vijayawada l tuesday l february 06, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l late city EDITION Bowlers set up clinical comeback victory for India Chasing a mammoth 399 for win, England were dismissed for 292, falling short by 106 runs as hosts level series in Vizag. A look... Bazball threat neutralised, for now Bumrah, Ashwin deliver when needed most When India lost the first Test in Hyderabad, a lot of questions were asked, including whether they can counter England’s aggressive approach on the field. Under the pump, youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill stepped up with the bat after which Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin did the rest as India levelled the series 1-1 ■ ■ After going wicketless in the first innings, Ashwin was under pressure to deliver in the fourth innings of the Test. So much that India’s fortunes were dependent on how he went on Monday The ace spinner did just that, taking three crucial wickets (3/72) before Bumrah (3/46) took over the proceedings | P13 97 Test wickets for Ashwin against England is the most by an Indian 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 in cross-hairs SC lights into C’garh Mayor poll officer S u c h i t r a K a lya n M o h a n t y @ New Delhi An angry Supreme Court on Monday lit into Anil Masih, the returning officer of the Chandigarh Mayor polls, saying he should be prosecuted as videos showed him defacing ballot papers to influence the verdict. “It is obvious that he has defaced the ballot papers. He needs to be prosecuted. Why is he looking at the camera? This is a mockery of democracy and murdering democracy We are . appalled. Is this behaviour of a returning officer? Wherever there is a cross at bottom, he does not touch it but when it is at the top, he alters it. Please tell the returning officer that the Supreme Court is watching,” a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud said. The court made these critical observations against Masih after hearing a plea filed by defeated AAP councillor Kuldeep Kumar, challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order that refused to grant any interim relief to the party . The court slapped a notice on Masih and also directed that entire records of the municipal elections be sequestered with the High Court Registrar General. “Let the ballots and videography too be preserved,” the court added. BJP’s Manoj Sonkar was elected Mayor on January 30, after he bagged 16 votes against the 12 votes received by the Congress-AAP candidate Kumar. As many as one-fourth of the total votes were scrapped by the returning officer. NDA will bag 400 LS seats: Modi Guv praises govt for Predicts 370 seats for BJP; says his 3rd term will lay foundation for India’s next 1,000 years P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi DELIVERING his last speech to the 17th Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched an all-out attack on the Congress, asserting that the NDA will secure 400plus seats and the BJP’s tally will go past 370 in the upcoming general elections. “I normally do not get into numbers. But I can see the mood of the country,” he said. The BJP had won 303 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha in 2019, while the NDA got 353. In his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Lower House, Modi exuded confidence that India will become the world’s third largest economy during his government’s ‘third’ tenure. “That is Modi’s guarantee,” said the PM in his two-hourlong speech, adding that the third term will witness big de- Prime Minister Narendra Modi replies to the Motion of Thanks in the Lok Sabha | PTI cisions. “It will lay a strong foundation of India of the next 1,000 years,” he said. Setting the tone for 2024 polls, Modi listed out his government’s achievements — Ayodhya Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370, and several welfare schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, and Digital India. “In every sphere, the country has experienced growth and prosperity. Compared to the past 10 years, the country has become empowered in the area of security Terrorism and Nax. alism are now restricted to a small circle. But India’s policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism is now compelling the entire world to walk towards this policy he said. ,” The PM made repeated attacks on India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru claiming that the Congress leader thought Indians were “lazy and of low intel- Now, people of other faiths can practise Hinduism at Tirumala E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Tirumala The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has invited people from other faiths who want to embrace Hinduism voluntarily to do so at the feet of Sri Venkateswara Swamy in Tirumala. “If people of any other religion come forward to practise Hinduism voluntarily such , persons will be welcomed to the Hindu way of life. They will be trained in Hindu rituals, tradi- tions and practices rooted in the Sanatana Dharma. This will be initiated in Tirumala,’’ TTD Trust Board chairman Bhumana Karunakara Reddy said on Monday . Karunakara Reddy, along with swamijis and pontif fs of various mutts and Hindu religious organisations, announced the resolutions that were passed in the threeday-long Dharmika Sadas organised by the Srivari temple Trust in Astana Mandapam at P4 Tirumala.  