Gaikwad’s hundred in CSK’s 210 vs Lucknow Chennai: A scintillating unbeaten hundred by Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and a breezy Shivam Dube fifty helped team reach 210 for four against Lucknow Super Giants here on Tuesday. Gaikwad raced to his hundred off 53 balls and accumulated 108 off 60 with 12 fours and three sixes. Dube scored 66 off just 27 balls with seven sixes | ashwin prasath chennai l wednesday l april 24, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l vellore EDITION CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Harassment: HC refuses to suspend ex-DGP’s jail term E X P R ESS N E W S SE R V I C E @ Chennai The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed two petitions filed by Rajesh Das, former special Director General of Police, seeking suspension of a three-year prison sentence awarded to him in a sexual harassment case and exemption from surrendering in court in the case. Justice M Dhandapani, who dismissed the petitions, said the petitioner was holding a high office in the police force, which is a disciplined force in which persons holding even lower ranks were required to exhibit highest level of discipline and integrity. “It would not be in the interest of justice if this court grants suspension of sentence, considering the fact that the petitioner was not a novice and he was holding the post of DGP A per. son of that stature, coming from a disciplined force, ought to conduct himself in a proper manner,” the judge said. P5 express read Wife of man murdered in honour killing case dies Chennai: Sharmila (20), wife of Praveen, who was allegedly hacked to death by her brother and a few others in a case of honour killing, died at Chennai GH on Monday. She was admitted to the hospital after she attempted to end her life on April 14 | P2 of Rahul’s Amethi Cong plans to cut Renovationto candidature buzz house adds Dalit quota, give it to Muslims: PM N a m i ta B a j pa i @ Amethi Amid a strong buzz around former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Amethi in the Lok Sabha elections, a viral video showing the cleaning and renovation of his dwelling in Gauriganj here has invigorated the party cadre. However, senior Congress leader Deepak Singh calls the renovation a routine exercise. While the Congress cadre are working silently on the ground, BJP workers along with the party candidate Smriti Irani are already engaged in an aggressive R a j e s h A s n a n i @ Jaipur Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday added another layer to his attack on the Congress over its proposed redistribution of wealth, alleging it intends to cut the quota for Dalits and backward classes so as to allocate them to the Muslims. He claimed that in 2004, shortly after it came to power, the Congress tried to provide reservation to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh by reducing the proportion of the SC-ST quota. Although it was a pilot project, the party was intent on rolling it out nationwide, he added. “Between 2004 and 2010, the Congress made four attempts to implement the Muslim quota in Andhra Pradesh. But because of legal roadblocks and an alert Supreme Court, they were unsuccessful in their designs,” Modi said. He made the allegations while addressing an election rally at Uniara in Tonk, Rajasthan. “Will the Congress at least now assure the nation that they will not redistribute the SC/ST and OBC quotas to benefit the Muslims?” In an apparent attempt to consolidate the Hindu votes, Modi recalled that a shopkeeper in Karnataka was beaten up merely for listening to Hanuman Chalisa in his shop. “Under the Congress government, even listening to Hanuman Chalisa has become a crime,” he alleged. The Congress, he added, is hatching a deep conspiracy to snatch people’s property and distribute it among its favoured groups. “My previous revelations created panic within the Congress and the INDI alliance,” he said. INSIDE EC examining Complaints against PM Complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in Banswara are under the ECI’s consideration, sources said. On April 21, Modi had said, “The Congress manifesto says they will calculate the gold with mothers and sisters, and distribute that property... Manmohan Singh’s govt has said that Muslims have the first right to the country’s assets.... It will be distributed to the infiltrators. Should your hard-earned money go to the infiltrators?” PM’s speech doesn’t Augur well for India, says EPS I P4 village-to-village campaign. Congress leaders claim that they want to keep it issue-based rather than falling for the BJP trap of making it a Smriti vs Rahul battle. Party insiders are confident that Rahul and his sister Priyanka would be fielded from Amethi and Rae Bareli respectively . A formal announcement on the two seats is expected after the second phase of polls on April 26 when Wayanad in Kerala, from where Rahul is a contestant, would vote. Both Amethi and Rae Bareli will vote in the fifth phase on May 20. Thrissur key to BJP’s bid to break Kerala jinx R AJESH R A V I @ Kochi The opening move for the battle for the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency was made on January 3, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a gathering of 2 lakh women and conducted a 1 km-long roadshow in the heart of the city . Two weeks later, on January 17, he visited the Guruvayur temple for the wedding of actor-turned-politician Suresh G o p i ’s d a u g h t e r B h a g ya Suresh. In a rare and symbolic gesture, the PM presented wedding garland to the couple. During the same trip, Modi made an impromptu visit to the Sree Rama temple in Triprayar within the constituency . Months later, Gopi was chosen as the NDA candidate for Thrissur. The PM made an additional visit to the area in Illustration: Mandar Pardikar April, dropping enough hints on how much importance the BJP gives to the region. The BJP’s primary goal is to break the Kerala jinx and secure a seat that could establish a foundation for the party’s future in the state. Once a prominent figure in Mollywood, Gopi captivated audiences with his roles as a good Samaritan battling sinister forces. Despite losses in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 state assembly polls, Gopi has remained active in the constituency, addressing neglected issues and helping the need, which gained him immense popularity . The CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded V S Sunil Kumar from the CPI in Thrissur. Kumar, who hails from the district, transitioned from student leader to MLA and minister, earning the local community’s trust over the years. Meanwhile, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) replaced sitting MP T N Prathapan with K Muraleedharan, the son of late K Karunakaran. Muraleedharan’s strong familial and political connections bolster his candidacy . The election fervour in the constituency is palpable. The streets are lined with towering hoardings, colourful posters, and banners. Despite the heat, party workers from all three fronts remain enthusiastic. Continued on: P3
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