of smaller players. UDS got listed in October 2023 in a price band of ₹280-300, scaling the highest price of ₹380 and the lowest of about ₹260. In FY24,revenue rose to ₹2,456 crore, up 16% while reported PAT surged 91% to ₹66.3 crore.

Strategic support

By 2010, Mr. Tangirala says, the margins for facilities management companies dropped with international players coming in. Worldwide, he says, it’s a 4-5% margin game. “In the last 5-6 years I wanted to build a business services platform by moving into other businesses. The ground rule was to be a B2B, services business, scalable and with higher margins. We are the most profitable in facilities management as we have acquired a clutch of companies in various businesses.” Matrix, a business assurance service provider for various industries including FMCG and retail, for instance, is a 20% margin business.

“Today, I can market a bouquet of services to clients — from background verification to food.”

“UDS’ business services give it a 12-13% margin; UDS remains at 4-5%, while blended will be around 7%. Around 60% per cent of its profits come from business services and the rest from UDS. In terms of revenues, it’s the other way around. “We will continue to grow in this manner. Most companies are wholly-owned subsidiaries of UDS.”

COO Saravanan says the key challenge faced by it and the industry is availability of trained resources with increasing alternative employment opportunities available in the country.

“Deployment of technology, including robotics and digitalising the services will help to reduce the growing resource shortages,” he adds.

(The writer is with The Hindu businessline)

Policy rate shift to be in focus close on the heels of poll verdict

Shreya Sodhani, Amruta Ghare

Key metric: Monetary policy easing is likely to be driven more by local considerations.REUTERSFRANCIS MASCARENHAS

With hours left for the counting of votes to usher in the next Union government, another crucial event is lined up for the week: the bimonthly monetary policy statement, set for release on June 7. With the poll results and government formation dominating headlines, the the monetary policy committee’s (MPC) decision is likely be overshadowed.

The MPC has kept policy rates unchanged during FY2023-24, and we expect it to remain on ‘pause’ mode at the upcoming meeting too. The RBI has now turned its focus to managing the ‘last mile of disinflation’, as evident from its communication. Retail inflation has moderated to 4.8% in April, from 5.7% in 2023, but it is still above the RBI’s targeted 4%.

Elevated food inflation, at about 8%, is proving to be a spanner in the works. The RBI has previously raised concern over high food prices weighing on the inflation outlook, for the spillover risks it poses to headline inflation. At the same time, the decline in energy prices and core inflation (headline minus food and fuel) at a decadal low are providing an offset.

Amid these push-and-pull factors, we think the RBI may opt for a ‘wait-and-watch’ mode, as it tracks the movement of the monsoon, as also international commodity prices, before it pivots to easing the monetary policy.

The biggest factor supporting the central bank’s ‘active disinflationary’ stance is the robust domestic growth conditions.

GDP growth at near 8% for FY2023-24 and continuing growth momentum signal that the RBI may see no urgent need to cut interest rates to support growth, at least for now. With incipient signs of an upturn in the private capex cycle as well as rural consumption, the central bank is likely to sound confident on the growth outlook for FY2024-25.

‘Complicated’ outlook

While domestic economic conditions support a hold in June, the outlook for monetary policy is seemingly complicated by the re-emergence of a ‘higher for longer’ narrative in the global monetary cycle: With the slower pace of disinflation in the U.S., markets now expect the Fed to begin monetary easing late in H2,2024 with the likelihood of first Fed cut extending into 2025.

For emerging markets, easing monetary policy while the fed funds rate remains stubbornly high could lead to widening of interest rate differentials, impacting capital flows and straining currencies. Hence, for central banks in many emerging markets, monetary policy reaction includes the Fed outlook.

However, the RBI is among the few central banks that stand out in this regard, namely its policy decisions are based largely on domestic growth and inflation, even as it does keep an eye on global developments. Our research shows that every rate hike by the RBI since 2010 has been determined by inflation spikes (barring the Taper Tantrum period).

Rate cuts, historically, have been in response to growth slowing below trend, provided price pressures are under control. Thus, the RBI accords primacy to inflation (bolstered by its legislative mandate since 2016) and has typically been independent of the Fed.

Cause for pause

In the post-pandemic period, the RBI’s policy synchronisation with the Fed’s monetary cycle was driven both by domestic conditions and heightened global policy uncertainty.

So, what does a likely prolonged pause by the Fed mean for the RBI? We think the window for monetary policy easing by the RBI opens only in December 2024. In our view, this will be driven more by domestic considerations, as inflation begins to gradually align with the RBI’s targeted 4% in H2 FY24-25.

(The writers are regional economists at Barclays)

TVS-E looks to reclaim decades-old legacy by foraying into EMS space

Sindhu Hariharan

Chennai

C. Balaji.

TVS Electronics has been in the business of IT peripherals for close to four decades and now, it wants a spot in the EMS space

With a high brand recall as a printer and other IT peripherals maker, TVS Electronics is now trying to carve an image as an end-to-end electronics solutions provider. For this, the electronics major is increasing its R&D spends to develop products for the new ‘print-less’ world. With the Indian electronics sector going through a golden period, the company wants to leverage its decades of manufacturing expertise and infra to undertake contract electronics manufacturing services (EMS) for third parties.

IT infrastructure

It It is also looking to grow its IT infrastructure management services, especially targeting the growing areas of data centres and green energy set ups.

“We have been pioneers in printers and other IT hardware but as the landscape of printing technology changes, we have set an R&D vision to identify areas of strength and figure out what lies beyond our current product portfolio,” says Srilalitha Gopal, MD, TVS Electronics (TVS-E).

Founded in 1986 by Gopal Srinivasan, a visionary from the TVS family, TVS Electronics ruled the market in the ’90s as an early mover in the dot matrix printers and other IT peripherals such as keyboards and mouse. Mr. Srinivasan is now the non-executive chairman.

Aiding India in its computing journey, the firm garnered industry-leading market share in the IT hardware space. As the sector raced ahead, TVS-E forayed into products such as set-top boxes before it finally landed on its silver bullet — point of sale (POS) devices for retail sector.

“Transitioning as technology progresses has no doubt posed key challenges, including adapting to rapidly changing market demands and maintaining leadership position.

“But, we have tackled the challenges by leveraging strong foundation in the industry, continuously innovating and expanding product portfolio,” says C. Balaji, Vice President, PSG Business, TVS-E.

(The writer is with The Hindu businessline

It’s climate offensive

Fostering toxic climate: Climate activists act during a march in the Zuidas business district in Amsterdam to protest Dutch companies' involvement in what marchers called an ‘investment in climate destruction.’AFPEva Plevier

SPIC’s natural gas play boosts operations, net

G. Balachandar

Profit boost: SPIC shifted to 100% natural gas from high-cost naphtha-based operations. Company website

Ashwin Muthiah (58) is now a contented man as Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation Ltd (SPIC), the flagship of the Singapore-based AM International, has achieved a major milestone and embarked on a new phase of growth following a remarkable turnaround over a decade. “With all legacy issues behind us, we have successfully reorganised SPIC for future growth,” says the Chairman of SPIC, and Founder and Chairman of AM International. AM International, as the holding company, oversees a diverse portfolio worth about $2 billion in sectors such as fertilizers and petrochemicals.

SPIC has transitioned from high-cost naphtha-based operations to 100% natural gas.

Urea, the primary fertilizer used in India, is produced in 36 fertilizer plants nationwide. All these factories use natural gas as their main raw material due to low emissions, ease of handling and reduced energy consumption. After a long wait, SPIC has now joined this group.

In May, SPIC joined the ‘gas pooling’ mechanism which calculates a single pooled gas price based on the weighted average price of natural gas used by all fertilizer firms. Companies with lower natural gas costs pay the difference into the system, while those with higher costs receive the difference. “Following the full conversion to natural gas, the company’s EBITDA is expected to see a significant improvement supported by some key factors,” says Bhanu Patni, Director, India Ratings & Research (Ind-Ra). (The writer is with The Hindu businessline)

Foreign

- N. Korea will stop sending trash balloons across to South Korea

- South Africa’s ANC to start coalition talks with other parties to form govt.

