ASSAM Vairengte Aizwal Kolasib Mamit chennai l tuesday l july 27, 2021 l `7.00 l PAGES 12 l vellore EDITION 6 Assam cops killed in Mizo border clash Pra s a n ta M a z u m d ar @ Guwahati Six Assam Police personnel were killed and over two dozen others, including civilians, injured when the Assam-Mizoram border row flared up on Monday that saw the police of the two states firing at each other. The injured included Assam’s Cachar Superintendent of Police Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant and the officer-incharge of Dholai police station in the district. Ironically, while Assam has a BJP government, the ruling par- ty in Mizoram is an NDA ally . “I am deeply pained to inform that six brave jawans of @assampolice have sacrificed their lives while defending constitutional boundary of our state at the Assam-Mizoram border,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted. The incident came amidst a fortnight-long eyeball to eyeball confrontation between the two police forces and two days after the CMs of the two states discussed the matter with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Meghalaya’s capital Shillong. After Shah spoke to the two CMs on Monday, the Assam Police withdrew from the site. The CRPF is now manning the area. Assam government sources said the trouble broke when the Assam Police personnel stopped the Mizoram authority from constructing a road within Assam’s “constitutional” territory . For his part, Mizoram CM Zoramthanga condemned Assam’s ‘unjustified act’ of intrusion and aggression. Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana said around mizoram W ho ’ s t h e Karimganj Hailakandi Cachar Lailapur s q u a t t e r ? Border conflicts have occurred since Mizoram was carved out of Assam as a Union Territory in 1972 to eventually become a state in 1987 Officials and locals in Assam claim Mizos have been squatting on 1-3 km land from the interstate border There have been several rounds of talks between the two states since 1995 to resolve the issue 200 Assam Police personnel came to Mizoram’s Vairengte auto-rickshaw stand around 11.30 am by forcibly crossing a CRPF post and overran a Mizoram Police post. They damaged several vehicles along the national highway between Vairengte and Lailapur. The Assam Police wear adament despite attempts by the SP of Kolasib district and an executive magistrate to resolve it, the minister said. It snowballed into launching tear gas cannisters and grenades followed by firing around 4.50 pm, he added.  P8 The official stand of Mizoram is that the boundary should be demarcated based on a notification of 1875 that distinguished the Lushai Hills (present day Mizoram and erstwhile district of Assam) from the plains of Cachar But Mizoram groups claim the authorities in Assam have been using ‘illegal Bangladeshis’ to move 10-12 km inside their territory 1933 The point of conflict is another British-era notification of 1933 that Assam follows but is not acceptable to Mizoram, which says their ancestors were not consulted on this In 1971, the interstate boundary was redefined and Mizos say it was done without their knowledge and consent. Much of Mizo land under British rule was included into Assam territory 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 Murugesh Nirani, Basavaraj Bommai, C T Ravi, Ashwath Narayan, Pralhad Joshi, B L Santhosh in race to replace him How the drama unfolded I resigned voluntarily. Nobody forced or coerced me to quit. I have decided to work for the party. I will not accept any decorative posts June 6: Yediyurappa says he will resign the day the BJP leadership asks him to June 16-18: After many leaders speak openly against BSY, party general secretary Arun Singh holds a series of meetings in Bengaluru. He says action will be taken against those speaking against the CM - B S Yediyurappa BSY's constituency shuts down Hours after his resignation, Shikaripura, the Assembly constituency in Shivamogga district he represented seven times, was shut as a mark of protest by his supporters July 17: Yediyurappa meets PM Narendra Modi BSY resigns, suspense over successor A n u s h a R a v i @ Bengaluru Ending weeks of speculation, B S Yediyurappa resigned as Karnataka chief minister on Monday, the day his government completed two years in office. The 78-year-old veteran BJP leader became emotional when he announced his decision to quit as tears welled up in his eyes and voice choked with emotion. On the elaborately decorated dais of Vidhana Soudha’s banquet hall where celebrations for his government’s second year anniversary were being held, Yediyurappa gave his farewell speech, recalling his years of struggles, and reminiscing on his hard work for the party before stunning his , supporters with the resignation bomb. “I have decided to go to Raj Bhavan and submit my resignation. I am not sad. I am happy that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda gave me an additional two years despite crossing the 75-year-old cap. Words are not enough to thank them. I appeal that all of us work together to build the party,” he said at the end of his emotional speech. With this, the four-time chief minister finally drew curtains on speculation over leadership change in Karnataka. From Vidhana Soudha, Yediyurappa went straight to the Raj Bhavan, where Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot wasted no time in accepting his two-line resignation letter, and issued a statement saying the council of ministers has been dissolved. A complete revamping of the government is on the cards now with the party inclined to appoint four deputy chief ministers to take care of caste and regional equations. BJP brass wants smooth transition The BJP leadership’s top concern is to ensure smooth leadership transition in Karnataka and also ward off any attempt by the Congress to destabilise