Nirav’s bro in million-dollar fraud Nehal Modi, the younger brother of Nirav Modi, was on Saturday indicted in New York for fraudulently obtaining diamonds worth over $1.4 million Nehal told New York-based LLD Diamonds USA that he was pursuing a business relationship with Seatlle-based Costco Wholesale Corporation P9 SAMBALPUR l monday l december 21, 2020 l `7.00 l PAGES 28 l CITY EDITION He sought and obtained diamonds worth $2.6 million from LLD, saying he wanted to show them to Costco for a potential sale Nehal then pawned most of the diamonds to secure loans for personal use. The rest were sold to various retailers without LLD’s authorisation Though he paid back $1.2 million to LLD, a majority of the proceeds were spent for personal purposes CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI New cm to be from Bengal: Shah E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kolkata Seeking to take the sting out of the ‘outsider’ barb frequently directed at the BJP by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday asserted that the new chief minister after polls will certainly be someone from the state’s soil. “The change in people’s mind is clearly visible. Mamata Banerjee’s misrule will end in the upcoming elections and Bengal will get a new chief minister who is from West Bengal, not an outsider,’’ said Shah. “When you (Mamata) were in Congress and Indira and Rajiv Gandhi visited Bengal, did you call them outsiders?’’ he quipped. Without specifying any deadline for implementing the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Shah flagged the infiltration issue and said people will usher in change in the Assembly elections to stop it. “The people of Bengal are unhappy with the infiltrators. They will bring in change to stop infiltration from the neighbouring country Shah said at ,’’ the end of a huge roadshow in Bolpur town of Birbhum. He said after the Covid-19 pandemic subsides and the vaccination process is over, the Centre will begin discussions to implement the CAA. Impressed by the large turnThe Trinamool Congress can never stop infiltration as it believes in appeasement politics. Only BJP can stop it Amit Shah, Union home minister Agitators plan to tap NDA allies to pressure the BJP Announce fresh programmes for public participation in protests; Tomar to meet farmer representatives in a day or two, says Shah H a r p r ee t B a j w a @ Chandigarh On a day Union home minister Amit Shah indicated that his colleague and Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar will meet representatives of agitators in a day or two, farmer unions on Sunday decided to approach allies of the ruling NDA asking them to pressure the BJP to repeal the three contentious farm laws to end the deadlock. Addressing the media in Bolpur town of West Bengal, Amit Shah said: “I am not exactly aware of the timing but Tomar is likely to meet the representatives of farmers tomorrow or the day after to discuss their demands.” Also, in a gesture loaded with symbolism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unscheduled visit the historic Gurdwara Rakabganj in Delhi to pay tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur, a day after his death anniversary . Articulating the position of farmers after a meeting of all unions at Delhi’s border, Darshan Pal, president of the Krantikari Kisan Union, said, “We will approach NDA allies on December 26 and urge them to put pressure on the BJP to repeal the farm laws.’’ The farmer unions also decided to observe Kisan Diwas on December 23 as a day of fast, co-opting the public by urging them not to cook lunch that day so as to skip a meal in solidarity. And on December 27, when Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme will be on, they intend to copy his Covid time strategy of urging people to beat thalis at home till the his speech is Foreign donation glare on Punjab union BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) leader Sukhdev Singh said, “We received an email from a Central agency through our bank seeking our registration details that allow us to receive donations from abroad.’’ He said it is part of the Centre’s pressure tactics to defeat the agitation Himalayan rumble Parliament dissolved, fresh Nepal poll in May The Constitutional Council, headed by the Prime MinPushed to the wall by rebel- ister has the leader of opposilion within his party, tion as one of the Nepal Prime Minismembers. It recomter K P Oli Sharma m e n d s ap p o i n t on Sunday recomments to various mended the dissoluconstitutional tion of Parliament bodies. a n d s n a p p o l l s. Among Oli’s Shortly thereafter, strengths was solid President Bidya Devi support from the Oli had no Chinese Embassy. Bhandari complied choice and announced the He seems to have general window of Oli has gradually lost it now, said April 30 to May 10. lost his majority in sources in Nepal. A c c o r d i n g t o Parliament, and in “There are multisources, the immediple reasons behind the party. So he ate reason for the Oli recommending did not have dissolution was an the dissolution of many options, ordinance introParliament, but the said Dr Nihar R duced by Oli this Nayak, a fellow at main problem was month concerning his autocratic style MP-IDSA the Constitutional as he took all deciCouncil that his opponents sions on his own,” said said will weaken the coun- Parshuram