HYDERABAD SUNDAY APRIL 14, 2024 `12.00 PAGES 26 LATE CITY EDITION 6 DEAD AFTER KNIFE-WIELDING MAN GOES ON STABBING SPREE IN SYDNEY 5 women and a man died and 8 others, including a 9-month-old baby, were injured in the attack at a busy Sydney shopping centre on Saturday COPS TIGHT-LIPPED ABOUT KILLER’S IDENTITY ‘MOTIVE UNCLEAR BUT NO TERROR ANGLE’ The 40-year-old man began stabbing people at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction mall complex, which was packed with thousands of Saturday afternoon shoppers, before a police inspector shot him fatally. The killer, whose identity has not been revealed, did not even spare a small baby. The baby is in emergency surgery while its mother died, police said ■ New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the assailant acted alone and that the police is not treating it as a terrorism incident for now ■ “We are confident that there is no ongoing risk, and we are dealing with one person who is now deceased,” Webb said in a press briefing. She added that the police has started the work to determine the killer’s motive for the attack 35 WERE SHOT DEAD ON APRIL 28, 1996 BY A LONE GUNMAN IN PORT ARTHUR, AUSTRALIA 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 CBI books BJP’s Cong manifesto axed CAA in last hour top donor MEIL in bribery case P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi FIR says Hyderabad-based firm paid `78 lakh to officials to get bills worth `174 crore cleared M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi Asad rules out alliance with Congress EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Hyderabad AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday ruled out an alliance with any party, including the ruling Congress, in Telangana for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “It looks like those people who are saying that we have an alliance in Telangana are confused. But we are clear that there is no alliance with any other party the four-time Hy,” derabad MP asserted. Recently, Congress leader Feroz Khan, who unsuccessfully contested from Nampally in the recent Assembly elections, indicated that friendship was forged between the AIMIM and the grand old party. The ruling Congress is yet to announce its candidate for the Hyderabad segment. Speaking to media persons after campaigning in the Bahadurpura area on the second day of his electioneering, the AIMIM chief extended his party’s support to the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu in the elections. “AIADMK has refused to ally with BJP and has committed to never allying with it in the future. It has also assured that it will oppose CAA, NPR & NRC. Therefore, AIMIM extends its support to AIADMK in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Our alliance will also continue for the Assembly elections,” Owaisi said in a post on X. CONTINUED ON P4 THE Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), which was the biggest donor of electoral bonds to the BJP at `586 crore, in an alleged bribery case. In the FIR, seen by TNIE, the CBI has also named eight officials of the NISP and NMDC and two officials of MECON. The FIR alleges the officials received bribes of `78 lakh for clearing MEIL’s bills worth `174 crore in connection with works related to Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur integrated steel plant. According to the electoral bonds data released by the Election Commission following a Supreme Court ruling, MEIL was the second biggest buyer of electoral bonds at `966 crore. Apart from contributing to the BJP, the firm also donated `195 crore to the BRS, `85 crore to DMK, and `37 crore to YSRCP. The TDP got about `25 crore from the company, while the Congress got `17 crore. The JD-S, Jana Sena Party and the JD-U got smaller sums ranging from `5 crore to `10 crore. In the FIR, the CBI has said it had registered a preliminary enquiry (PE) on August 10, 2023 regarding the alleged bribery in `315 crore project related to works of intake well and pump house and cross-country pipeline at the integrated steel plant of the NMDC in Jagdalpur, which was awarded to the company . “Based on the findings of the PE, a recommendation was made on March 18 to register a regular case into the alleged bribery which was filed on March 31,” the FIR read. The CBI has named eight officials of NISP and NMDC Ltd — retired executive director Prashant Dash; director (production) D K Mohanty; deputy general manager P K Bhuyan; D M Naresh Babu; senior manager Subro Banerjee; retired CGM (finance) L Krishna Mohan; general manager (finance) K Rajshekhar; and manager (finance) Somnath Ghosh, who allegedly received `73.85 lakh in bribe. Preliminary enquiry filed in Aug 2023 AFTER mounting fierce attacks against the Modi government on implementing the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Congress appears to have developed cold feet on the law in its recent election manifesto. T hough ‘re pealing and amending of CAA’ figured in the original draft of the manifesto, the top leadership of the party decided to drop it just before releasing the document, said sources. Instead, the party