the party-led state government. Sources said BSY’s successor will be picked based on his ability to keep all factions of the party united “I resigned voluntarily Nobody . forced or coerced me to quit. I have decided to work for the party . I will not accept any decorative posts,” Yediyurappa asserted when asked if he would become the governor of a state. The suspense over who will succeed him, however, continues. The BJP Legislature Party meeting is Didi takes lead to form snoopgate probe panel, Justice Madan Lokur to head it E x p re s s Ne w s Ser v i c e @ Kolkata With the Centre blocking Opposition demands to come clean on the Pegasus snoopgate, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sprang a surprise by setting up an inquiry commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Madan Lokur into the matter. Coming as it did on the day she arrived in Delhi to explore options of forging Opposition unity , setting up the panel sent an unambiguous message of her being the most strident opponent of Modi rule, thus giving her the right to lead the proposed coalition and sustain the momentum till the next general elections in 2024. Talking to media before boarding a flight to Delhi, Mamata claimed the Centre had used the spyware to tune into a meeting she had with her advisor Prashant Kishor. “He (Kishor) got his cellphone audited and came to know that they (Centre) knew of one of Parliament stalled Both Houses of Parliament on Monday saw repeated adjournments amid Opposition clamour for discussion on Pegasus snoopgate in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home minister Shah | p7 EPS, OPS meet PM, discuss Mekedatu, vaccine supply E XP R E SS N E WS S E R VIC E @ Chennai AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday at the latter’s chamber in the Parliament complex and raised key issues relating to TN, including vaccine shortage, Mekedatu dam, and Godavari-Cauvery Linking Project, among others. There was speculation that the duo might also discuss issues related to the ‘audio politics’ of VK Sasikala, one-time confidante of former CM J Jayalalithaa, and her decision to re-enter politics. Panneerselvam and Palaniswami however, remained tight-lipped on the matter while speaking to reporters later. Asked if they have plans to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and others, Palaniswami said there weren’t any until then. “If we get a chance, we will meet.” “If the proposed Mekedatu dam comes up, delta districts in TN would become a desert. Besides, 16 districts that depend on the Cauvery river as their drinking water resource, would be affected. So, we urged the PM that the Centre should not, in any way help Kar, nataka build the dam. Since TN is a water-deficit State, the Godavari-Cauvery Linking Project, too, should be implemented expeditiously Palaniswami said. ,” our meetings through Pegasus,” she alleged. She had earlier brandished a taped handset to take a swipe at the Centre, following reports of her nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s name figuring on a list of potential targets. The BJP, however, was not amused, with its IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeting, “Why are we even surprised that Mamata Banerjee has constituted a commission to probe bogus Pegasus Project? Her priorities have always been warped. If only she had shown such alacrity to probe post-poll violence and probe several Covid scams in Bengal.” July 18: BSY meets BJP national president J P Nadda, denies reports of his resignation July 20: Seers from Lingayat and other communities back Yediyurappa, warn BJP against leadership change likely to be called on Wednesday or Thursday where a new chief minister will be named. Sources said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the party in-charge for Karnataka Arun Singh will oversee the leadership succession in the state government as Central observers. Currently more than half-a-doz, en names for the top post are doing the rounds. They include Mur u g e s h N i r a n i , B a s av a r a j Bommai, Arvind Bellad, C T Ravi, Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, Sunil Kumar, Pralhad Joshi and even B L Santhosh. Party sources suggested that the new chief minister is likely to be named by the end of this week. While he may have resigned as chief minister, Yediyurappa has refused to walk quietly into the sunset, insisting that he will remain in active politics and work for the party . July 22: BSY breaks silence, says high command will send a message July 25: Yediyurappa hints that he will step down July 26: Announces resignation July 26: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlor accepts BSY’s resignation, dissolves council of ministers. INSIDE BSY could have resigned on August 2, but did not | P5 BJP may not have gauged Lingayat rage | P5 Thriller that played out in serialised form | P6 Offering relief FM directs all PSUs to clear pending dues to MSMEs within 45 days E x p re s s Ne w s Ser v i c e @ New Delhi FINANCE Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the Centre is deeply concerned about the delay in payments to MSMEs and steps have been taken to ensure that all dues are paid within 45 days. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on government dues to the MSME sector, Sitharaman said she is “personally monitoring it”. “I have reviewed it from the point of view of central gover nment and various departments which owe money to the MSMEs. We have made sure that standard, as per rule 45 days, be not crossed and all dues be paid from the government side to the MSMEs,” Sitharaman said. The FM clarified that the pendency is also on the part of state governments and state PSUs. Sitharaman also said the Centre is actively encouraging MSMEs to use the Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platform from which “ t h e s e p ay m e n t s c a n b e discounted”. 