tirupati l friday l february 09, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION Imran’s independents pose tough challenge to Sharif Early trends suggest independents supported by Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were posing a tough challenge to PML-N candidates in Punjab four policemen killed at a polling booth PPP candidates doing well in Sindh The election began at 8 am and closed at 5 pm. People in queues were allowed to cast their ballot even after voting closed. Counting is on and the full results are expected by Friday. Four policemen were killed at a polling station leading to delay in the voting process. Polling was postponed in one seat after a candidate was killed in a gun attack ■ ■ Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Shehbaz were leading in their respective seats from Lahore. In Sindh, the Pakistan Peoples Party candidates were leading in most seats Internet was suspended ahead of polling. Amnesty International called it a blunt attack on the rights to freedom of expression | P9 133 seats needed for a simple majority to form the next government 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 Saying it in Black & White Govt document alleges UPA rule ruined economy Congress counter flags unemployment, injustice DIPA K MO N DAL @ New Delhi The Narendra Modi-led government on Thursday released a white paper on the Indian economy, loaded with the political message that the Congress-led UPA government considerably weakened the country’s economy during its 10-year rule from 2004-14 whereas the NDA government revived it through reforms and action-oriented policies. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the white paper in Parliament, a week after she made the promise in her Budget speech on February 1. The paper attacked the UPA government for its all-round failure in managing the country’s economy, which it said was in sound health in 2004. The white paper sought to highlight the inefficiencies of the Manmohan Singh-led government, such as lack of leadership that triggered a policy paralysis, project delays, and unprecedented scams. The paper also listed out 15 scams of the UPA era. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget session of Parliament | pti Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge showing the ‘black paper’ on the BJP govt to media persons | Shekhar Yadav Brought out just before the general elections, the white paper cherry-picked data and quotes of experts to attack the UPA government for mismanaging public finances, creating a banking crisis, and making India externally vulnerable. The paper termed the banking crisis of 2014 as massive with gross bad loan levels touching as high as 12.3% of the advances ‘largely because of political interference by the UPA government in the commercial lending decisions of public sector banks’. P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi IN a counter to the government’s white paper, the Congress released a ‘black paper’, highlighting what it termed the social, economic, and political ‘injustices’ committed by the Narendra Modi government in its 10-year rule. Titled 10 Saal Anyay Kal and released by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the document claims that in the past 10 years, the Modi government has “devastated the country’s economy, aggravated unem- ployment, destroyed the country’s agricultural sector, abetted crimes against women, and committed grave injustices against minorities in the country”. On the jobs front, the document said the BJP rule has witnessed the highest unemployment rate in 45 years. “Total unemployment was 1 crore in 2012 but it rose to about 4 crore in 2022. 10 lakh sanctioned central government posts remain unfilled. The unemployment rate for graduates and postgraduates is about 33%. This is why engineers are becoming coolies and PhDs are applying for railway jobs,” it said. It further said that the Modi government’s tenure has seen an unprecedented reduction in incomes. “The NSSO data that the PM suppressed shows consumer spending falling for the first time since 1973, from `1,501 in 2011-12 to `1,446 in 2017-18,” it added. Listing out the failures of the government, the paper said the prices of essential commodities are at all-time high. After Naidu meets BJP bigwigs, Jagan to call on PM Modi today E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy arrived in New Delhi on Thursday and is set to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday . The meeting has gained significance as it comes just a day after TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda, and reportedly held talks on joining the NDA. Sources said the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Jagan’s appointment on Wednesday night. With PM Modi asserting that the NDA will win 400 seats in the general elections, the BJP has been trying to hold talks with political parties that have been its allies in the past or have extended issue-based support to it. The TDP which was , a part of the NDA in 2014, had exited the alliance before the 2019 polls. On the other hand, the ruling YSRC, on several oc- APCID files charge sheet in Amaravati ring road case E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada The Andhra Pradesh Crime Investigation Department (APCID) submitted a charge sheet in the alleged Amaravati Inner Ring Road (IRR) case in the special ACB court in Vijayawada on Thursday . TDP supremo and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, along with his son Nara Lokesh, and former municipal administration and urban de- velopment (MAUD) minister Punganur Naryana have been mentioned as accused in the case. They have been charged with abusing their official positions to change the alignment of the proposed IRR to benefit themselves and their benamis. According to sources, CID officials have also mentioned realtor brothers Lingamaneni Rajasekhar and Ramesh as accused in the alleged scam. P4 casions, has extended support to the NDA at the Centre during the passage of crucial Bills in the Rajya Sabha. While the YSRC was previously invited to join the BJPled alliance, Jagan had declined the offer. Considering the party’s vote share in the State, the YSRC president is likely to maintain his stance. According to sources, Jagan believes that if the TDP joins the NDA, the support of minority communities may be conP4 solidated in his favour. express read 80L workers from AP registered on eShram Visakhapatnam: As many as 80 lakh workers from AP have been registered on eShram portal up to January 31, 2024, said Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Rameswar Teli | P4 YSRC announces three candidates for RS polls Vijayawada: YSRC announced ex-MP and former chief of TTD YV Subba Reddy, MLA Golla Babu Rao and Meda Raghunadha Reddy as its candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections
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