made an omnibus promise in the manifesto that it would repeal all anti-people laws passed by the NDA if the INDIA bloc came to power. “The original draft of the manifesto said that the draconian CAA would be repealed and amended. However, at the last minute, they decided not to list any laws and dropped the mention of CAA,” said a leader privy to the developments. However, when asked about nixing the CAA, a member of the manifesto committee told this paper that under a section called ‘reversing the damage’, the party had promised to repeal various anti-people laws passed by the BJP/NDA without proper parliamentary scrutiny and debate. However, in this section, the party talked about reviewing 15 students fall ill, 2 in critical condition EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Yadadri Bhuvanagiri FIR names MECON officials CBI also named two MECON officials — AGM Sanjeev Sahay and DGM K Illavarsu — who allegedly got `5.01 lakh against the payment of `174.41 crore by NMDC to MEIL via 73 invoices ATTACKED Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy being treated for the injury he suffered in stone pelting during his bus yatra in Vijayawada on Saturday. (Inset) Jagan with a wound on his forehead | EXPRESS Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi Iranian commandos raiding the ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday | AP Iranian authorities through diplomatic channels, both in Tehran and Delhi, to ensure the safety wel, fare and early released of Indian nationals,’’ an official said. Sources said Iran’s military seized the ship carrying a total of H O M E A W AY F R O M H O M E Telanganites in Israel feel safe amid Iran attack threat 25 crew members as it was suspected to have an Israeli connection. The vessel is associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer. Iran generally doesn’t target cargo vessels though they have targeted oil tankers in the past. On Saturday the forces were on the lookout , for ships linked to Israel travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, which led to this seizure. The MSC is one of the world’s biggest cargo shipping lines. The seizure follows Iran’s threats to respond to a suspected Israeli air strike on April 1 on Iran’s consular building in Damascus, Syria, which killed seven personnel, including two senior commanders. A J AY T O M A R @ Hyderabad AROUND 800 people from Telangana living in Israel said the situation is peaceful and they are safe amid the prevailing tensions between Israel and Iran. This comes a day after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued an advisory cautioning Indians against travelling to the two countries until further notice. The majority of Telangana people working in Israel are from Nizamabad and Jagtial districts. While most of them work in Ramat Gan and other neighbourhoods of Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial and cultural capital, a handful stay in Ashkelon, nearly 60 kilometres from Tel Aviv. Almost all of them are professional caregivers and earn between `5,000 and `6,000 shekel on a monthly basis (`1 lakh and `1.35 lakh). B Mahesh Goud, president of the Israel Telangana Association (ITA), told TNIE from Tel Aviv: “Everyone of us here is safe and sound. Our dayto-day work is going normally. We all live in a radius of two to three kilometres and keep a regular check on each other’s status.” The 42-year-old added that life is normal. “All the markets and grocery shops are open as usual,” said Goud, a native of Nizamabad, who has been living in Israel for the last eight years. At least 6,000 people from the two Telugu states are said to be living in Israel, with Andhraites predominantly belonging to West and East Godavari districts. Prasad Elle (46), who stays in Ashkelon, around 21 km from war-hit Gaza, is gearing up to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanti on CONTINUED ON P3 Monday . popularity and down-to-earth personality besides a significant presence of Brahmins and an upwardly-mobile population to shake up Chennai South, which has predominantly favoured the DMK. Her primary battle is against ILLUSTRATION: MANDAR PARDIKAR DMK’s incumbent MP and poet Thamizhachi Thangapandian. If Tamilisai translates to Tamil music, Thamizhachi means Tamil woman. Prior to kick-starting a fierce battle on the ground, Tamilisai and Thamizhachi shared a moment of camaraderie when they hugged each other after filing nomination papers around the same time on the same day The . campaign has since heated up. The DMK is making full use of its organisational strength to canvas votes. Tamilisai is compensating for the lack of an equivalent organisational capacity through an enthusiastic door-to-door campaign and personal interactions with the voters in a bid to endear herself as their Akka (sister). Her campaign’s tagline is Akka vanthachu (sister has come). WITH THIS ISSUE ON March 20, Tamilisai Soundararajan entered the state headquarters of the BJP, Kamalalayam, after a gap of nearly five years, to rejoin the party After col. lecting her membership card, she said in her booming voice, “Tamizhagathil Thamarai