HYDERABAD SUNDAY FEBRUARY 04, 2024 `12.00 PAGES 24 LATE CITY EDITION U.S. STRIKES TARGETS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA TO AVENGE DEATH OF TROOPS The US military on Friday carried out retaliatory airstrikes in Iraqi, Syrian sites used by Iranian militias as revenge for the death of 3 soldiers LONG-RANGE BOMBERS DEPLOYED FOR ATTACK MILITIA HAS NO PLAN TO ESCALATE TENSION US President Joe Biden said its response would not be just one hit, but will continue at times and places of its choosing. The US used long-range bombers for the airstrikes, which employed more than 125 precision munitions. The attacks began after the bodies of soldiers, who were killed in a drone attack on January 28 in Jordan, returned to the American soil ■ ■ An Iranian militia spokesperson said it does not want to escalate the tensions and pointed out that targeted sites in Iraq were devoid of fighters and military personnel at the time of attack | P9 Iraqi government said 16 were killed, including civilians, near Syrian border because of the attack. Syria did not give the casualty figures 85 TARGETS IN IRAQ, SYRIA WERE STRUCK BY THE U.S. MILITARY IN ITS ATTACK 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 BHARAT RATNA FOR L K ADVANI BJP stalwart challenged dynastic politics, fought to get democracy out of one party’s grasp, says prime minister EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi/Sambalpur ED approaches court as Kejri skips summons J A I S O N W I L S O N @ New Delhi THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday approached a Delhi cour t a g ainst Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not responding to its summonses in the excise policy case. Kejriwal ignored its summons for the fifth consecutive time. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju made the submissions on the ED’s behalf before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra of Rouse Avenue Courts here. Documents accessed by this newspaper show that the complaint was filed under Section 190 (1)(a) and Section 200 of the CrPC, Section 174 of the IPC and Section 63 (4) of PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) “for non-attendance in compliance of Section 50 of the PMLA”. The court put up the case for further hearing on February 7. Kejriwal received the summons for the fifth time on Wednesday. He had skipped four summons over the past four months. LESS than two weeks after the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the conferring of the country’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, on BJP stalwart Lal Krishna Advani. Now 96, Advani was central to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement as his Somnath to Ayodhya rath yatra in 1990 amplified the temple pitch and enhanced the BJP’s electoral appeal. He later rose to become the deputy prime minister in the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Announcing the government’s decision, Modi said the honour to the stalwart is in recognition of his invaluable contribution in the service of the nation. Accepting the gesture, an apparently emotional Advani described it as an honour to the ideals and principles with which he worked throughout his life for nation. Addressing a public meeting in Sambalpur, Modi said this honour is for all those who believe in the ideology of ‘nation first’. “Advani continuously fought to get democracy out of one party’s grasp and guided everyone. He challenged dynasty politics and connected India’s democr a c y t o a l l - i n c l u s ive a n d nationalist ideologies,” he said. Recalling the time when the BJP was treated as untouchable, Modi said Vajpayee and Advani dedicated their lives to defeat this propaganda and establish the party as a major force. Buzz on RS ticket to Sonia, Rajan P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi WITH the deadline for filing nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections approaching, speculation is rife on former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan entering the fray . Congress sources hinted that Sonia may take the Upper House route to continue in Parliament if she doesn’t contest in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Her presence in Parliament is crucial for the beleaguered party, which is looking to increase its tally against the BJP-led NDA in 2024 elections. However, there is no clarity on whether she will contest from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, the constituency she currently represents. The RS elections for 56 seats across 15 states will be held on February 27 and nominations have to be filed by CONTINUED ON P8 February 15. TS debt-to-GSDP ratio is 50%! K A LYA N T H O L E T I @ Hyderabad File photo of Narendra Modi with L K Advani Advani thanked both President Droupadi Murmu and Modi in a statement. “With utmost humility and gratitude, I accept the Bharat Ratna that has been conferred on me today Ever since I joined the ... RSS as its volunteer at the age of 14, I have sought reward in only thing — in dedicated and selfless service of my beloved country in whatever task life assigned to me. What inspired my life is the motto, Idam na Mam — This life is not mine. My life is for my Nation.” Advani is the seventh eminent personality to have been conferred the Bharat Ratna in the last 10 years of the BJP rule. The others are Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Madan Mohan Malviya, Pranab Mukharjee, Bhupen Hazarika, Nanaji Deshmukh and Karpoori Thakur. Advani ji’s decades-long service in public life has been marked by an unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity... The conferring of the Bharat Ratna on him is a very emotional moment for me. I got countless opportunities to learn from him THE Telangana government is likely to go in for a vote on account this Budget session, which will most likely begin this week. The Budget preparation exercise has been underway with Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka holding department-wise meetings and brainstorming with officials. In this regard, on Saturday a team , comprising senior economist and former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, chairman of the party’s Senior economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty meet Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti VIkramarka on Saturday professionals’ wing and data analytics department Praveen Chakravarty and former CBDT member Arbind , Modi held a nearly three-hour-long discussion with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Bhatti Vikramarka. They discussed ways to mobilise resources and revive growth so that the government can put the economy back on track and implement the six guarantees. Speaking exclusively to TNIE, Chakravarty said they were surprised to find that the finances of a rich state like Telangana were in doldrums and added: “The state’s debtto-GSDP ratio is around 50%. It is shocking that the situation is worse than even Bihar, whose debt-to-GSDP ratio is around 22%.” CONTINUED ON P5 — Narendra Modi, PM BUMRAH CARNAGE Jasprit Bumrah produced a reverse swing masterclass for the ages, taking a six-fer to put India in command on Day 2 | AFP EXPRESS READ Two Class 10 girls hang themselves Nalgonda: Two Class 10 girl students hanged themselves in their room at the SC hostel at Bhuvanagiri on Saturday night. Kodi Bhavya and Gade Vaishnavi were students at the Beechmalla government school and were residing at the SC hostel. WITH THIS ISSUE BAD AIR DAYS PLUS 12 PAGES BISCUITS
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