- Jail sentence will be a ‘breaking point’ for supporters: Trump

- ‘Bring them home’

- ‘China ready to forcefully stop Taiwan independence’

- Monsoon floods, landslip kill 14 in Sri Lanka; schools shut

- Former President Ahmadinejad to contest for Iran President’s post

- Two Palestinian teenagers killed by Israeli gunfire in West Bank

- Mexico votes in elections that will throw up its first woman President

- China probe successfully lands on far side of moon to collect samples

- Trump’s attacks on U.S. justice system could benefit strongmen such as Putin

- A growing community of breast milk donors in Uganda gives mothers hope

- Fed up with inaction, Germany’s climate activists contest EU polls

- Signs of life

- Sudani refugees use rich cuisine to build new lives in Egypt

N. Korea will stop sending trash balloons across to South Korea

Agence France-Presse

Seoul

New method: South Korean soldiers examine the remains from a balloon sent by North Korea in Incheon on Sunday.REUTERSYONHAP NEWS AGENCY

North Korea said on Sunday it would stop sending trash-filled balloons across the border into the South, saying the “disgusting” missives had been an effective countermeasure against propaganda sent by anti-regime activists.

Since Tuesday, the North has sent nearly a thousand balloons carrying bags of rubbish containing everything from cigarette butts to bits of cardboard and plastic, Seoul’s military said, warning the public to stay away.

South Korea has called the latest provocation from its nuclear-armed neighbour “irrational” and “low-class” but, unlike the spate of recent ballistic missile launches, the trash campaign does not violate UN sanctions on Kim Jong-un’s isolated regime.

Countermeasures

Seoul on Sunday warned it would take strong countermeasures unless the North called off the balloon bombardment, saying it runs counter to the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War hostilities. Late on Sunday, the North said it would stop its campaign, after scattering what it claimed was “15 tonnes of waste paper” using thousands of “devices” to deliver them.

“We have given the South Koreans a full experience of how disgusting and labor-intensive it is to collect scattered waste paper,” it said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The North said it will now “temporarily suspend” its campaign, saying it had been a “pure countermeasure”.

“However, if the South Koreans resume the distribution of anti-DPRK leaflets, we will respond by scattering one hundred times the amount of waste paper and filth,” it said, using the acronym for the country’s official name.

Activists in the South have also floated their own balloons over the border, filled with leaflets and sometimes cash, rice or USB thumb drives loaded with K-dramas.

Earlier this week, Pyongyang described its “sincere gifts” as a retaliation for the propaganda-laden balloons sent into North Korea.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the balloons had been landing in northern provinces, including the capital Seoul and the adjacent area of Gyeonggi, which are collectively home to nearly half of South Korea’s population.

The latest batch of balloons were full of “waste such as cigarette butts, scrap paper, fabric pieces and plastic,” the JCS said.

“Our military is conducting surveillance and reconnaissance from the launch points of the balloons, tracking them through aerial reconnaissance, and collecting the fallen debris, prioritising public safety,” it said.

South Korea’s National Security Council met on Sunday, and a presidential official said Seoul would not rule out responding to the balloons by resuming loudspeaker propaganda campaigns along the border with North Korea.

Limited conflict

In the past, South Korea has broadcast anti-Kim propaganda into the North, which infuriates Pyongyang.

“If Seoul chooses to resume anti-North broadcast via loudspeakers along the border, which Pyongyang dislikes as much as anti-Kim balloons, it could lead to limited armed conflict along border areas, such as in the West Sea,” said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Korean peninsula strategy at Sejong Institute.

South Africa’s ANC to start coalition talks with other parties to form govt.

Agence France-Presse

Johannesburg

After its dismal show in the polls, party says results were a clear message and that it has heard the concerns, frustrations and dissatisfaction of the people; other parties such as Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe allege discrepancies in vote count

Elated moment: Jacob Zuma arrives at the Independent Electoral Commission National Results Centre in Midrand on Saturday.AFPPHILL MAGAKOE

South Africa’s ruling ANC said on Sunday that it would enter talks with other parties to form a new government, after losing its three-decade-old absolute majority in a watershed election.

With 99.91% of the votes from Wednesday’s election counted, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress had only 40.2%, a catastrophic slump from the 57.5% it won in 2019.

“The ANC is committed to the formation of a government that reflects the will of the people, that is stable and that is able to govern effectively,” ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told a press conference.

“The voters of South Africa have shown that they expect the leaders of this country to work together in the interests of all,” he said.

Mr. Mbalula said the ANC would hold discussions internally and with other groups “over the next few days”.

It marks a historic turning point for South Africa as the party has enjoyed an absolute majority since 1994, when liberation hero Nelson Mandela led the nation out of white-minority rule and into democracy.

“The results send a clear message to the ANC,” Mr. Mbalula said.

“We wish to assure the people of South Africa that we have heard them. We have heard their concerns, their frustrations and their dissatisfaction.”

The final results are to be formally announced on Sunday, with Mr. Ramaphosa due to deliver an address during an official ceremony near Johannesburg.

But some parties have alleged discrepancies in the vote count.

‘Serious’ issues

The largest and most vocal was former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which warned electoral authorities against going ahead with the final announcements.

“If that happens you are going to be provoking us,” Mr. Zuma, 82, said on Saturday, alleging unspecified “serious” issues but providing no supporting evidence.

Jail sentence will be a ‘breaking point’ for supporters: Trump

Agence France-Presse

Washington

Donald Trump

Donald Trump has suggested that sending him to prison could prove a “breaking point” for his supporters — a warning that will fuel concerns of political violence around the U.S. presidential election on November 5.

In an interview aired Sunday on Fox News, the former President and current Republican White House hopeful acknowledged the possibility of jail time or house arrest following his historic criminal conviction in a hush money trial.

“I’m ok with it,” Mr. Trump said, but added he was “not sure the public would stand for it.” “I think it would be tough for the public to take. You know at a certain point there’s a breaking point,” he said.

The warning will resonate in a country already concerned about the prospect of civil unrest and political harassment in the run-up to the November ballot.

Mr. Trump will now be running as a convicted felon, and he has repeatedly refused to commit to accepting the result should he lose to President Joe Biden.

A New York jury on Thursday convicted Trump on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up a sex scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels.

It was the first criminal conviction of a former president in US history, and sentencing has been set for July 11 -- just days before the Republican convention that will formally anoint Trump as the party’s presidential nominee.

Although each charge carries a possible four-year jail term, experts say it is extremely unlikely that the judge will hand down a custodial sentence.

Trump faces three other criminal trials, including one related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost to Biden.

Mr. Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 after he delivered a fiery speech urging the crowd to “fight like hell.”

‘Clear strategy’

Adam Schiff, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives who was on the committee that investigated the Capitol attack, said Mr. Trump’s strategy was clear.

“This is essentially his threat that, if he gets jail time, that he’s going to encourage his supporters to rise up,” Mr. Schiff said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” talk show.

“And we saw the very deadly results of that on January 6,” he added.

Breaking her silence following Mr. Trump’s conviction, Stormy Daniels said the former President should be put in prison.

‘Bring them home’

People attend a protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and to call for the release of the hostages kidnapped in the October 7 attack in Israel by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. REUTERSMARKO DJURICA

‘China ready to forcefully stop Taiwan independence’

Agence France-Presse

Singapore

Dong Jun

Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun warned on Sunday his military is ready to “forcefully” stop Taiwan independence but called for greater exchanges with the United States.

The remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore followed the first substantive face-to-face talks in 18 months between the two countries’ defence chiefs.

“We have always been open to exchanges and cooperation, but this requires both sides to meet each other halfway,” Mr. Dong told the Shangri-La Dialogue where he met with U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday.

“We believe that we need more exchanges precisely because there are differences between our two militaries.”

“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army has always been an indestructible and powerful force in defence of the unification of the motherland, and it will act resolutely and forcefully at all times to curb the independence of Taiwan and to ensure that it never succeeds in its attempts,” Mr. Dong told the forum on Sunday.

“Whoever dares to split Taiwan from China will be crushed to pieces and suffer his own destruction.”

Taiwan’s response

Taipei hit back, describing Chinese officials’ comments at the forum as “irrational” and insisted it would “work tirelessly for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”, according to a statement from Taiwan’s presidential office.

On the South China Sea, which China claims almost entirely and where it has been involved in confrontations with Philippine vessels, Mr. Dong warned of “limits” to Beijing’s restraint. “China has maintained sufficient restraint in the face of rights infringements and provocation, but there are limits to this,” Mr. Dong said.

