tirupati l wednesday l july 03, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l anantapur EDITION Deuba, Oli strike power-sharing deal to oust Nepal PM Prachanda Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have inked a deal to form a new ‘national consensus government’ to replace the coalition govt led by Prachanda CHINA’s man OLI TO BE PM FOR NEXT 1.5 YRS pRACHANDA not to quit, face trust vote Under the deal, Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba (78) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist chairman and ex-PM K P Sharma Oli (72) will share the PM post on a rotational basis. The two leaders will share the premiership for one-and-a-half years each. Oli, known for his pro-China stance, will lead the government in the first phase ■ Nepali Congress, the largest party in the House of Representatives (HoR), has 89 seats, while CPN-UML has 78 seats. Their combined strength is 167, which is sufficient for a majority of 138 seats in the 275-member HoR | P9 ■ Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda (69) has refused to resign, saying he will rather face a trust vote 13 Number of governments Nepal has had in the past 16 years 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 117 DEVOTEES dIE in U.P. stampede Scores injured in mishap at religious event in Hathras women, KIDS among dead fir REGISTERED AGAINST ORGANISERS N A M ITA BA J PAI @ Lucknow PAST STAMPEDES AT least 117 people, including women and children, died due to suffocation and fatal injuries after a stampede broke out at a religious congregation in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on Tuesday afternoon. Officials said the toll may go up as scores of people were seriously injured in the melee. The accident happened in Phulrai village of Ratibhanpur locality under Sikandrau tehsil area of Hathras district around 3 pm on Tuesday . According to Etah SP Rajesh Kumar Singh, as soon as the satsang (prayer meeting) got over, people who were packed in a small hall rushed out. They fell over each other, leading to stampede. Aligarh Range IG Shalabh Mathur confirmed 117 deaths, while unofficial reports put the number at 130. Police officials say a huge gathering of around 15,000 people had thronged the venue to attend the satsang held by Bhole Baba, a popular preacher who has followers in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana. The venue was packed to the brim. “The number of attendees exhathras ceeded the administration’s permitted limit at the venue, leading to a stampede during Bhole Baba’s satsang,” a statement by the state government Uttar said. An FIR has been registered Pradesh against the organisers and the baba, Bodies of victims of the stampede lie in a bus, at Sikandra Rao in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday | PTI who is reportedly absconding. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi The district where Who is Bhole baba? Adityanath said the government will the satsang was A former official with the intelligence wing of Uttar Pradesh Police, thoroughly investigate whether it was being held Suraj Pal turned Narayan Vishwa Hari Bhole Baba took voluntary a ‘tragedy or a conspiracy’ and take acMy thoughts are with retirement to pursue his spiritual call. He conducts weekly prayer tion against those responsible. He also conthose bereaved in Hathras. meets at various places every Tuesday, attracting many. Not a follower stituted a probe team comprising Additional Prayers with the injured. The UP govt of any guru, he claims to have got divine vision straight from God Director General of Police Agra zone Anupam is working to assist those affected Kulshreshtha and Aligarh Divisional CommissionPrime Minister Narendra Modi er Chaitra V to ascertain the reasons for the mishap. Different versions on How it happened The CM has sought the probe report with 24 hours. The congregation was much bigger According to some reports, the tragedy may have happened when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an exthan what was permitted. In the devotees tried to get a glimpse of the Bhole Baba and collect some soil gratia compensation of `2 lakh to the family of the stampede, several women, children from around the baba’s feet. After the satsang ended, the baba got up deceased and `50,000 each to the injured. The Uttar and elders died to leave. The place where he sat is considered sacred by devotees. Pradesh government will also give similar compenMany devotees rushed to the spot to collect soil, leading to stampede sation to the victims. UP minister Chaudhury Lakshmi Narayan maiden visit CM to leave for Delhi today, meet PM, FM E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is set to leave for New Delhi on Wednesday evening. This will be his first official visit to the national capital after being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said Naidu is expected to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will also meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other ministers. The Chief Minister is likely to submit proposals for projects in the State so they can be included in the Union Budget, which is expected to be tabled in August. Besides issues related to the State bifurcation, Naidu is likely to seek funding for pending projects in the State. Some of the matters that may come up for discussions with PM Modi and Sitharaman include funding for Polavaram Irrigation Project and the capital city of Amaravati. Ahead of his visit to New Delhi, the Chief Minister is learnt to have been briefed by the officials on pending projects in the State for the past five years. Naidu had also met Railway officials and discussed about the pending projects and funds needed to complete the ongoing ones. He is likely to seek more funds for these projects, sources said. Before leaving for the national capital, the Chief Minister will be releasing a white paper on Amaravati capital city. It will be the second of the seven white papers that the government has decided to publish. Aug 27, 2003: 39 dead during Kumbh Mela in Nashik Jan 25, 2005: 340 trampled to death at Mandhardevi temple in Maharashtra’s Satara Aug 3, 2008: 162 dead, 47 injured at Naina Devi temple in Himachal’s Bilaspur Sep 30, 2008 : 250 devotees were killed at Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur Mar 4, 2010 : 63 killed at Ram Janki Temple in UP’s Pratapgarh district Jan 14, 2011: 104 killed in a stampede when a jeep crashed into Sabarimala pilgrims at Pulmedu Nov 19, 2012: 20 killed as a makeshift bridge caved in during Chhath Puja at Adalat Ghat in Patna Oct 13, 2013: 115 killed during Navratri festivities in MP’s Datia district Jul 14, 2015: 27 died at a major bathing spot at Godavari river in Rajahmundry, AP Jan 1, 2022 : 12 died at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in J&K Revanth accepts Naidu invite for meeting M a n d a R a v i n d e r Re d d y @ Hyderabad Responding positively to the letter from his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu proposing a meeting on July 6 to discuss pending bifurcation issues, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday instructed officials to prepare the agenda for the meeting. The meeting will be held at the Praja Bhavan on Saturday . Revanth discussed the proposed meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka before sending his letter to Naidu. In his letter, he said that there was an imperative need to resolve all pending issues of the Andhra Pradesh Reorgani- sation Act. “An in-person meeting is necessary to help us build a strong foundation for mutual cooperation, exchange of ideas and enable us to better serve our respective people,” Revanth wrote. He also congratulated Naidu on his victory in the recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh, saying: “You have joined a very rare league of political leaders in Independent India who have taken oath as Chief Minister for a fourth time. I wish you the best for this term.” Incidentally, a similar meeting took place between the then chief ministers K Chandrasekhar Rao and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on July 31, 2019, two months after the latter took charge as chief minister. However, there has not been much progress in resolving bifurcation issues. Unresolved issues Some of the unresolved issues include division of assets belonging to 23 corporations mentioned in the 9th schedule of the AP Reorganisation Act. Of these, RTC, State Finance CorP4 poration, etc are key . Monsoon covers India 6 days early The Southwest Monsoon on Tuesday covered the entire country six days early of schedule, taking the remaining parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab in its sweep. This is the third consecutive year that the monsoon covered the entire nation on July 2 instead of the normal date of July 8. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) reiterated its prediction that the country will receive above normal rainfall i.e. over 106% of long period average (LPA) between JuneSeptember. It is expected to boost sowing of Kharif crops and ease food inflation. The onset of the monsoon was early too. , It arrived in Kerala on May 30, two days ahead of schedule. However, its journey so far has been haphazard. The country received 11% deficient rainfall in June, which was seventh lowest in the last 24 years. Its progression was normal in the first week of June but later it got subdued in the rest of the country except South India. During June, subdued rainfall was observed especially from June 10 to 18. Rainfall improved after June 19 and there was good precipitation from June 27 to 30. R&B Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Tuesday instructed officials to take measures to take over buildings located in Telangana but still in possession of the Andhra Pradesh government. The officials were directed to prepare complete information in accordance with the