Kaphle, a Kathtry’s checks and balances. mandu-based journalist. M aya n k s i n g h @ New Delhi express read Covid emergency meet today on new strain New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry’s Joint Monitoring Group will sit for an urgent meeting on Monday to discuss the emergence of a mutated variant of the coronavirus in the UK. A number of European countries have banned flights from the UK as the British government warned that the potent new strain was “out of control” | P7 WITH THIS ISSUE THE ESSENTIAL CAMPUS DIGEST over, this time to show anti-BJP unity. Also, Haryana will be forced to be toll free from December 25 to 27, Pal said. Besides, farmers will begin a relay hunger strike from Monday at all protest sites. As for commission agents, their Punjab Artiya Association decided to shut all mandis in the state indefinitely from Monday to protest against income tax raids on their premises since the last few days. Meanwhile, Gurlabh Singh, 22, who hailed from Bathinda district, returned from a protest site near the Delhi border and allegedly committed suicide after consuming some poisonous substance. YOUR LIFE COACH 28 PAGES, INCLUDING 16 OF edex (TABLOID) out, Shah said it was a reflection of the people’s love for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, adding he had never seen such a massive roadshow. “2021 will usher in change for the development of Bengal. All BJP-ruled states have already started their journey on the path of development. You gave Congress three decades; communists over three decades; and Trinamool 10 years. Give the BJP a chance and within five years, we will make it Sonar Bangla,’’ he continued on: p7 said. Prime accused in Nayagarh case arrested E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar In a major breakthrough, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Sunday arrested the prime accused in the sensational Nayagarh minor rape and murder case. A 17-year-old, the accused belongs to Jadupur, the same village as that of the victim. He would be produced before the Special Court-cum-ADJ POCSO Court in Nayagarh on Monday . Police sources said the accused lives about 100 metre from the victim’s house and committed the heinous crime in his home when his mother and sister were away. Later, he disposed off the girl’s body . The development comes about five months after skeletal remains of the victim packed in a bag were found near her house on July 23. continued on: p5 Union home minister Amit Shah during a roadshow ahead of West Bengal polls, at Bolpur in Birbhum district on Sunday | PTI BJD demands classical tag for Odissi dance, spl category status E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Making a serious appeal to the Odia identity and pride, that it seeks to co-opt as its political focus, the BJD on Sunday resolved to once again take up the demand for according classical status to Odissi dance along with the special category status for the State. The State Executive meeting of the BJD adopted nine political resolutions with protection of Odisha’s culture, heritage and traditions assuming prominence. Addressing the party leaders through video conference, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that BJD is the party of the people of Odisha and dedicated to their service only He called . upon the leaders to work for people earnestly every day of their life. The highest policy making body of the party resolved that the demand for according classical status to Odissi dance will be taken up with the Centre under the leadership of the Chief Minister. The Heritage Cabinet The demand for according classical status to Odissi dance will be taken up with the Centre under the leadership of Chief Minister BJD State Executive had recently given the green signal to such a proposal. The party will also honour the contribution of great personalities of Odisha in the formation of the separate state on linguistic basis. The State Executive resolved to develop their birth places as ideal villages, observe their death and birth anniversaries and include their biographies in school curriculum. Besides, Central neglect and the demand for special category state status to Odisha are back in the agenda of the BJD. Targeting both the BJP and Congress, a separate resolution announced that BJD will continue to fight for it and keep reminding national parties about their step motherly treatment to Odisha. Another resolution championed women’s empowerment and demanded reservation of 33 per cent seats in Parliament and state legislatures in line with the unanimous resolution a d o p t e d by t h e O d i s h a Assembly . The State Executive praised the Chief Minister and the State government for efficient management of Covid-19 pandemic for which the transmission rate in Odisha has remained under control, while reporting highest recovery and lowest mortality rates. Claiming that farmers are the top priority of the BJD and the state government, the party reiterated its demand for implementation of MS Swaminathan Committee report for increasing their income. The Odisha Assembly had passed unanimous resolutions in this regard in 2017 and 2018. Resolutions on efficient management of natural calamities and construction of pucca houses under Jaga mission were also adopted. The party thanked the people for electing its candidates in the recent bypolls .