Monsoon floods, landslip kill 14 in Sri Lanka; schools shut

Agence France-Presse

Colombo

Flash floods, mudslides and falling trees have killed at least 14 persons in Sri Lanka as the island nation is battered by monsoon storms, the country’s disaster centre said on Sunday.

Some drowned, including three members of the same family swept away near the capital Colombo.

Others were buried alive in mudslides, including an 11-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said.

Nine other persons were crushed and killed when trees fell on them in seven districts.

While Sri Lanka depends on the seasonal monsoon rain for irrigation as well as hydroelectricity, experts have warned that it faces more frequent floods as the world heats due to climate change.

The DMC said 20 out of the country’s 25 districts were affected by heavy rain.

Flights arriving at Colombo’s main international airport were diverted to a smaller airport, and some key highways were flooded. The government also ordered all schools to remain shut on Monday after the weekend holiday, as more rain was forecast.

Former President Ahmadinejad to contest for Iran President’s post

AP

Iran's hardline former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday registered his candidacy for a presidential election this month. Ahmadinejad, 67, held the post for two straight terms from 2005 to 2013, a period marked by a stand-off with the West especially over Iran's nuclear programme and his incendiary remarks on Israel. afp

Two Palestinian teenagers killed by Israeli gunfire in West Bank

APMajdi Mohammed

Two Palestinian teenagers were killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Sunday. Palestinian media said medicals teams were prevented from reaching one of the wounded and the other succumbed to his wounds on Sunday in a hospital in Jerusalem. reuters

Mexico votes in elections that will throw up its first woman President

APMorgan Lee

Mexicans voted on Sunday in a presidential election dominated by two women in a country with a history of gender-based violence and discrimination. Ruling party’s Claudia Sheinbaum, a former Mexico City Mayor and a scientist, had a 17 percentage point lead over her opposition rival Xochitl Galvez on the eve of the vote. afp

China probe successfully lands on far side of moon to collect samples

REUTERSEDUARDO BAPTISTA

China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe successfully landed on Sunday on the far side of the moon to collect samples, state media reported — the latest leap for Beijing’s decades-old space programme. The Chang’e-6 set down in the immense South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the largest known impact craters in the solar system. afp

Associated Press

Trump’s attacks on U.S. justice system could be useful for strongmen leaders as they look to boost their standing among their own citizens and undermine the U.S.’s global influence; political chaos can benefit such leaders by distracting Washington from key issues, including the war in Ukraine

Same feather: In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said the prosecution of Donald Trump showed the rottenness of the U.S. political system.file photoBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI

After his historic guilty verdict in his hush money case, Donald Trump attacked the U.S. criminal justice system, making unfounded claims of a “rigged” trial that echoed remarks from the Kremlin.

“If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone,” Mr. Trump said on Friday. Thousands of miles away, Russian President Vladimir Putin was probably “rubbing his hands with glee,” said Fiona Hill, a former senior White House national security adviser to three U.S. Presidents, including Mr. Trump.

Ms. Hill and other analysts say Mr. Trump’s attacks could be useful to Mr. Putin and other strongmen as they look to boost their standing among their own citizens, potentially sway the upcoming U.S. presidential election in which Mr. Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee, and undermine the United States’ global influence.

Some countries run by strongmen reacted swiftly in support of Mr. Trump.

Moscow agreed with Mr. Trump’s assessment of Thursday’s verdict, calling it the “elimination of political rivals by all possible legal or illegal means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

In September, Mr. Putin said the prosecution of Mr. Trump was political revenge that “shows the rottenness of the American political system.”

‘Keep on fighting’

After the verdict, Hungary’s populist, pro-Russia Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, called Mr. Trump a “man of honour” and urged him to “keep on fighting.”

China’s state-owned Global Times newspaper suggested Mr. Trump’s conviction adds to the “farcical nature” of this year’s U.S. presidential election, adding that it will aggravate political extremism and end in “more chaos and social unrest”.

Mr. Putin is especially likely to see the latest turmoil as an opportunity, analysts say. He has long sought to widen divisions in Western societies in an attempt to advance a Russian world view. Since the invasion of Ukraine, and ahead of crucial elections throughout the West this year, Russia has been accused of carrying out multiple attacks of sabotage and of targeting dissidents abroad to stoke anxieties and sow discord.

Moscow was accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. election that Mr. Trump won by creating a troll factory, hacking Hillary Clinton’s campaign, spreading fake news and trying to influence Trump-linked officials.

“What mischief does he have to make when you have people within the American system itself denigrating it and pulling it down?” Ms. Hill said of Mr. Putin.

Political chaos can benefit strongmen leaders by distracting Washington from key issues, including the war in Ukraine. Russia’s goal is to move voices from the “fringes of the political debate to the mainstream,” said David Salvo, Managing Director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, D.C.

The Kremlin does that partly by pushing Russian points of view under the guise of news and social media posts that look like they originate in the West.

Mr. Salvo noted that disagreements in Congress that delayed an aid package to Ukraine followed a Russian social media campaign aimed at Americans. That led to Russia gaining the upper hand on the battlefield.

‘Perfect fodder’

The attacks on the U.S. justice system from Mr. Trump is a “perfect fodder” for another “major propaganda and influence operation,” Ms. Hill said, suggesting Russia could target swing voters in battleground States ahead of the November election.

For generations, U.S. presidential administrations have depicted America as a bastion of democracy, free speech, and human rights and have encouraged other states to adopt those ideals. But Mr. Trump suggested the justice system is being used to persecute him — something that happens in some autocratic countries.

Mr. Trump sees himself as a “strongman ruler” and looks to Mr. Putin for inspiration, Ms. Hill said. His attacks encourage any nation to “have their moment to bring down the colossus,” Ms. Hill said.

The message to Chinese and Russian citizens watching the drama unfold in the U.S. is that they are better off at home. The message to countries that Russia and China are courting as they attempt to expand their influence in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is that Moscow and Beijing can offer more reliable partnerships.

The threat from the “new axis of authoritarians,” including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea is “daunting,” as those states work more closely together with overlapping interests said Matthew Kroenig, a former defence official and vice president at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

Moscow in particular, Me. Kroenig said, will likely try to use the political turmoil in the U.S. to divide the NATO security alliance. It could try to turn the public in NATO states against the U.S. by encouraging them to question whether they have “shared values” with Americans, he said. If successful, that could lead to a fundamental reshaping of global security architecture — a goal of Russia and China — since the end of the Cold War.

Some Western governments, meanwhile, are caught in a delicate dance between not wanting to ostracise Mr. Trump as a potential next U.S. President and the need to respect the U.S. justice system.

A growing community of breast milk donors in Uganda gives mothers hope

Associated Press

KAMPALA

Caroline lkendi (right), feeds her twin son with formula milk as a nanny carries her other son at lkendi’s home in Kampala. APHajarah Nalwadda

Early last year, Caroline Ikendi was in distress after undergoing an emergency Caesarean section to remove a stillborn baby and save two others. Doctors said one of the preterm babies had a 2% chance of living.

If the babies did not get breast milk — which she did not have — Ms. Ikendi could lose them as well.

Thus began a desperate search for breast milk donors. She was lucky with a neighbour, a woman with a newborn baby to feed who was willing to donate a few millilitres at a time.

The neighbour helped until Ms. Ikendi heard about a Ugandan group that collects breast milk and donates it to mothers like her. Soon the ATTA Breastmilk Community was giving the breast milk she needed, free of charge, until her babies were strong enough to be discharged from the hospital.

ATTA Breastmilk Community was launched in 2021 in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, by a woman who had struggled like Ms. Ikendi without getting support. The registered nonprofit, backed by grants from organisations and individuals, is the only group outside a hospital setting in Uganda that conserves breast milk in substantial amounts.

ATTA, as the group is known, receives calls for support from hospitals and homes with babies born too soon or too sick to latch onto their mothers’ breasts.

Over 450 babies

More than 200 mothers have donated breast milk to support over 450 babies since July 2021, according to ATTA’s records.

In a measure of efforts to build a reliable community, many donors have given multiple times while others help to find new ones, said ATTA administrator Racheal Akugizibwe.

“We are an emergency fix,” Ms. Akugizibwe said. “As the mother is working on their own production, we are giving [her] milk. But we do it under the directive and under the support of a lactation specialist and the medical people.”

