KANNUR l tuesday l july 02, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION OCA General Assembly’s vote pending Yoga may feature in the marquee sporting event according to Indian authorities who are in touch with Olympic Council of Asia... India’s bid backed by prominent figures Indian Olympic Association president, PT Usha, on Monday said the OCA’s Executive Board has agreed to include yoga and a confirmation from the OCA’s General Assembly would pave the way for its inclusion to the event’s programme. Usha said OCA acting president, Randhir Singh, informed her about EB’s decision yoga edging closer to becoming part of asiad ■ ■ Usha, in a release, thanked sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who had earlier welcomed her initiative to get yoga included. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also been a big advocate of yoga The ministry has already granted recognition to Yogasana Bharat for promotion and development of Yogasana as a competitive sport 2026 The year the next Asiad will be conducted 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 Rahul’s fiery debut speech Govt in no hurry to pick pANEL formed Attacks BJP saying its leaders aren’t Hindus; criticises Agniveer scheme, NEET examination Modi makes two dy speaker interventions; BJP seeks apology P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi RA J E SH K UMAR THA K UR @ New Delhi Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi (left) gestures during his debut speech; and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in one of his two interventions during the address, in the Lok Sabha on Monday | PTI P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi The Lok Sabha witnessed a massive showdown on Monday after Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the BJP in his debut speech, saying the leaders of the ruling party are not Hindus as they engage in “violence and hate” round the clock. The remark prompted sharp responses from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, accusing Rahul of portraying the entire Hindu community as violent. In his speech that lasted nearly two hours, the Congress leader hit out at the government over a range of issues – from NEET to Agniveer to farm distress, unemployment and inflation among others. Alleging that the BJP was instilling fear in all sections of society, Rahul invoked Lord Shiva and the teachings of Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, Buddha and Mahavir to drive home the point that all religions preach, ‘don’t to be scared, and do not scare others’. “Lord Shiva says ‘don’t be scared,’ shows the abhaya mudra, talks about ahimsa, but those who call themselves Hindus indulge in hatred, violence and untruths round the clock,” He alleged, pointing towards the BJP MPs. As the Treasury benches erupted in protest, Shah demanded an apology for hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community An unfazed Rahul, . however, hit back saying he was speaking about the BJP and neither the ruling party nor the RSS represent the entire Hindu society “You are not . Hindus. It is clearly written in Hinduism that one should stand with the truth and not back down from the truth or be scared of it,” he said. Taking potshots at the BJP over its defeat in Ayodhya after the Ram temple’s inauguration, Rahul said the voters have conveyed a clear message to the government for its failures. Holding the government responsible for the unrest in Manipur, he said the prime minister and home minister have totally neglected the state. He also accused the BJP of threatening the minorities and spreading hatred and violence against them. Referring to the NEET-UG row, Rahul said students do not believe in the exam because they feel it is for the rich and that there is no place in it for meritorious students. bye bye stench? KSRTC promises clean toilets as Sulabh Int’l comes on board K r i s h n a K u m a r K E @ Kochi The state-run KSRTC sure is a lifeline to thousands of commuters, but answering the nature’s call is an ordeal at its bus depots. The stench is such that people would skip using the toilet complex if they had a choice. But all that could soon change. The KSRTC has brought on board Sulabh International, an NGO known for providing low-cost sanitation in the country and abroad, for the upkeep of the toilet facilities at its depots across the state. Amid rising complaints of poor maintenance of toilets, Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar, along with KSRTC managing director Pramoj Shanker, recently visited several depots and realised the pathetic situation of restrooms. They were so shocked to see the state of affairs at units like Kottayam and Tiruvalla. Not only did they direct the officials concerned to take action against First phase Initially, Sulabh Int’l will be entrusted with the mainte-nance of toilet complexes at Ernakulam, Kottarakkara, Karunagappally and T’Puram city depots. the contractors but also decided to bring about a sweeping change, promising spick-and-span toilets, and things moved really fast! “To start with, the Delhibased Sulabh International will be entrusted with the maintenance of toilet complexes at Ernakulam, Kottarakkara, Karunagappally and Thiruvananthapuram city depots. The same will be handed over to the NGO this week itself. The NGO has already proven their efficiency by handling the toilet facilities of the Thiruvananthapuram airport and the city corporation,” a senior KSRTC official told ● More on P4 TNIE. WC Chess india miss out