10.5% quota for Vanniyars now official All things new and old welcome back Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu speaks to media after landing in New Delhi on Monday A pair of 13-year-olds finished 1-2 in a new event while a 58-year-old walked away with gold, underlining that most walks of life can be successful at the Olympics. A look at action from Tokyo on Monday... Al-Rashidi How bizarre: Japan’s Momiji Nishiya and Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, both 13, won gold and silver in women’s skateboarding. The new event has proved to be a smash hit. At 58 years, Abdullah Al-Rashidi won a bronze in skeet shooting T M u r u g a n a n d h am @ Chennai Momiji Nishiya Redemption time: The four mixed team pairs (two in 10m air pistol and two in 10m air rifle) have a chance at redemption. If they tackle the qualifying round they have a good chance to win a medal Shekhar Yadav Jab-o-meter July 25: 38,87,028 doses NATIONWIDE july 25 july 26 Take Fresh cases 39,742 39,361 your shot July 26: 57,48,692 doses Recoveries 39,972 35,968 Total: 44,10,57,103 Deaths 535 416 tamil nadu july 25 july 26 Fresh cases 1,808 1,785 Recoveries Deaths 2,447 22 2,361 26 hero in khakhi Cop clings on to speeding car to nab smuggler M S T h a n ara j @ Tiruchy In a scene straight out of an action thriller, a police constable put his duty over life by clinging to the bonnet of a speeding car for several minutes in order to nab a ganja smuggler. The Tiruchy police department has been taking efforts to bring down the ganja racket in the district. Based on information regarding an accused smuggling ganja in a car, a team of police personnel were conducting vehicle checks at the Mannarpuram roundabout on Sunday night. As the accused, identified as Mohammad Hanifa (42) from Keeranur village in Pudukkottai, arrived there, the team attempted to catch him. However, Hanifa zoomed off towards the Chennai National Highway This was when . Saravanan (38), a head constable with the special team, swung into action. He blocked the car with his bike but Hanifa rammed the motorcycle and kept driving. Undeterred, Saravanan clung to the bonnet as the other personnel chased down the car. After driving for about eight kilometres, with Saravanan on the bonnet, the accused was finally caught near Sanjeevi Nagar. More than a kilo of ganja was seized from Hanifa’s possession. Speaking to Express, Saravanan said, “On seeing the police, the accused attempted to flee but as the traffic was too much, he had to brake suddenly I leaped at the op. portunity to block him. With a Saravanan The head-on collision The accused attempted to flee after seeing the cops, which is when Saravanan blocked him. The head-on ramming and the subsequent chase left Saravanan with a 30 per cent burn injury on his right ankle In January, Union minister Nitin Gadkari had said delayed payments to the MSME sector was becoming a huge problem and the Centre was planning a new law to make it mandatory that MSME receivables are paid within 45 days. On Monday, the FM also introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to provide a pre-packaged resolution process for financially stressed MSMEs. The Bill will replace the Ordinance, which came into effect from April 2021 to help small enterprises. The law allows for a prior bankruptcy-resolution agreement between a creditor, such as a bank, and an investor without initial approval from the N a t i o n a l C o m p a n y L aw Tribunal. The proposed amendments would also help notify the threshold of a default not exceeding `1 crore for initiation of pre-packaged resolution process. The Centre has already prescribed a threshold of `10 lakh for this purpose. On GST relief to the sector, the FM said it’s up to the GST Coucil to take a call. firm grip on the front metal guard, I kept yelling to him to stop the car but he kept driving faster.” He is currently under treatment for the 30 per cent burn injuries caused to his ankle during the incident. Sakthivel, Deputy Commissioner (Law and Order) Tiruchy , said, “The accused was reportedly under the influence of ganja, and while intending to flee, he intentionally rammed the cop. But the head constable took a strong hold on to the bonnet to avoid serious injuries. After few minutes of chasing, the accused was caught. Luckily no one sustained any serious injuries in the operation. The head constable’s brave efforts are appreciable. Further probe is on.” The DMK government on Monday issued a G.O. for implementation of the 10.5 per cent reservation for the Vanniyar community with retrospective effect from February 26, the date on which the State Assembly passed the Bill in this regard. The government has revised the 200-point roster, prescribed in Schedule V to the TN Government Servants (Conditions of Service) Act, 2016, for enforcing the reservation. With the issuance of this order, the special reservation of seats in educational institutions, including private educational institutions in TN, and of appointments or posts in the services under the State to the Vanniyars, within the 20 per cent reservation for Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities, has been ensured. The G.O. assumes significance as it comes ahead of the elections to the local bodies in the nine newly-created districts that are to be held by September 15, and also the elections to urban local bodies expected by December. The roster prescribed in the G.O. should be given effect from February 26 and it should be made applicable in respect of those vacancies notified by the recruiting agencies and appointing authorities on or after the said date. Necessary amendments to the Act would be issued separately . PMK founder S Ramadoss thanked CM MK Stalin, and said this would help the community to improve gradually .