ATTA makes calls for donors via social media apps like Instagram. Women who want to donate must provide samples for testing, including for HIV and Hepatitis B and C, and there are formal conversations during which ATTA tries to learn more about potential donors and motivations. Those who pass the screening are given storage bags and instructed in safe handling.

Ms. Akugizibwe spoke of ATTA’s humble beginnings in the home of its founder, Tracy Ahumuza, who would store the milk in her freezer. Ms. Ahumuza started the group amid personal grief: She had not been able to produce breast milk for her newborn. Days later, after the baby died, she started lactating. She asked health workers, “Where do I put the milk that I have now?’” Ms. Akugizibwe said. “They told her, ‘All we can do for you is give you tablets to dry it out.’ She’s like, ‘No, but if I needed it and I didn’t get it, someone could need it.’”

Challenges faced

In the beginning, ATTA would match a donor to a recipient, but it proved unsustainable because of the pressure it put on donors. ATTA then started collecting and storing breast milk, and donors and recipients don’t know each other.

Ms. Akugizibwe said the group gets more requests for support than it can meet. Challenges include procuring storage bags in large quantities as well as the costs of testing. Donors are required to own freezers, a financial obstacle for some.

ATTA’s goal is to set up a full-fledged breast milk bank with the ability to pasteurise. The service is necessary in a country where an unknown number of women suffer from a lack of lactation support, said Dr. Doreen Mazakpwe, a lactation specialist who collaborates with ATTA.

Fed up with inaction, Germany’s climate activists contest EU polls

Agence France-Presse

Berlin

Activists from ‘Letzte Generation’ during a protest under the motto ‘Climate protection is democracy protection’ in Berlin. REUTERSCHRISTIAN MANG

German activist Lina Eichler regularly used to stick her hands to roads to block traffic in protest at what she saw as inaction in combating the climate crisis.

Now the 21-year-old can be found sticking up posters in Berlin as her environmental group Letzte Generation (Last Generation) vies for votes at the forthcoming EU elections.

The climate activists — known for controversial protests ranging from throwing mashed potato at paintings to storming airports — are moving into mainstream politics by contesting this month’s European Parliament polls.

The group is aiming to “get out there and get people talking about the coming climate catastrophe,” Ms. Eichler said.

Letzte Generation — whose tactics have proved deeply divisive, and have led to some of their members being convicted — are making the push as they feel global warming has dropped down the political agenda in many countries.

For the group, Germany’s Green party, which is part of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-way coalition, has failed to bring about real change in favour of the environment.

“People have the impression that with the Greens in government, the situation is improving, but that’s not true — they are doing absolutely nothing,” Ms. Eichler said.

Environmental parties across Europe such as the Greens had enjoyed a strong showing at the last EU elections in 2019, but have since steadily lost ground.

In Germany, the Greens captured 20.5% of the vote. But their popularity slumped to just 12% in April.

Climate activists have criticised the party over moves such as the temporary reopening of coal-fired power stations in 2022 and increased imports of liquefied natural gas after Russia slashed energy supplies following its invasion of Ukraine.

“The Greens are being criticised both from the Right because their measures threaten the economy, and from the Left, because they have given up on their climate objectives,” Marie Krpata, an expert on German politics, French Institute of International Relations, said.

No polling has been conducted to indicate how well the group might do at the elections but they are aiming to attract at least 2,00,000 votes, and to win at least one seat.

Signs of life

People take part in a plant foraging tour at Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in London. The dead have been lying here since 1841 but the last burial dates back to 1966. This does not seem to put off the group of pickers who came to take part in the edible plant picking. AFPHenry Nicholls

Sudani refugees use rich cuisine to build new lives in Egypt

Agence France-Presse

Cairo

Find ways: An employee fries sweet pastry at a restaurant run by Sudanese who relocated to Cairo. AFP KHALED DESOUKI

Sudanese entrepreneur Julie Samir’s dream of opening a restaurant has finally come true, but it’s a bittersweet achievement after she fled to Egypt from her war-torn homeland of Sudan.

Now, Ms. Samir has one aim for her menu: winning over the palate of Egyptians with a taste of Sudan’s complex culinary traditions, born from a rich history at the crossroads of West Asia and Africa. “I’m targeting the Egyptian consumer, I want them to get to know Sudanese culture,” she said from her sun-lit eatery in eastern Cairo.

Across the sprawling megalopolis of Cairo — home to over 20 million people — many Sudanese refugees have opened businesses, hoping to make a name for themselves.

Ms. Samir and her two children have been in the Egyptian capital for over a year, since making the 2,000-km journey from their home in Khartoum. Along with half a million other Sudanese, they fled the war between Sudan’s regular Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to neighbouring Egypt — and got to work rebuilding a life. Today, on the lawns of one of Cairo’s upscale sporting clubs, Ms. Samir’s restaurant ‘Kush Children’s Village’ serves up a fusion menu.

“Everyone who works here is from Sudan, all of us came here fleeing the war,” she said.

Ms. Samir, who said her family was stalked by paramilitary fighters when fleeing Sudan, had planned to spend only a month in Egypt. “But the war’s not ending,” she said, resigned to finding ways to remind herself of the homeland she longs for.

Sports

- We have not nailed down the batting unit: Rohit; It’s great to get a good hit-out, says Dravid

- Jones’ blitzkrieg blows away Canada

- Alcaraz books Tsitsipas rematch as Swiatek races into the last eight, Gauff follows suit

- Chase pulls off a tricky chase for West Indies

- SL’s bowling attack faces SA test; Namibia starts off against Oman

- Would love to coach the Indian team, says Gambhir

- Jones hopes he has opened eyes of those who don’t know USA cricket

- Keep nerves at bay: Babar advises teammates ahead of India clash

- Bangladesh’s Shoriful suffers finger injury during warm-up match

- TOP RESULTS

- Real Madrid plotting for the 16th crown already

- Real does what it always does, win

- Panghal and Jaismine punch their ticket to Paris

- Nayana stuns Asian champ Sumire to win the long jump gold in Taiwan

- Pragg shocks Caruana; Vaishali maintains sole lead

- Harshit Pawar stuns top seed Abhimanyu in opening round

- Arjun Erigaisi becomes World No. 4 in live rating list

- Jose Mourinho appointed coach of Fenerbahce: club

- Indian teams go down against Great Britain

- ‘I want India to match China, Japan, Korea; stubborn to make results’

We have not nailed down the batting unit: Rohit; It’s great to get a good hit-out, says Dravid

Press Trust of India

New York

The track: India will have to keep in mind how the pitch will play with three of its Group A games scheduled in New York.K.R. DEEPAK

The Indian team is yet to “nail” its batting line-up for the T20 World Cup and much shouldn’t be read into the think tank’s decision to send Rishabh Pant at number three in the warm-match against Bangladesh, said skipper Rohit Sharma.

Opportunity

On Pant batting at No.3, Rohit said: “Just to give him an opportunity. We have not really nailed down what the batting unit will look like. Even the bowlers did pretty well. All in all happy with how things went.”

“Quite happy with how things went. Pretty much got what we wanted from the game. Like I said at the toss, it was important to get used to the conditions, Rohit said.

“New venue, new ground, drop-in pitch - important to get used to it and we managed pretty well,” Rohit said.

Asked about Arshdeep, Rohit said: “He has shown us, in whatever games he has played, he has the skills up-front. He has got a very good skill-set (at the death too).

Head coach Rahul Dravid said the pitch was a bit soft and spongy, while lauding the performance of his players.

“It’s great to get a good hit-out. Obviously, it looks like a good facility in terms of as quickly as they have put up. The ground is a bit soft and the guys could feel that on the hamstring and the calves.

“So, that’s the area we need to ensure that we are working around and ensuring that the guys are looking after does feel a little bit heavy underneath,” Dravid said in a video posted by the BCCI.

Dravid added, “A little bit spongy (pitch) at times but I thought we coped really well. The batters had put an above-par score on that wicket and the bowlers came out and bowled really well.

“All in all, we got run-around and to get a game here is really nice. Hopefully, we can prepare well for the next couple of days and be ready,” Dravid said.

Arshdeep, who made good use of the pitch, said the team was nicely adapting to the conditions despite some challenges.

“Feels good, really important how you start. We got wickets early on and did not give away runs. The wicket was helping us as well, so we tried to keep it simple and got the result as well.

Challenge

“The ground is sand-based, so you need to get the rhythm right. It will be a challenge to adapt to the conditions here.