The International Chess Federation said that Singapore will be hosting the event, where D Gukesh will be taking on defending champ Ding Liren | P11 Multiple breaks Rahul had to stop his speech several times as ministers Amit Shah, Rijiju, Bhupender Yadav and others made interventions. As he held up a picture of Lord Shiva, Speaker Birla said rules do not allow placards in the House When Hemant Soren or Arvind Kejriwal goes to jail, I should be concerned. When you unleash enforcement agencies on them, we should defend them. When you are a constitutional person, your personal aspirations should take a back seat Rahul Gandhi on his new role BJP leaders on Monday launched a barrage of criticism both inside and outside Parliament against Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi for alleging they were not Hindus as they promote division and violence. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first intervention in the debate said Rahul calling the entire Hindu society violent was a serious matter, Union home minister Amit Shah and other ministers demanded an apology from the Congress leader. In his second intervention during Rahul’s speech, Modi said the Constitution has taught him to take the LoP seriously . Referring to the Agniveer scheme, Rahul described how the family of a martyr is deprived of compensation from the Army. Defence minister MSP issue Rajnath Singh rebutted When Rahul him by pointing out that alleged that the an Agniveer who lays govt did not want down his life in the line of to give a legal duty gets a compensation guarantee on MSP, of `1 crore. “This House agriculture is not for spreading lies. minister Shivraj Rahul Gandhi should Chouhan accused apologise to the House, to him of misleading the country and to Agthe House niveers,” Shah said. Later, Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Ashwini Vaishnaw did a media briefing and accused Rahul of denigrating the LoP post with his “utterly irresponsible” speech. Vaishnaw joined issue with Rahul who alleged that adequate compensation was not paid to the relocated shopkeepers in Ayodhya. “The state government and the administration provided `1,253 crore in compensation to 4,215 affected shopkeepers,” he claimed. Vaishnaw accused Rahul of insulting the Hindu. “This is an old habit of the Congress. In 2010, P Chidambaram called Hindus terrorists, and in 2013, Sushil Shinde repeated it,” he alleged. Rijiju stated that the BJP has contested many of Rahul’s claims and has requested action from the Speaker. “He will have to substantiate or apologise.” Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also alleged that the appeasement politics of the Congress and Rahul “starts and ends with Hindu hate”. AS uncertainty over the appointment of the deputy speaker post of the Lok Sabha continues, sources said the government is unlikely to move in this direction soon. The NDA is keeping the cards close to its chest over whether it will keep the post or allot it to an INDIA bloc candidate. However, Speaker Om Birla’s move on Monday to appoint a panel of chairpersons to help him run the House proceedings shows the government does not want to appoint a deputy speaker, sources said. Addressing the House on Monday, Birla said he has named Jagdambika Pal (BJP), P C Mohan (BJP), Sandhya Ray (BJP), Dilip Saikia (BJP), Kumari Selja (Congress), A Raja (DMK), Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar (TMC), Krishna Prasad Tenneti (TDP), and Awadhesh Prasad (SP) as members of the panel of chairpersons. This comes amid speculation that the INDIA bloc has reached a consensus over fielding Faizabad MP Prasad for the deputy speaker post. Sources said if INDIA bloc puts up Prasad as its candidate, the BJP will find it difficult to oppose. According to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, these chairpersons preside over House proceedings when the Speaker is not in the Chair. They enjoy all powers vested in the Speaker. By fielding Prasad, the Opposition is trying to send a message to the Dalit voters in Uttar Pradesh. “The government may not wish to send a wrong message by opposing Prasad’s candidature,” said an NDA leader. on the ball France forward Randal Kolo Muani (L) fights for the ball with Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen during the Euro 2024 round of 16 football match at the Duesseldorf Arena on Monday. France prevailed 1-0 | AFP Patkar gets 5-month jail in 23-yr-old defamation case S u c h i t r a M o h a n t y @ New Delhi A Delhi court on Monday sentenced social activist Medha Patkar to five months in jail in a 23-year-old defamation case brought against her by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena. The Metropolitan Magistrate Court also asked Patkar to pay `10 lakh as compensation to Saxena. In 2000, Saxena, who was then the president of Ahmedabad-based NGO, National Council for Civil Liberties, published an advertisement against the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) led by Patkar. The NBA was opposing the construction of dams on the Narmada. Responding to the ad, Patkar issued a press note saying Saxena was “mortgaging” the people of Gujarat and their resources before Bill Gates and the then World Bank president James Wolfensohn. Her press note also called Saxena a Gujarat government agent. Saxena filed a defamation suit against her in 2001. “It is evident that the accused (Patkar) harbored a clear intention to defame the complainant through her press note,” the Delhi court said in its verdict. Rejecting Patkar’s