thrissur l Sunday l february 14, 2021 l `8.00 l PAGES 32 l city edition rohit gives india edge Spectators are back. Opener Rohit Sharma did not disappoint them with a classy 161 as India posted 300/6 against England Fans Toss Partnership Pitch The second India-England Test is the first international event to allow fans back into the stadium since the pandemic. Though only 50% capacity was allowed, the atmosphere was electrifying India opted for a turner to take the toss out of the equation. Luck went Virat Kohli’s way this time and the hosts chose to bat. With 300 on board, they were comfortably placed on Day One Two batsmen under pressure — Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane — steered India out of trouble with a 162-run stand for the fourth wicket. Rahane scored a patient 67 before getting out Although it doesn’t resemble a dust bowl, run scoring is getting harder with the top layer already showing signs of breaking up. If England crumble, the match could be over in less than 5 days 1st Rohit Sharma scored a classy 161 on the first day of the second Test in Chennai on Saturday | BCCI | P13 This is the first time Kohli has been dismissed for duck by a spinner 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 Govt isn’t shaken coz people have built fort around it, says Pinarayi Highlights development and welfare work, slams Oppn for running communal campaign G e o r g e P o i k ay i l THE Opposition is running a communal campaign to bring the government down but the LDF is not shaken because the people experienced the development and welfare work during the past four years and have built a fort around it, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. “We saw that in the local body elections,” he added. Pinarayi was speaking at the launch of the LDF’s election campaign in northern districts at Uppala near Manjeshwar on Saturday . “Five years ago, the people expected little from the LDF because they just wanted “to get rid of the curse” that the UDF government had become. But the LDF made a list of promises in its manifesto and every year, the government released its progress report,” he said. The LDF government implemented the GAIL pipeline, City Gas --- which will bring cheaper piped cooking gas to kitchens --- Edamon-Kochi Power High- Five years ago, the people expected little from the LDF because they just wanted “to get rid of the curse” that the UDF government had become. But the LDF made a list of promises and released its progress report Pinarayi Vijayan way, K-Fon, Water National Highway, initiated the Kasaragod-Thiruvanthanpuram semi high-speed rail, National Waterways, projects which people thought could ot be implemented in Kerala. CM ALSO SAID @ Uppala (Kasaragod) Communalism is a danger to the state, the CM said. In the name of opposing the RSS, organisations such as the SDPI and the Jamaat-e-Islami are following the same path of communalism “During crises such as Ockhi, Nipah, the great floods and Covid-19, the government stood with the people and the people put up a united fight,” he said. A rattled UDF is now running a campaign saying the Pinarayi said Kerala will not implement the CAA. “The home minister says CAA will be implemented after the Covid vaccination drive ends. But we had said it will not be implemented. LDF is as rotten as it was five years ago, he said. “The central agencies have come forward with the responsibility of sabotage. A section of media has also joined the force,” ● More on P7 he said.  LDF, UDF want polls in mid-April Express News Service @ T’Puram THE ruling UDF and Opposition LDF want the assembly elections in Kerala to be held before mid-April while the BJP prefers it in May The representa. tives of various political parties gave their opinion on the conduct of the assembly elections during a meeting with the top officials of the Election Commission here on Saturday Major politi. cal parties were, however, united in their demand to conduct the elections in a single phase. A n a t h a l av a t t o m Anandan and K N Balagopal, who represented CPM at the meeting, told the poll panel that the elections should be conducted before Vishu and Ramzan holidays in mid-April. They also demanded that maximum number of people should be given the chance to enrol their names in the electoral roll. The CPM leaders also demanded that postal ballots should be distributed in advance so that they reach all eligible voters. They also urged the poll panel to give permission for election campaigning, including its grand culmination, in adherence to Covid protocol. The CPI too made similar re● More on P4 quests.  