Shivam Dube, who has made a name for himself with his ability to hit big sixes besides bowling his medium pacers, added: “It was fun playing here, and it was good to have a win in our first warm-up game. Obviously, it’s well-built. But there is a challenge for the players. It’s not easy.

“The warm-up match is important for us to be ready for the T20 World Cup. So it was important to get used to it in batting, bowling and fielding and hence, we got a good idea after playing today and it was a different experience,” Dube said.

Jones’ blitzkrieg blows away Canada

Press Trust of India

Dallas

The USA batter’s unbeaten 40-ball 94, ably supported by Gous’ half-century , helps the host hunt down the visitor’s 194 at a canter

Authoritative: Jones’ innings included four fours and 10 sixes.Getty Images Robert Cianflone

USA announced its arrival in top-flight cricket in spectacular fashion as Aaron Jones introduced himself with an unbeaten 40-ball 94 in a seven-wicket hammering of Canada in the opening match of the T20 World Cup.

Batting first, Canada posted 194 for five, but USA turned what could have been a tricky chase into a cruise, completing the task with 14 balls to spare.

America’s very own Jones, who was born in Queens, smashed 10 sixes and four boundaries to make a statement on behalf of the team full of expatriates.

While Jones was without an iota of doubt the star batter of the match, Andries Gous too made an impression with his 65 off 46 balls.

Before that, left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana gave Canada the perfect start, dismissing the dangerous Steve Taylor for a duck. Gous joined skipper Monank Patel, and the duo tried to up the scoring rate.

Canada, however, maintained discipline with the ball and soon struck again with Monank’s wicket.

However, Jones and Gous picked up from there and took USA home.

Earlier, Canada was off to a decent start with the opening duo of Navneet Dhaliwal and Aaron Johnson putting on 43 runs in just over five overs at the Grand Prairie Stadium.

After a couple of wickets, Dhaliwal found an able ally in Nicholas Kirton, who got his runs at a brisk pace. Dhaliwal found the fence thrice and cleared it six times during his 66-run partnership with the left-handed Kirton.

After the others have failed, it took former New Zealand player Corey Anderson to dismiss Dhaliwal. The dismissal of Dhaliwal did not have any bearing on Canada’s game plan thanks to wicket-keeper Shreyas Movva’s blazing knock. Dilpreet Bajwa too chipped in with a five-ball 11 after Kirton’s departure to take Canada past 190, which did not prove sufficient against the USA batting line-up.

The scores: Canada 194/5 in 20 overs (Dhaliwal 61, Kirton 51, Movva 32 n.o.) lost to United States 197/3 in 17.4 overs (Gous 65, Jones 94 n.o.).

Toss: USA. PoM: Aaron Jones. USA won by seven wickets with 14 deliveries to spare.

Alcaraz books Tsitsipas rematch as Swiatek races into the last eight, Gauff follows suit

Agence France-Presse

Paris

Ominous form: Alcaraz pumped 34 winners past Auger-Aliassime in a dominant display.AFP

Carlos Alcaraz produced his best display of the tournament to line up a quarterfinal rematch with Stefanos Tsitsipas at the French Open, while Iga Swiatek ramped up her bid for a third successive Roland Garros title with a 40-minute blitz on Sunday.

Alcaraz’s 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over Canadian 21st seed Auger-Aliassime suggested he is rounding into top form, sending an ominous signal to his rivals as he made the last eight for the third year in succession. The Spaniard pumped 34 winners past Auger-Aliassime as the persistent rain which heavily disrupted the first week of the tournament finally relented, allowing matches on the two main courts to go ahead without the need for their retractable roofs.

Fending off

Tsitsipas fended off Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2, the turning point coming in the second set when he saved four set points.

‘Double bagel’

Earlier in the day, women’s world number one Swiatek demolished Russia’s Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0, dropping only 10 points in the shortest completed match of her career.

US Open champion Coco Gauff made light work of Elisabetta Cocciaretto, sweeping past the world number 51 from Italy 6-1, 6-2.

The American advances to a quarter-final with three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur, who beat Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-4.

Chase pulls off a tricky chase for West Indies

Press Trust of India

Georgetown (GUYANA)

Closing it: Chase’s 27-ball unbeaten 42 helped WI get across the line against PNG.ICC

Two-time champion West Indies was put under extreme pressure by a plucky Papua New Guinea unit before scraping through with a five-wicket win in its T20 World Cup opener here on Sunday.

Left-hander Sese Bau made a fine half-century to take PNG to 136 for eight after the associate nation lost its first four wickets for 50 runs.

A power-packed WI should have chased down the below-par total comfortably but PNG made it work hard for the win despite its limitations.

The tournament co-host eventually got home in 19 overs thanks to some rearguard action from Roston Chase (42 n.o., 27b, 4x4, 2x6).

After PNG was sent in to bat, Bau made instant impact on the big stage with his spirited effort. He shared a 44-run stand with Charles Amini to take the side close to the 140 mark, which the Windies batters eventually chased down.

The scores: Papua New Guinea 136/8 in 20 overs (Bau 50, Rusell 2/19, Alzarri 2/34) lost to West Indies 137/5 off 19 overs (Chase 42 n.o., King 34, Vala 2/28).

Toss: West Indies. PoM: Chase. West Indies won by 5 wickets with six deliveries to spare.

SL’s bowling attack faces SA test; Namibia starts off against Oman

Press Trust of India

New York

Sri Lanka will rely on its exceptionally varied bowling attack to tame the unrestrained batting power of South Africa in its Group-D T20 World Cup opener here on Monday.

Tricky affair

It will be eager to get onto the points table at the earliest too as some tricky teams like Netherlands, Bangladesh and Nepal are clubbed with it in the group.

South Africa has spread all its cards on the table as the team selection indicated the most likely route it would take.

A batting line-up consisting of captain Aiden Markram, wicketkeeper batter Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs could be a nightmare for any bowling attack.

Sri Lanka has not reached the knock-outs of a T20 WC after its triumph in 2014, will be eager to try a couple of overs from pacers Matheesha Pathirana and Dilshan Madhushanka in that phase when Klaasen and Stubbs are looking for acceleration.

Meanwhile in a Group B-clash at Bridgetown, Namibia, a dominant force in the African Qualifiers, will be hoping for a winning start against Oman.

Would love to coach the Indian team, says Gambhir

K.R. DEEPAKDEEPAK KR

Gautam Gambhir said he would love to coach the Indian team amid speculation that he is the front-runner for the job. “I would love to coach the Indian team. There is no bigger honour than coaching your national side. You’re representing 140 crore Indians and those across the globe as well,” Gambhir said at an event in Abu Dhabi.

Jones hopes he has opened eyes of those who don’t know USA cricket

APJulio Cortez

Aaron Jones hoped his scintillating knock in the T20 World Cup opener against Canada would “open the eyes of those who don’t know me or USA cricket”. “We have great players here and that we have a lot of talent here and are willing to play at the highest level for sure,” Jones said.

Keep nerves at bay: Babar advises teammates ahead of India clash

AFPGLYN KIRK

Pakistan captain Babar Azam admitted that nerves will play a role in its match against India. “We know the Pakistan-India fixture generates more discussion than any other match. It’s a game of immense pressure, and if you keep your head cool, trust your hard work and skills, things will be easier,” Babar said in a PCB podcast.

Bangladesh’s Shoriful suffers finger injury during warm-up match

FILE PHOTO: R.V. MOORTHYMOORTHY RV

Bangladesh Cricket Board chief physician Debashis Chowdhury gave an update on left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam’s injury, saying that he suffered a split injury between the index and middle finger of his left hand while bowling the last over in the warm-up match against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday.

Men: Fourth round: 9-Tsitsipas (Gre) bt Arnaldi (Ita) 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-2; 3-Alcaraz (Esp) bt 21-Auger-Aliassime (Can) 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

Doubles: First round: 2-Bopanna & Matthew Ebden (Aus) bt Marcelo Zormann & Orlando Luz (Bra) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Women: Fourth round: 1-Swiatek (Pol) bt Potapova (Rus) 6-0, 6-0.

5-Vondrousova (Cze) bt Danilovic (Srb) 6-4, 6-2.

3-Gauff (USA) bt Cocciaretto (Ita) 6-1, 6-2; 8-Jabeur (Tun) bt Tauson (Den) 6-4, 6-4.