prayer to release her on the condition of probation, the magistrate said, “Considering the facts...damages, age and ailment, I am not inclined to give excessive punishment.” The court, however, suspended the sentence for a month to enable to file an appeal. Mujahids, Sunnis in war of words over ‘women’s education’ E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kozhikode Education for women has once again become a topic of heated debate in the Muslim community in Kerala with the Mujahids asking the Sunnis to tender an apology to women for “obstructing their right to education for over a century”. The issue was reignited with the speech of Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama president Syed Muhammad Jiffiri Muthukoya Thangal on July 26, where he said his organisation was never against women’s education. Thangal asserted that the Sunnis only insisted that girls’ education should be “within the stipulated limits of the religion”. Reacting to the speech, Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) said Samastha should offer an apology for “obstruct- ing women’s education for over a century”. In a statement issued after the leaders’ meeting on Sunday, KNM said the Samastha president’s claim that the organisation did not stand in the way of women’s education was against truth. “Samastha should clarify whether it still upholds the resolution adopted at the Mannarkkad conference in 1930, which said women should not learn writing. If not, the organisation should tell the public that the resolution was a mistake,” KNM said.It added that it was the Muslim Aikya Sangam and its offshoots that taught the community the importance of education and those who ridiculed the Mujahid movement for over a century should do an introspection. KNM also asked the Sunnis to open the doors of the R o ad t o P ar i s Trekking in Swiss—Hockey team’s Oly prep S w a r o o p SWAMI N ATHA N @ Bengaluru IN a week’s time, the Indian men’s hockey team will throw away their sports gear for some jackets, headlamps and hiking boots. As part of a team bonding exercise before the high-pressure environment of the Olympics, the contingent — the playing members and the support staff — will meet up with the side’s mental conditioning coach, Paddy Upton, in Switzerland for a three-day camp. “There will be no hockey there,” Craig Fulton, coach of the national team, said during an interaction with this daily. “Everything that we need to focus on to be the best team we can be. Most have a good time doing it because it’s been tough, training really hard. Sometimes, we also need to see the wood for the trees (laughs). The mountains could be what we need.” The men’s team is scheduled to reach Paris on July 20 | hockey india While there, the plan right now is to do some trekking before 2021 bronze medallists switch base to Netherlands for three friendlies before they leave for Paris on July 20. The three-day session could also see the side have a spell with Mike Horn, a motivational coach who has worked with the Indian cricket, the Germany men’s football team as well as Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Doing these sort of team exercises is nothing new for Fulton’s wards. Last year, they climbed Table Mountain. Before the Asian Games, the players were split into small teams and were asked to shoot short movies (movies were shot on a mobile camera before they were screened). PR Sreejesh, who will be featuring in his fourth Olympics, spoke about why these exercises are vital. “Climbing the Table Mountain was a good experi- ence,” he said. “Different people had different goals; somebody wanted to finish first, a few just wanted to finish, others wanted to come last so they could motivate everybody else to finish. It was about showing mentality .” On the upcoming trip to Switzerland, Sreejesh said: “We are going to meet Mike Horn (Horn had taken the South African men’s cricket team on an expedition to the Swiss Alps in 2012), I have read about his work in Paddy Upton’s autobiography That . was so inspiring and I’m sure his lessons will help us at the Olympics. When you feel like you are breaking down or the team is breaking down, his experiences will help us make good decisions under those circumstances. “It will be something new for us but that’s what we require, we need to distract ourselves. Three days doing this before coming back to hockey will refresh us.” mosques for women to enable them to offer Friday juma prayers. Samastha, however, reiterated that it never imposed a blanket ban on women’s education but only suggested certain ‘restrictions’. Sunni Yuvajana Sangam (SYS) state secretary Abdul Hameed Faizi Ambalakkadavu said no one who believes in moral values can find anything wrong in the sug● More on P4 gestions. EXPRESS READ Govt to challenge governor’s decision Kochi: The state government informed the Kerala High Court that it would file a petition before the court challenging the decision of Governor Arif Muhammed Khan constituting search committees to select vice-chancellors for six staterun universities without its nominees. P4 4-yr UG programme rolled out in state T’Puram: The Four Year Undergraduate Programme was rolled out in universities and affiliated colleges across the state on Monday. While the government claims the transition to FYUGP would strengthen the higher education sector, a section of academics have cautioned that the reform would ‘trivialise’ academic pursuits to mere vocational training. P4
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