Malarum, Malarndhe Theerum” (Lotus will bloom in Tamil Nadu, it will inevitably bloom), revitalising a catchphrase she popularised when she was the party’s state president from 2014 to 2019. However, the bloom is yet to happen. Tamil Nadu has eluded the BJP so far with the party winning only eight MP seats out of the 105 Lok Sabha contests since 1984. Seven of these victories were thanks to its alliance with either the AIADMK or the DMK. Two days before she rejoined the party, Tamilisai resigned as the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry a move that surprised many , and signalled the BJP’s intentions to field its heavyweights in key constituencies to tur n the tide in t h is L o k Sabha election. Despite losing the AIADMK from its alliance, the BJP is hopeful of significantly increasing its vote share, owing to the growth the party believes it has achieved in the Dravidian land in recent years. The saffron party is banking on Tamilisai’s relative and amending laws relating to workers, farmers, criminal justice, environment & forests, and digital data protection. The section has no mention of repealing CAA. After the Union government notified the CAA on January 10, Congress MP Shashi Tha- roor said that the opposition would challenge the law in the Supreme Court, and dubbed it as unconstitutional. Tharoor also asserted that in the Congress manifesto, they will promise the repeal of the CAA, if the INDIA alliance comes to power. The silence of the party on the CAA in its manifesto has become a bone of contention between the Congress and the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been consistently attacking the Congress that the silence on the issue reflects its fear of speaking about the contentious Act. Vijayan accused that Congress consciously skipped the CAA. FOOD POISONING Tamil vs Thamizh in spirited south Chennai fight S U B A S H I N I V I J AYA K U M A R @ Chennai Under the CAA, citizenship will be given to persecuted non-Muslim minorities -Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian -- who migrated to India from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh till Dec 31, 2014 According to the FIR made public on Saturday, CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry on August 10, 2023 about alleged bribery in `315 crore project related to works at the integrated steel plant Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh Iran seizes Israel-linked cargo vessel with 17 Indians on board A day after India issued an advisory asking its citizens not to travel to Iran and Israel in view of heightened tensions in West Asia, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday seized a Portugalflagged cargo ship near the Gulf of Oman near Strait of Hormuz with 17 Indians on board. A video of the capture showed two soldiers sliding down from a helicopter through ropes on the deck of the ship in the Gulf of Oman. “We are aware that a cargo ship ‘MSC Aries’ (Mediterranean Shipping Company) has been taken control by Iran. We are in touch with Citizenship rights DOG IN THE FIGHT PLUS 12 PAGES As many as 15 students, all studying in Grade 5 and 6, of the Social Welfare Boys’ Residential School in Bhuvanagiri, fell ill after consuming contaminated food. The students complained of vomiting, stomach ache and diarrhoea on Saturday a day after they ate lemon , rice. T he hostel staff shifted the students to the district g ove r n m e n t hospital where they were provided medical treatment. The condition of two of the students is said to be critical and they are being treated at a private hospital in Hyderabad. The officials concerned collected food samples and sent them to a lab. Bhuvanagiri MLA Anilkumar Reddy visited the students at the Bhuvanagiri government hospital and directed doctors to provide them the necessary treatment. EXPRESS READ US moves troops to W Asia as war fears grow Washington: Roop reinforcements from Israel’s principal ally the United States headed to the region on Saturday, with fears of wider war growing more than six months into Israel’s battle against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. After pulling forces from the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, Israel’s military said Saturday it was continuing to operate against militants in central Gaza | P11 Six stabbed to death in Aussie shopping centre Sydney: Six people were killed and several others injured— including a nine-month-old baby—when a knife-wielding attacker rampaged through a busy Sydney shopping centre on Saturday. Australian police said multiple people were stabbed by the unidentified assailant, who was tracked down and shot dead by a policewoman who is being hailed as a national hero | P11 Trump hush money trial to start in NY today New York: Donald Trump becomes the first US ex-president to go on criminal trial on Monday—pushing the nation’s legal and electoral systems to the limit less than seven months before polls. Trump is accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with porn star Stormy Daniels so as not to doom his 2016 election | P11
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