Real Madrid plotting for the 16th crown already

Associated Press

London

Firepower: A forward line boasting the likes of Vinicius is set to be bolstered by the arrival of Endrick and Mbappe.AFPJUSTIN TALLIS

Real Madrid had barely begun celebrating a record-extending 15th Champions League title when coach Carlo Ancelotti started to plot a 16th.

The all-time king of Europe has no intention of releasing its grip on the trophy — and by the start of next season, the best are likely to be even better.

“In this club there is constant demand. It is never satisfied,” Ancelotti said after Saturday’s win.

Madrid’s latest triumph came without a recognised striker after club icon Karim Benzema departed last year. The gap was filled by English midfielder Jude Bellingham, but by next season Ancelotti will have more fire power to call upon.

Brazil’s most exciting young talent Endrick is on his way. But Kylian Mbappe is the player most wanted by Madrid fans who many believe to be the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mbappe is leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent and would be a marquee addition in the tradition of past Galacticos to wear the famous white shirt like Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo.

“If that was to happen it would be amazing (to have) a player like him,” Bellingham said Saturday.

World Cup winning forward Mbappe has the individual and match-winning qualities to compare with the game’s greatest. He is blessed with speed, balance, power and dizzying footwork. He is also a prolific goal scorer at the highest level to rival Erling Haaland and Harry Kane as Europe’s deadliest forwards.

“It’s the only little thing we’re missing in terms of that clinical (number) nine and if (Mbappe) was to come and give us that we’d be in a really, really great place. He’d take us to another level,” Bellingham said.

With Mbappe and Endrick Madrid would arguably boast the richest array of attacking options in club soccer, with Vinicius Junior already one of the finest forwards in the world — as evidenced by his match-winning performance in the final.

Vinicius’ moment of individual brilliance when putting the ball through the legs of Dortmund defender Julian Kyerson led to the corner from which Dani Carvajal opened the scoring. The Brazilian then sealed the win with Madrid’s second goal.

The creator of Vinicius’ goal was Bellingham — La Liga player of the year in his first season at Madrid.

Real does what it always does, win

Agence France-Presse

London

Two late second-half goals gives it a record 15th Champions League title but only after Dortmund misses a host of gilt-edged chances

On top: Real capped off a a very successful season by winning the continent’s biggest club trophy. AFP

Real Madrid withstood a Borussia Dortmund barrage to win the Champions League for the 15th time as Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior struck late in a 2-0 win at Wembley on Saturday. Right-back Carvajal headed in from Toni Kroos’ corner on 74 minutes before Vinicius fired into the far corner to extend the Spanish giants’ record as the most successful club in Champions League history.

Madrid has now won its last nine European Cup finals and won the competition six times in the last 11 seasons.

However, not for the first time in that run, it had to rely on some good fortune as underdogs Dortmund was left to bitterly regret not making the most of its first-half chances.

Niclas Fuellkrug hit the post and Karim Adeyemi failed to convert a one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois.

Madrid, though, always seems to find a way in Europe’s elite competition and made more history in the English capital.

Carvajal, Kroos, Nacho and Luka Modric joined Real legend Paco Gento as the only players to win the European Cup six times.

Carlo Ancelotti also extended his record as the most successful coach in the competition’s history with his fifth title.

Ancelotti said pre-match he felt “like a lion” after an afternoon siesta, but his side was caught napping for the first 45 minutes as, roared on by the travelling thousands from Germany, Dortmund dominated.

Ancelotti’s decision to recall Courtois for his first Champions League appearance of the season after a serious knee injury paid dividends as the Belgian kept his side in the game.

Madrid landed the decisive blow 16 minutes from time when Carvajal rose highest to head in Kroos’ corner.

Bellingham then teed up Vinicius to kill off Dortmund.

The result: Dortmund 0 lost to Real Madrid 2 (Carvajal 74, Vinicius Jr. 83).

Panghal and Jaismine punch their ticket to Paris

Sports Bureau

1 of 2 Panghal (51kg) and Jaismine (57kg).X@BFI_official

2 of 2

Amit Panghal (51kg) and Jaismine Lamboria (women’s 57kg) recorded fine victories in their respective quarterfinal bouts to earn two more quota places on the concluding day of the second World Olympic boxing qualifier in Bangkok on Sunday.

With three quota places, including that of Nishant Dev (71kg), from the last qualifier, the country sealed six boxing berths in Paris 2024. Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg) had claimed three in the Asian Games.

Jaismine, a reserve in 60kg for the Bangkok qualifier, was asked to cut down three kg to fit into 57kg in India’s bid to reclaim the quota after Parveen Hooda lost it about two weeks ago due to her whereabouts failure.

The lanky Jaismine gave a clinical performance to outsmart Mali’s Marine Camara 5-0 to reclaim the quota in style.

In a battle between southpaws, Jaismine, a Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, maintained her composure and range to execute head and body shots well.

Panghal spectacularly rallied to beat Chinese Liu Chuang 5-0 to make it to his second consecutive Olympics.

The 28-year-old Armyman moved in to connect some clean lefts but the taller Chuang countered well to land punches from a distance and take the first round 4-1. The experienced Panghal increased the volume of punches, with some powerful left blows which pushed the Chinese back, to convincingly win the second round and ensure a slender 1-0 lead.

With Chuang boxing from a close range, the two were engaged in a rapid exchange. Panghal used his fast hands to good effect to unanimously win the final round and book a ticket to Paris.

Sachin Siwach (57kg) put up a strong challenge before losing 5-0 to Kyrgyzstan’s Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu in a box-off for a quota.

Nayana stuns Asian champ Sumire to win the long jump gold in Taiwan

Sports Bureau

Nayana James. File photo File photo

Former Asian bronze medallist Nayana James came up with a 6.43m effort to shock Japan’s Asian champion Sumire Hata (6.37m) and win the long jump gold at the Taiwan Athletics Open, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Taipei on Sunday.

Dev wins pole vault

Ankesh Choudhary (1:50.63s) and Somnath Chouhan (1:50.88) won the gold and silver in the men’s 800m while Dev Meena Kumar (5.10m) took the men’s pole vault title.

Aditya Kumar could manage only 7.31m for sixth place in men’s long jump.

In France, Commonwealth Games champion Eldhose Paul won the triple jump gold with 16.24m despite being far away from his best while Jesse Sandesh took the men’s high jump title with 2.18m at the Meeting de Limoges.

In Spain, Animesh Kujur won the men’s 200m title with a wind-assisted 20.59s (+4.9) in the City of Salamanca Athletics Trophy meet at Salamanca on Saturday.

Fastest time

He also clocked the fastest 100m time by an Indian outside the country while finishing fourth in the event in 10.27s.

Tejas Shirse, who bettered the 110m hurdles National record with his 13.41s recently, finished second in Salamanca in 13.57s.

Pragg shocks Caruana; Vaishali maintains sole lead

Sports Bureau

Giant killer: Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious after a 77-move game against the World No. 2 Caruana.NORWAY CHESS

R. Praggnanandhaa shocked World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana of the United States in the fifth round of the Norway Chess tournament at Stavanger on Saturday. The 18-year-old from Chennai had earlier in the event stunned World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.

Praggnanandhaa did well to eke out a 77-move win in a knight-and-pawn ending over the American in the classical game. He got three points for the victory and took his tally to 8.5.

Hikaru Nakamura of the United States was leading the tournament with 10 points, after defeating China’s Ding Liren in the classical format. The day’s other match was also decided in classical chess, as Carlsen defeated France’s Alireza Firouzja.

Carlsen was in second place with nine points, followed by Praggnanandhaa, Firouzja (6.5), Caruana (5), and Ding (2.5).

In the women’s section, Praggnanandhaa’s elder sister R. Vaishali maintained her sole lead after beating China’s Lei Tingjie in Armageddon with white pieces, following the draw in their classical game. She was on 10 points, one ahead of Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk, who beat Pia Cramling of Sweden in the classical format.

World champion Ju Wenjun of China was in third place after beating Koneru Humpy in Armageddon. She had 7.5 points, followed by Lei (6), Humpy (4) and Cramling (3).

The results (fifth round): Open: Ding Liren (Chn) 2.5 lost to Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 10; Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 9 bt Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 6.5; R. Praggnanandhaa 8.5 bt Fabiano Caruana (USA) 5.