BJP prefers May dates BJP, represented by George Kurien, S Suresh and J R Padmakumar, wanted the polls to be held in a single phase in May. They demanded central forces must be deployed in polling stations Right to protest anywhere is not absolute, says SC Express News Service @ New Delhi merry time Kayakers enjoy a pleasant outing on the Kochi backwaters during a heritage tour organised by Muziris and Kerala Tourism on Saturday | ALBIN MATHEW After hum dono jibe, Nirmala calls Rahul ‘Doomsday man’ Express News Service @ New Delhi In a scathing counter-attack on Rahul Gandhi for his relentless targeting of the government over the farm laws and the LAC standoff with China, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman on Saturday dubbed the former Congress president “Doomsday man for India”. During her reply to the Budget discussion in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said Rahul was constantly insulting constitutional functionaries and institutions, betraying a lack of belief in a democratically elected parliamentary system. He had joined the “break India fringe group” and was continuously creating false narratives to demean India, the minister alleged. The Congress “makes allegations, uses abusive language... and then walks out,” the minister added. Responding to the allegations of the government promoting crony capitalism, she asserted that the Hum Do, Hamare Do jibe at the Centre was more apt for his family . Reiterating that prolonged protests can’t be at the cost of continued occupation of public spaces as they affect the rights of others, the Supreme Court has dismissed the review petitions challenging its October 2020 verdict on the Shaheen Bagh protests. A bench of justices S K Kaul, Aniruddha Bose and Krishna Murari rejected the plea filed by 12 persons seeking a review of its October 2020 verdict, which held public spaces can’t be occupied indefinitely. “(The) constitutional scheme comes with a right to protest and express dissent but with an obligation to have certain duties. The right to protest can’t be anytime and everywhere. There may be some spontaneous protests but in case of prolonged protest, there can’t be continued occupation of public place,” the bench held. W ITH THIS ISS U E Royal Revivers PLUS 12 PAGES finally Kappan leaves LDF, says Pala people with him E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kochi AFTER dilly-dallying, Pala MLA Mani C Kappan of NCP has announced his decision to leave the Left front. Kappan, who ended K M Mani family’s 54-year-old reign in the UDF fortress of Pala in September 2019, announced he and his followers would join the UDF as an alliance partner. He claimed seven district presidents and nine of the party office-bearers were with him. Kappan, who arrived at the Kochi airport from New Delhi on Saturday said he was hope, ful the national leadership would support his decision. Kappan said he will attend the reception to Aishwarya Kerala Yatra led by Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala in Pala on Sunday . Meanwhile, Transport Minister A K Saseendran, who leads the NCP faction that wants to remain in the LDF, said Kappan should resign his MLA post before joining the ● More on P4 UDF.  A view of the petrochemical complex Modi in Kochi today, to open petrochem complex E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Kochi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Propylene Derivatives Petrochemical Complex and a slew of projects implemented by various Central PSUs at the BPCL Kochi Refinery at 3.30pm on Sunday . The Prime Minister will arrive at INS Garuda, the Naval air station at 2.45pm and will proceed to Rajagiri College by helicopter from where he will reach Kochi Refinery by road. He will inaugurate the International Cruise Terminal of Cochin Port Trust, Cochin Shipyard’s Vigyana Sagar campus for Marine Engineering Training Institute and Inland Waterways Authority’s Roll-on-Roll-off vessels at Willingdon Island. He will also lay the foundation stone for Cochin Port Trust’s South Coal Berth. “The projects have been implemented at an investment of `6,000 crore,” said Union minister for petroleum and natural gases Dharmendra Pradhan at a press briefing here on Sat● More on P7 urday  . PM’S ITINERARY 2.45pm: Arrival at INS Garuda air station in Kochi 3pm: Arrival at Rajagiri helipad at Kakkanad 3.30pm: Arrival at Ambalamugal VHSS 3.35pm: Meeting BJP state officebearers 3.45pm: Inauguration of BPCL’s Petrochem complex and other projects 4.30pm: PM to leave for INS Garuda air station 5.55pm: Departure for New Delhi