Thousands of temples are crumbling. Revival of dilapidated temples and construction of mandirs in Dalit, tribal and fishing areas need to be taken up in a big way B Karunakara Reddy, TTD chief Champai wins trust vote in Jharkhand m u k e s h r a n j a n @ Ranchi Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Monday won the trust vote in the Assembly comfortably with 47 MLAs voting in his favour and 29 against him. Addressing the Assembly ahead of the trust vote, former chief minister Hemant Soren alleged that the Raj Bhavan was instrumental in his arrest after a “conspiracy hatched by the Centre”. “This is the first time in the country that a CM, a former CM or anybody has been ar- rested from Raj Bhavan. According to my information, no such incident has taken place earlier,” said Hemant. He challenged the Enforcement Directorate and the BJP-led central government to show him a documented proof that the 8.5-acre land for which he has been arrested belongs to him. The day they prove it, he will quit politics, he added. Hemant said that he is surprised by the way the entire incident happened. “The January 31 script was written in a planned manner,” he charged. Chief Minister Champai Soren (left) and former CM Hemant Soren along with party MLAs at the House | PTI cOURT seeks ed’s reply Jharkhand High Court directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to respond to a petition filed by former chief minister Hemant Soren challenging his arrest. The court asked the ED to file its reply by February 9. The next date of hearing is fixed for February 12 I ndian f e a t This Moment is a Grammy moment S h r e ya s Pa n d e Indian musicians Shankar Mahadevan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram, violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan and English guitarist John McLaughlin of the fusion band, Shakti, bagged the prestigious Grammy award under the category, Global Music Album, on Monday. The award was given to their music album This Moment in the ceremony that was held in Los Angeles. This Moment is the third studio album by Shakti and is the band’s first release in 46 years after the 1977 album Natural Elements. The album consists of eight songs, including Shrini’s Dream, Bending the Rules, Karuna, Giriraj Sudha, Mohanam and Las Palmas. The album was released on June 30, 2023. In his acceptance speech, Shankar Mahadevan said, (From L) Shankar Mahadevan, Ganesh Rajagopalan, Zakir Hussain and Selvaganesh with the Grammy | PTI “Thank you, boys, and thank you, God, family, friends, and India. We are proud of you, India. Last but not least, I would like to dedicate this award to my wife, to whom every note of my music is dedicated.” Zakir Hussain bagged two more Grammys in different categories for his individual contribution. He secured the award for Best Global Music Performance for the song Pashto, alongside Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia. They also won another award in the category Contemporary Instru, mental Album, for their music album As We Speak. Pashto is part of the album along with 11 other musical pieces like Conundrum, J Bhai and Beast in the Garden. The album was released on May 12. Zakir Hussain won his first Grammy in 2009 for Best Contemporary World Music Album for his collaborative album Global Drum Project. While accepting Monday’s award, Zakir said, “Our families are here and without them we are nothing. Without love, music and harmony we are nothing.” , Congratulations @ZakirHtabla, @ Rakeshflute, @ Shankar_Live, @ kanjeeraselva, and @ violinganesh on your phenomenal success at the #GRAMMYs ! Your exceptional talent and dedication to music have won hearts worldwide. India is proud! These achievements are a testament to the hardwork you keep putting in. It will also inspire the new generation of artists to dream big and excel Narendra Modi, PM ligence”. Citing Nehru’s Independence Day speech, Modi said: “Nehru had said ‘we do not work as hard as the Europeans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians or the Americans’. Nehru was giving a certificate to the foreigners to belittle Indians.” Modi said Opposition parties have lost the appetite to fight elections and are resigned to the prospects of sitting in opposition benches for a very long time. “Several leaders were looking to change their seats or enter Parliament through the Rajya Sabha,” he said, amid shouting from the opposition benches on his silence on issues such as the Manipur violence and women wrestlers’ protest. In a veiled reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Modi said the ‘Congress shop is on the verge of closure’ as the “party is launching the same product again and again.” one held for murder of tehsildar Vizag police arrested the main accused in the murder of 40-year-old Sanapala Ramnaiah on Monday | P4 providing `4.23L cr benefits to all sections E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Addressing the joint session of the State Legislative Assembly and Council on the first day of the Budget Session, Governor S Abdul Nazeer on Monday summed up the development and welfare initiatives of the government in the last five years. In his speech that lasted nearly 80 minutes, the Governor elaborated on how the gover nment brought about a change in various sectors. The Governor commenced his speech by appreciating Jagan and the State administration for installing a 206-foot-tall statue of Dr BR Ambedkar at the cost of `404.25 crore in the heart of Vijayawada. He said it stands as a testimony to the government’s commitment to social justice, equality and empowerment. “This pro-poor government has touched every section of society. Be it farmers, unemployed youths, auto drivers, weavers, senior citizens, women, children or any other member belonging to socially and economically backward groups, Budget session to be held for four days Later in the day, the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) met under the chairmanship of Speaker Tammineni Sitaram. The TDP leaders did not attend it. It was decided to hold the Budget session for four days (till Feb 8). The finance minister will table the interim Budget on Feb 7 they have all benefitted in one way or the other from the government,” Nazeer said. The TDP members staged a walkout from the House and raised slogans against the government even as the Governor P4 was speaking.