Women: R. Vaishali 10 bt Lei Tingjie (Chn) 6; Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 9 bt Pia Cramling (Swe) 3; Ju Wenjun (Chn) 7.5 bt Koneru Humpy 4.

Harshit Pawar stuns top seed Abhimanyu in opening round

Sports Bureau

Harshit Pawar shocked top seed Abhimanyu Mishra of the United States in the opening round of the World junior chess championship at Gandhinagar on Sunday.

Mishra, the world’s youngest ever Grandmaster, had begun the tournament as a strong favourite, but he lost, with white pieces, to his Indian rival, who is rated some 495 Elo points below.

The top seed in the girls’ event, Divya Deshmukh, opened her campaign with a win though, over fellow-Indian Anupam Sreekumar.

Important results (first round): Open: Abhimanyu Mishra (USA) lost to Harshit Pawar; Sushanth Kamabathula lost to Aleksey Grebenev (FIDE); Pranav Anand bt Alekhya Mukhopadhyay; Nazar Talgatov (Kaz) lost to Gleb Dubib (Hun).

Siddharth Jagadeesh bt Yash Bharadia; Aleksandar Radojicic (Srb) lost to Rudik Makarian (FIDE); Jan Subelj bt Jval Patel; Deniel Safarov (Geo) drew with Shawn Rodrigue-Lemiuex (Can); Kazybek Nogerbek (Kaz) bt Vepaly Halynazov (Tkm); Ahmet Gubatayev (Tkm) drew with Emin Ohanyan (Arm).

Girls: Anupam Sreekumar lost to Divya Deshmukh; Mariam Mkrtchyan (Arm) bt S. Padmini; Rebecca Jesumarian lost to Beloslava Krasteva (Bul); Liya Kurmangaliyeva (Kaz) bt S. Sree Shanmathi; Sharanya Gade lost to Martyna Wikar (Pol).

Rakshitta Ravi bt G. Shivamshika; K. Sindhushree lost to Xeniya Balabayeva (Kaz); Sofia Hryzlova (Sui) bt Sannidhi Bhat; Jelena Koksa (Cro) drew with Anna Zhurova (FIDE); Trisha Kanyamarala (Irl) lost to Akshaya Sathi.

Arjun Erigaisi becomes World No. 4 in live rating list

Arjun Erigaisi continued to rise in the World live rating as he went above Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to become the new World No. 4 after beating France’s Loic Travadon in the French Team Chess Championship 2024 on Sunday. With a career-high rating of 2771.2, the Indian wunderkind is just behind Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, USA’s Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana in the list. Playing for the Metz Fischer chess club in the French Team Chess Championship, Arjun grabbed his fourth successive win in as many rounds.

Jose Mourinho appointed coach of Fenerbahce: club

Jose Mourinho was named as the new coach of Turkish club Fenerbahce on Saturday. The two-time Champions League winner has not worked since he was was sacked by AS Roma in January. He has also managed Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Real Madrid. “Good evening Fenerbahce fans, see you tomorrow at Kadikoy (the Istanbul suburb where the club is based) and let’s start our journey together,” Mourinho posted on his new club’s X account.

Indian teams go down against Great Britain

Press Trust of India

LONDON

An inconsistent Indian men’s hockey team lost 1-3 to host Great Britain in its second match of the London leg of the FIH Pro League here on Sunday, a day after the Harmanpreet-led side had stunned World champion Germany 3-0. Later in the day, the Indian women also went down to the same opponent 2-3.

The results: Men: Great Britain 3 (Bandurak Nicholas 2, & 11, Calnan Will 47) bt India 1 (Abhishek 35). Women: Great Britain 3 (Watson Charlotte 5 & 6, Petter Isabelle 57) bt India 2 (Navneet 34, Sharmila 56).

On Saturday: Germany 3 (Stapenhorst Charlotte 13, Zimmermann Sonja 24, Lorenz Nike 37) bt India 1 (Deepika 23).

‘I want India to match China, Japan, Korea; stubborn to make results’

Amol Karhadkar

Massimo Costantini opens up about his return to Indian table tennis, his immediate to-do list for the Summer Olympics in Paris and his aspirations for the future

1 of 2 Manob ChowdharyMANOB CHOWDHARY

2 of 2 In the first tenure, there were good results at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, in the second Commonwealth Games, and the Asian Games while in the third, you have the answer Massimo Costantini on his 'unfinished business' with Indian TT

Massimo Costantini’s return for a third stint as the India head coach augurs well for the national table tennis team. It was without a permanent head coach for five years but got the veteran Italian on board just in time for its maiden stint in team events at the Olympic Games.

The Italian speaks to The Hindu about his return to Indian table tennis, his immediate to-do list and his plans for the future.

Max, how do you see this stint as compared to where you stopped in 2018? You actually had the option to stay on. You chose not to. Cut to now. Almost all the same individuals, when it comes to the core of players, but too much seems to have changed, right?

Dramatically. From 2018, there were some unexpected circumstances at that time but on the other hand, I’ve been working with ITTF for more than five years and I was always involved somehow with the training camp, mentorship programs, advising players, coaches including India, of course. I never lost contact with the top Indian players. The relationships went beyond 2018, from that great performance, the chemistry that we had at that time.

That was something that continued during my absence. But yes, in the meantime, it changed a lot of things. The system of playing, the circuit, the professionalism that WTT has brought into the ITTF.

I needed to learn many things from rules and regulations but I also needed to note that players also have changed. They have changed their feeling, perspective, the way they work and plan their own activities. There is a lot of work to do. I’m not saying to go back to the old system but my goal is to be next to China, Japan, Korea. My model is [to emulate] China, Japan, Korea and their system to manage the team in a very successful way and we have seen in the past years.

You spoke about getting India closer to the stature of the other three Asian powerhouses. How do you actually make it happen considering you know how Indian table tennis has been coping with too many external factors in the recent past?

I don’t know. I’m not completely involved but probably, the reason is missing the head coach, the one who can supervise, guide, plan, organise, stay behind, protect and help the players, coaches and their academies. It’s something that creates some sort of actual situation. So, nobody’s fault. It’s just a fact. I’m trying to see what kind of work we can do together because we have an important commitment from now on.

Individual commitment, team’s commitment. But I’m confident that I can restore that strong and good collaboration with the structure, with TTFI, with SAI, of course and TOPS - that’s also another part of the important support for the players - and the coaches themselves. So a lot of work to do, but I’m very motivated to take on this big task.

When it comes to the Olympics, what is the importance of qualifying for the Olympics as a team for both the genders and the expectations that the fans should have in Paris?

India already got very good results by qualifying both teams. And this is something that India should be proud of. Making the top 16 for the Olympics, it’s not easy. They made through a very particular mechanism - a mix of individual results and team results that made both teams in the 16th position. So, this is already a big result.

We should not take anything for granted. And without these results, maybe today we don’t have two players guaranteed for the singles and we don’t have the third player also competing for the team. So, let’s start from the good things that we already have which is the qualification. As I used to say, you need to get used to winning at a certain level. India is appearing in the team event for the first time. Now, whatever will come, we have to welcome it positively.

That’s why I have asked for three competitions back-to-back - Nigeria, Tunisia and Thailand. It is a test for me, first of all, to see them and to coach them directly after six years. We need to restore some communication. I would take this step by step because you cannot predict anything in advance. You could not predict that Sharath did super well in the Singapore Smash and similarly, when Manika also did super well in the Saudi Smash.

Table tennis is so unpredictable that the only thing predictable is the good preparation we can have. A good mindset for the players, for the entire team, and whoever is involved in this process for the next two months.

In the last five-and-a-half years in Indian table tennis, who has actually surprised you the most in a positive way among the players that you were watching so closely?

I see good improvement from Manav (Thakkar). Also, good performance up and down with Harmeet (Desai). Sathiyan also did well in the very last Feeder, winning the title. Ayhika (Mukherjee) also beat the number one. Okay, there is the point of playing style that is an asset for India and everyone is afraid of playing against India. I take what we have positively but I think big surprises will come in future.

How do you ensure that someone like Mamta (Prabhu) and Subhajit (Saha) who were actually taking care of the team for more than the last few months, will be involved? How do you keep them involved—not just them, but the whole coaching setup?

The secret is simple: knowledge, personality, and communication skills. I want to see them in action, performing these three simple things, and see where they lack and try to provide them with proper guidance. One of my jobs this time in India is also to improve coaches at any level. This is very interesting work.