repossession of various properties request remerger of 5 villages with TG: agri min Agriculture Minister Nageswara Rao wrote to CM Revanth, asking him to apprise Naidu on issues being faced by residents of Etapaka, Gundala, Purushottamapatnam, Kannayigudem and Pichukulapadu villages of erstwhile Khammam district and request the AP CM for re-merging them into Telangana P r ee t h a N a i r @ New Delhi In a strong pushback against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s fiery speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the country would not forgive the Congress MP for centuries for his hurtful comments about ‘Hindus’. Replying to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha, the prime minister said, “People will not forgive them for centuries… Hindu is tolerant. A conspiracy was hatched to falsely accuse Hindus. It was said Hindus are violent. This is your character, thinking, and hatred.” Rahul had on Monday alleged that BJP leaders claim to be Hindus, but they talk only of violence and hatred. Many of his comments were later expunged by the Chair. In his more than two-hour-long speech, Modi repeatedly took potshots at Rahul and the Congress. Revised norms Asserting that the grand old party on oath taking delivered its third worst performance in the national elections and With AIMIM chief failed to reach 250-mark after the Asaduddin Owaisi’s 1984 polls, he said, “Country is tell- saying ‘Jai Palestine’ ing him that you are not up to it.” after taking his oath The Lower House saw utter cha- as a Lok Sabha os throughout the speech as the member, the Speaker Opposition staged protests and on Tuesday revised trooped into the Well, raising slo- the guidelines, barring MPs from adding any gans of ‘justice for Manipur’. Taking a swipe at Rahul, Modi words, expressions, called him balak buddhi (an adult prefixes or suffixes to with a child’s mind). “A new dra- the prescribed oath or ma has been carried out to gain affirmation in the sympathy. ‘I have been beaten’ Third Schedule | P7 etc.,” he said referring to Rahul’s charge that he was targeted in different criminal cases by the Central government. “The fact is he is on bail in a corruption case, was convicted for calling an OBC community thief, and had to tender an apology before the Supreme Court for speaking lies,” Modi said. This balak buddhi at times tries to hug someone in the House and sometime winks, he quipped. On the alleged irregularities in NEET-UG, Modi said his government is taking steps on a war footing to prevent their recurrence, adding the guilty will not be spared. Arrests are taking place across the country he said. , 1 killed, 7 students & teachers hurt as truck rams into school bus in Nellore Patchy in June J i t en d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi Prepare to take over buildings from Ap: Min Modi rips Rahul with his balak buddhi barb E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Nellore India’s sun-observing Aditya-L1 completes first ‘halo’ orbit around L1 On Tuesday, India’s Aditya-L1 solar observation spacecraft took 178 days to complete its first revolution around the L1 point Orbit around L1 is perpendicular to the Earth-Sun axis Lagrange Point-1 (L1) is between the Sun and Earth where the gravitational forces of both balance each other out through attraction and repulsion. It is 1.5 million km from Earth To maintain this orbit around L1, it needed three thruster firings. With the third firing on Tuesday, Aditya-L1 has begun its second revolution around L1 | P5 One person was killed while seven students and teachers sustained minor injuries after a truck crashed into a school bus on NH-16 near Kavali in Nellore district on Tuesday. There were 37 people, including the bus driver and cleaner, students and teachers, in the bus when the incident happened. The deceased has been identified as D Chinna Malakondaiah (60). “The school bus belongs to RSR Educational Institutions. The incident took place when the students were on their way to school,” said Kavali Traffic DSP M Venkata Ramana. The bus was turning towards the school when an oncoming truck rammed into it from be- The windshield of the school bus was shattered in the accident on NH-16 near Kavali; An injured student undergoing treatment at a hospital | Express hind, causing it to overturn. Passersby responded swiftly and rushed the injured to a nearby hospital in Kavali. On receiving news about the accident, parents of the students reached the hospital immediately . Police arrived at the scene to manage traffic and launch an investigation into the incident. The overturned bus, which had blocked the road, was moved to restore traffic flow. The body of the deceased cleaner was transferred to a government hospital for post-mortem. “The driver of the truck abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. The truck was seized and a case has been registered,” Venkata Ramana said.
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