For the players, (we) need to analyse their strengths and weaknesses; where can I use their strengths to make them better, and where can I see their weaknesses and discard them? I will ask them to have an open mind and think about table tennis as per the latest methodologies, the system of training, and tactics. A lot of things changed in the last six years, and I studied a lot. This is the thing that I want to see from them.

Do you think it is time that India starts taking the doubles (table tennis category) more seriously?

Doubles are now part of professional circles. They have prize money. You can qualify for the finals of WTT. This is a part that can definitely be increased and improved. Now, we have to see the kinds of possibilities (we have). We have many players with different playing styles and already established combinations.

We have to work with the doubles and have particular attention on mixed doubles which can also give the Olympics medals, without forgetting the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. As a national team, whatever doubles (we) are involved in, I think I have to put attention on those and prepare well.

You said that you had unfinished business. Can you just give us a summary of your wish list or your targets?

Well, that’s very simple. In the first tenure, there were good results at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, in the second Commonwealth Games, and the Asian Games while in the third, you have the answer.

In the first stint, Indian table tennis was in a sort of nascent stage. In your second stint, Indian table tennis actually arrived on the big stage. Now, do you think, for the first time, you will have to deal with inflated egos? How do you plan to ensure that the priority remains the same for everyone?

The plan is simple: to strengthen the team first of all, the structure of the team, while also keeping in mind the individual needs. I don’t want to cut this because it’s not possible to cut it but I want to help them get better guidance.

If you see other countries, players all have personal coaches and sometimes, personal staff too, but they are a part of the national team. When you see China’s Wang Manyu, Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi, there is the head coach sitting because the head coach has the responsibility. He is accountable for results, not the personal coach who is at the back. But the head coach, maybe, should take the lead. It’s a slow process.

We need a common goal. Now we have players at, I would say, almost the same level. On a Chinese or Japanese team, you don’t see random players going alone in one competition with their own coaches. (Players) should be a part of the program to strengthen the teams, maybe to increase the number of probables in the national team, or maybe to create different tiers of a team—the main team and the second team. But then, when we go to the competition, the group is united, where each and everyone helps the other team members. We have to strengthen the team, and I think it’s possible to achieve that.

Table of Contents

The Hindu Jun 03, 2024

National

Huge wins for ruling parties in Arunachal, Sikkim

A dry spot

LS election survey predicts BJP win, slight rise in vote share for Congress

Kejriwal returns to jail at the end of 21-day bail granted for campaigning

Ensure counting norms are followed: BJP, INDIA to EC

Modi reviews 100-day agenda for new govt.

Exit poll surveys fake, meant to demoralise Oppn., counting agents must stay alert, says CM

ED uses Kejriwal’s case to push for stringent checks on grant of interim medical bail

‘Ensure safe movement of EVM control units’

2 loco pilots injured as goods trains collide in Punjab

Let us dedicate next 25 years for ‘Viksit Bharat’, says Modi

NHAI increases tolls across highways by 5% from today

BJP workers detained for protesting near Rajghat

Tough contest may have denied BJP a clean sweep in Rajasthan

Opposition leaders reject exit poll predictions, Rahul Gandhi terms it ‘Modi media fantasy’

A leader who changed BJP’s fortunes in Aurnachal

‘Common man’s Chief Minister’ bags second straight win in Sikkim

SDF chief Pawan Chamling loses both seats in Sikkim poll

Provide details of 150 DMs, Collectors, EC tells Jairam

BJP will keep working for Arunachal’s growth: Modi

Sikkim CM’s wife Krishna Rai wins Namchi-Singhithang seat

M.P. reported over 5,000 heatstroke cases in May

In fight against Nipah, scientists find new way to generate virus-like particles in lab

14191

India to participate in Red Flag, RIMPAC exercises

Over 6 lakh affected as Assam continues to reel under floods

Separation, a reality

Pune car crash: parents of minor sent to police custody

70 terrorists waiting to infiltrate Kashmir: DGP

SC to hear govt.’s plea against premature release of Gawli

Regional

Post-poll violence: Bengal BJP worker killed in Nadia, Sandeshkhali on the boil

Cooperative-based distribution model mooted for power supply to farmers of Rajasthan

Banned Jamaat-e-Islami’s peace overtures during Lok Sabha poll await formal government response

Opposition frustrated, says BJP after Maha Vikas Aghadi criticises exit poll results

Wait for counting of votes, Akhilesh on exit poll surveys

‘Saffron forces’ holding religious activities at Visva-Bharati: SFI; varsity authorities deny charge

Congress will accept actual results: Hooda on exit polls

Plot to kill Salman: fifth accused held from Haryana

‘Will win at least 12 LS seats, 110 Assembly constituencies’

YSRCP moves SC against EC on relaxation of postal ballot norms

MLC polls to be held for six seats in Karnataka today

Celebrating statehood

UDF, LDF reject exit poll results; BJP says it will win 5 to 6 seats

Six minors, being ‘trafficked’ from Jharkhand to Delhi, rescued

650 held so far for post-poll violence in A.P.: SIT chief

BRS leader went to U.S. to meet former intelligence chief: Minister

Four teams formed to trace Prajwal’s mother

Rain subsides in Kerala; yellow alert issued in 2 districts

Science

Tonga volcano could cause unusual weather for rest of decade: study

BIG SHOT

Carnian pluvial episode: bounty in rain

Edit

The message from the Andhra Pradesh bifurcation

Forsaken, marginalised and forgotten

For a consensus

Nipped in the bud

letters to the editor

Fewer women are being hired for leadership positions

Anger, separation, and the aftermath

Counting the failures of the past decade

Bhutan King enthroned: Colourful function at Thimpu

International emigration conference

Does inequality lead to growth?

Can domestic MFs invest in their overseas counterparts?

The politics of womanhood: from abstinence to abortion

Today is the 100th death anniversary of Franz Kafka, whose surreal fiction brought to life worlds in which humans contemplated themselves in the face of the impossible

What is that busybody doing here?

Business

An unhealthy credit score can impact financial future

Gold gains a tad, silver on upward jounrly

Investing in PPF

Updater Services Ltd. : the silent companion in the background

An eye on the MPC’s vote Close on the heels of the poll verdict, policy rate change will be keenly watched

TVS-E looks to reclaim decades-old legacy by foraying into EMS space

It’s climate offensive

SPIC’s natural gas play boosts operations, net

Foreign

N. Korea will stop sending trash balloons across to South Korea

South Africa’s ANC to start coalition talks with other parties to form govt.

Jail sentence will be a ‘breaking point’ for supporters: Trump

‘Bring them home’

‘China ready to forcefully stop Taiwan independence’

Monsoon floods, landslip kill 14 in Sri Lanka; schools shut

Former President Ahmadinejad to contest for Iran President’s post

Two Palestinian teenagers killed by Israeli gunfire in West Bank

Mexico votes in elections that will throw up its first woman President

China probe successfully lands on far side of moon to collect samples

Trump’s attacks on U.S. justice system could benefit strongmen such as Putin

A growing community of breast milk donors in Uganda gives mothers hope

Fed up with inaction, Germany’s climate activists contest EU polls

Signs of life

Sudani refugees use rich cuisine to build new lives in Egypt

Sports

We have not nailed down the batting unit: Rohit; It’s great to get a good hit-out, says Dravid

Jones’ blitzkrieg blows away Canada

Alcaraz books Tsitsipas rematch as Swiatek races into the last eight, Gauff follows suit

Chase pulls off a tricky chase for West Indies

SL’s bowling attack faces SA test; Namibia starts off against Oman

Would love to coach the Indian team, says Gambhir

Jones hopes he has opened eyes of those who don’t know USA cricket

Keep nerves at bay: Babar advises teammates ahead of India clash

Bangladesh’s Shoriful suffers finger injury during warm-up match

TOP RESULTS

Real Madrid plotting for the 16th crown already

Real does what it always does, win

Panghal and Jaismine punch their ticket to Paris

Nayana stuns Asian champ Sumire to win the long jump gold in Taiwan

Pragg shocks Caruana; Vaishali maintains sole lead

Harshit Pawar stuns top seed Abhimanyu in opening round

Arjun Erigaisi becomes World No. 4 in live rating list

Jose Mourinho appointed coach of Fenerbahce: club

Indian teams go down against Great Britain

‘I want India to match China, Japan, Korea; stubborn to make results’